Naruto Dragon Champion
by Freedom Guard
Summary: Two powerful swords from another world...forged by two Dragon Lords and their kind, one side who serve the light...another who serve the darkness, lands in the world of Naruto after a powerful battle. A new warrior class is born...the Dragon Champions
1. Chapter 1

Naruto – The Twin Swords

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters, but I wish I did, so that way I won't have to write too much.

Prologue

The birth of the Twin Swords

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'_The greatest weapon a man can wield…is his own heart, mind, body…and soul…the weapons of today…are merely part of the arsenal.'_

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In the world of Dagern…

In the times of the ancient past, when the world was young, there were Dragons…ancient and majestic beasts of power, magic, and will. They soared through the skies and ruled the lands before them and conversed with the mortal beings who inhabit the lands. There were two sects of Dragons, the Holy Dragons who valued peace, compassion, wisdom, knowledge, justice, mercy, order, life, creation and freedom…and the Chaos Dragons who valued power, corruption, greed, hatred, malice, anger, death, slavery, and destruction.

These Dragons were constantly fighting one another, the Holy Dragons hoping to protect all in their charge, while the Chaos Dragons wanted to conquer, enslave, and consume those the Holy Dragons protected. The mortal denizens of the world knew this to be the War of the Dragon Lords as many Dragons on either side sold their lives dearly. They too joined behind these Dragons on either side…some did it for honor, fame, glory, justice, and duty…others did it for power, knowledge, destruction…and worse.

The realms protected by the Holy Dragons were under the stewardship of their most powerful lord, a powerful Dragon named Faldren, he taught many ancient powers to mortals, being the oldest and the first of the Holy Dragons and their unspoken leader. He too saw mortals under his care to be worthy of protection and he led his kin into countless battles with their dark brethren to prevent the destruction of all life. Under his teachings, the mortal humans, and their fellow neighbors the elves, dwarves, gnomes, and other races of the light made kingdoms of their own lands and considered the Holy Dragons as their allies and respected the power of the Holy Dragons in both times of peace and in times of war, though Faldren and his kin didn't interfere with the affairs of their wards, to allow them to make their own civilizations grow, coming to aid them when the need was great.

The realms under the watch of the Chaos Dragons were under the control of their most powerful leader Chorvax, like Faldren he taught many things to the mortals in his realms, being the oldest and first of the Chaos Dragons and their unquestioned master. However, this was where things between the two Dragon sides changed…for in the realms of the Chaos Dragons, the beings who live there are forever food, slaves, and worshippers of the Chaos Dragons Chorvax saw mortals as nothing more than pawns, food, and puppets and he and his kin fed their power and malice into their subjects without care and twisted the hearts of the beings of their lands, who fear them and worship them.

Many battles have been fought between the two Dragon races and their mortal followers for generations, and it had been a violent and bloody existence. Faldren decided to call a cease-fire and spoke to Chorvax and both leaders met in the borderlands, what was spoken between the great Dragon Lords was unknown but what was certain was that there would be no true compromise as both leaders knew that. There would be war even if they would all leave and never interfere with the affairs of the beings under their respective charge. Thus the Dragon Lords each spoke to their kin and decided to create weapons that could be used to determine the outcome of each battle.

Faldren gathered his kin and with all of their power, one of his own metallic claws, and one of his metal scales…they created a sword of great power, the sword was unlike anything any mortal smith could forge and was made by the Holy Dragons to be unmatched by mortal means, save by their own power and that of their dark brethren….Into this sword, they poured portions of their mystic powers, their blood, their beliefs and more. The sword was forged for nearly three to four years and with Faldren's last blessing the weapon was complete.

Chorvax gathered his own kin and with all of their power, one of his own metallic fangs, and one of his scales…they too created a sword of great power, and it too was unlike anything that any mortal smith could forge and was made by the Chaos Dragons to be unequaled by mortal means, save by their own power and that of their holy kin.…Into this sword, they poured portions of their own mystic powers, their blood, their beliefs and more. It took four years for the weapon to be completed and it was so with Chorvax's blessing.

Once the weapons were finished, the Dragons left the weapons in their most sacred place, and thus they moved aside and allowed their respective mortal followers to seek the weapons out of their own free will.

The two swords were wondrous to behold by anyone and they were soon sought after by many who sought the power of the Dragons. But the swords were no mere weapons, they were great reservoirs of magic and power…and were alive. These two swords chose their wielders, and to prove it…those deemed worthy by the swords each bore a mark of the Holy and Chaos Dragons and the sword would obey only it's chosen wielder and master.

Those who were able to find the swords, but were not chosen were unable to wield it in many ways. Those who attempted to wield the Holy Dragon Sword found it to be nearly impossible to lift…as if they were trying to lift a mountain. And those of dark natures and hearts who attempted to wield or touch the Holy Dragon Sword were burned by the mystical wards and enchantments that both chose the wielder and protected the sword from harm. The same could be said for the Chaos Dragon Sword as it too prevented those who it did not chose to wield it to even lift if off the ground. Those who were of good natures and hearts suffered paralyzing pain and fear once they were hit by the wards and enchantments that guarded the Sword.

After their forging, the swords saw battle in the hands of various warriors from the two realms and these battles were climactic in scale to the eyes of mortals and these were known as the Dragon Champion Wars, and each wielder of either sword was graced with the title of Dragon Champion.

In time the swords themselves gained their own names…and while the draconian names for the swords were only spoken by the Dragons who made them…the mortals of each realm made names that would long be remembered…

The Holy Dragon Sword was known as Holy Talon, and the Chaos Dragon Sword was known as Death Fang.

The swords also took in the essences of those who wielded them, learning from their previous wielders and bestowing the same abilities to those who they chose to wield them later on in life. And it was said that those Dragon Champions were granted immortality by the swords in a way for they were able to live for many years after the forging of both blades.

In one final battle, both Holy Talon and Death Fang were wielded by two powerful mages who fought in the land known as the Dragon's Basin, in the final moments of the five days battle of swords and magic, the mages slew one another in a maelstrom of mystical energy that would have been immense and all magic would have been disrupted. However, in a blinding flash of light the battle ended and both mages were seen dead on the ground…and the swords gone.

There was panic in both realms and many petitioned the Dragons to locate the wondrous weapons, but the Dragons refused and stated that the time of the Holy Talon and the Death Fang in this world had passed, the maelstrom had somehow sent the swords far beyond even their reach and as such, only a great feat of power could bring the living swords back.

The Dragon Lords knew this and they decided to watch and wait…to see through their magic where the swords had indeed landed, it was in a realm too far away for them to open a gateway for the sword's return…but the Higher Gods deemed that while the swords were no longer there, they would have roles to play in wherever they landed…

And soon, new Dragon Champions will arise and the battle will once more be fought between the Holy Talon and the Death Fang and soon…the swords and their wielders would decide the fate of their world in ways that none, not even them can predict.

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To be continued…

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Author's notes:

Pretty short prologue eh? I'm trying to cut down on too much content every now and then so I can make use of my time more effectively.

As you can see, this story is very different from my usual brand of storytelling, but there's always a first time for something right? And since you know that this is a Naruto fan fiction you can bet that sooner or later the swords will play a great role in really changing the world of Naruto.

Both swords have great powers and abilities and they have their own limitations as well, which will be explained in the coming chapters and will be shown as well in the said chapters.

See you there!


	2. AwakenDragon Champion

Naruto – The Twin Swords

Disclaimer: I state that I don't own anything related to Naruto…and that means everything in the Naruto series. I wish I did though.

Chapter 1

Awaken… Dragon Champion

( ): Thoughts

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In Wave Country…

Naruto rushed as fast as he could manage in order to reach Inari and Tsunami before the bandits Gato hired to kidnap a hostage. And he knew just who they had in mind. The blonde moved as fast as he could manage as he closed the distance between him and Inari's home. He knew that his team were currently at the bridge that Tazuna was building and he knew that the ninja known as Zabuza was in the area. He had to finish this quickly before things got even more hectic.

(Darn it! I hope I make it in time!)

As he cleared the forest, he then spotted two samurai holding Tsunami hostage and Inari was shouting at them to release his mother. Naruto was surprised by this, he had fought with Inari before when the topic of heroes came up a long time ago while there in the village. Inari thought heroes were fools and that really pissed him off that the kid was looking at his adopted father that way. But it seemed that the young boy had gathered the courage to stand and fight as he was doing his level best to tell the two samurai to release his mother and he was charging right for them.

Naruto knew that he only had one chance to get this right as the two men began to attack as he rushed in.

"INARI!!!!"

Tsunami screamed out as she tried to stop the two rogue samurai from killing her son but she was stopped with a blow from doing anything and she was now unconscious. Inari was feeling great fear and sorrow, but held on as he charged at the men. The brothers were eager to end the brat's life…but to their shock, they found that they only succeeded in cutting a log into three pieces.

"What the heck?!"

"A replacement jutsu?!"

The two then turned as they spotted Naruto who had been able to rescue Tsunami and Inari in them as the blonde ninja spoke in his usual tone.

"I made it…sorry about the delay…but heroes always seem to show up late."

Inari looked up and saw to his surprise Naruto, who had been able to use a replacement jutsu to take Inari's place while he and three other clones that he had made were able to sneak into the area and free Tsunami and Inari at the last minute.

"Who the heck are you?!"

"The name's Naruto Uzumaki of Konoha to you one eye. And I'm going to deal with you right now for trying to kidnap a kind lady like Tsunami and trying to kill her son."

"Naruto! It's you!"

Naruto spared a glance at Inari and smiled as the kid stood in awe at what he had been able to do at the last minute.

"You did great Inari, when you charged those two, they forgot about you're mother and that allowed me to get out of the way and use a replacement jutsu to save both her and you, I owe you big for that."

Inari looked at his mother and found her to be alive and safe and he felt like crying, but then realized that since Naruto was not with the others, he must have known about the samurai who were coming to kidnap his mother, but how did he know that and make it here.

"But how did you know these two were coming to kidnap my mother?"

Naruto recalled what he had seen while in the forest a while back and which told him that danger was heading Inari's way.

"I found a really badly wounded boar in the forest a while back and the area around it was really cut up and those cuts could only be done with a sword, and the path where all the cutting was done was heading straight for you're house."

"That was really smart of you Naruto!"

"Blah, blah!"

Inari turned and both he and Naruto then faced the two mercenary samurai who were getting even more annoyed as they reached for their swords once more

"it's one of those ninja brats Tazuna hired."

"Let's deal with him."

Inari gasped as the two charged at them as they were still looking.

"They're coming!"

Naruto calmly focused and took out a pair of shuriken from his pouch and fired them at the two samurai, both men then took out their swords and blocked the attacks and one of them merely taunted Naruto.

"You'll have to do something else than that brat!"

Naruto merely grinned, making them more angry as he replied.

"I already have."

Before the samurai could do anything, the two other clones that Naruto had made before had been able to get the drop on the two samurai and with powerful kicks to the back of their heads, the two samurai were knocked out like lights. The clones faded and Inari was stunned at the whole thing and looked at Naruto with wide eyes filled with admiration.

That was so cool! Just like a real ninja!"

"You twerp! I keep telling you all the time! I am a real ninja you know!"

The two shared a great deal of laughs and afterwards, the two tied up the still unconscious samurai brothers with several coils of rope and as they took the time to calm down after the battle, Naruto had this weird feeling that someone was calling him. Naruto then spoke to Inari.

"I guess I should apologize about what I said yesterday."

"Huh?"

"Calling you a coward was pretty low and mean, but now I can say this with pride and honesty Inari."

He placed his hand on Inari's head and replied with his usual smile.

"You were really brave today, I have no doubt you're step father and you're mother would be really proud of you."

Inari felt overwhelmed and once more began to cry and he was not happy with that as he thought Naruto was going to make fun of him and call him a baby, like those bullies had done in the past. But Naruto was not that kind of person and assured him that it was all right. Naruto then left him in charge as he ran back to help his fellow team members in their battle at the bridge.

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On the bridge…

Things were not looking good as Sasuke found himself under heavy attack by Haku who had somehow conjured up another jutsu that involved ice and water. The fake hunter nin created mirrors of ice that covered Sasuke and when he tried to break one…they didn't break in the least and before he knew what was happening, Haku unleashed a massive barrage of Senbon that cut into him and wounded him severely. He had the upper hand at first until Haku pulled out this new jutsu and he had no way to escape and was wounded considerably.

Kakashi tried to step in but found himself blocked by Zabuza and Sakura tried to get involved by firing a kunai at Haku, but the apparently skilled ninja caught the weapon and was about ready to attack…but he was suddenly attacked by a shuriken and was knocked out of the mirror he was using. The others looked as a large pillar of smoke appeared and only two people knew who that was.

Sasuke groaned as he knew of only one guy who did such stunts.

(Darn it…quit showing off)

Haku spoke once more as he now had a gash on his mask due to the shuriken hitting his face.

"The number one hyperactive, knuckleheaded ninja is here I see."

And sure enough, Naruto appeared and was ready for a fight as the smoke cleared. He spoke proudly and got ready with his usual grin.

"Naruto Uzumaki is here! Believe it!"

As he got ready to jump into the fray, he took out a kunai and made a direct strike to Haku, he realized that since this guy was the one who controlled the mirror jutsu, he was then one that had to be taken out, that much he knew, but as Naruto closed in, Haku quickly fired several Senbon at him, he was able to evade some of them, but got hit hard on the leg, and Zabuza took advantage of that and Kakashi was stunned as Naruto was injured. The blonde ninja recovered but quickly gulped once more as Zabuza came at him with his head cleaving sword at the ready.

"NARUTO! LOOK OUT!!!"

"Now you die brat!"

Naruto blocked with his kunai, but the weapon was not enough as the head cleaving sword had been well made and weapons such as the kunai were not the best choices to block a weapon of it's power and size as the kunai held on for a moment, before being cut and the weapon wounded Naruto right on the chest, cutting him deeply. Naruto staggered back as the blood flowed from his wounds. Haku hesitated and was not happy, he wanted to fight Naruto head on, but Zabuza was in a hurry and he couldn't go against the only man to gave him purpose.

Zabuza smirked a bit and replied.

"You've run out of road in life brat…see you at the end."

With that Zabuza kicked Naruto in the stomach and sent him into the waters below with a splash and he turned and faced Kakashi who gave out a very icy glare.

"How dare you!"

"You want to avenge that brat Kakashi? Then come and get me…and watch as Haku takes out the other one."

Sakura gasped at the sight of Naruto falling into the water with the wound, she might not like him but he was her team after all and now he must be dead, she forced herself to calm down and focus on defending Tazuna, though she swore that she would pray for her team mate once she had a chance.

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Unknown to them all…

As Naruto fell deeper into the water…knocked back into the ocean from Zabuza's strike, he felt the cold waters and he felt his life beginning to weaken and he continued to fall into the water.

(Am I dying?)

Naruto opened his eyes and found himself in water…deep water and there were fishes swimming and for a moment a vision hit his mind…the image of a strange sword that seemed to be of pure…evil…as if it was purely made from evil. He then saw himself…but different…the whisker marks were there but he seemed older…more seasoned…and holding a sword…wearing strange clothes with the symbol of some beast with wings on the clothes….and a strange white tattoo on his arm.

He looked about as much as he could manage and then he saw something…

As his wounds were still beating from the strike he managed to barely deflect he wasn't sure…but it appeared to some sort of weapon in a sheath…like a sword and it was buried in a large boulder underneath the waters. But it was different though he couldn't see it for real. His vision began to fade but the number one hyperactive knuckled headed ninja of Konoha was not about to die here and now.

(No! I've made it this far!!! I will become Hokage! I refuse to die!)

Naruto tried to move as the sword was now within reach and for a second, he touched it.

(I won't give up my dream! I want to live!)

Naruto suddenly felt a sensation flooding his body…but it was not a deadly sensation, but warm…calming, soothing, and empowering…unlike anything he had ever felt before in his entire life…it didn't even compare to the chakra that he summoned on a few occasions…but something older…more unique…it was then that he heard a voice in the darkness.

("What do you live for?")

Naruto was unsure of what the voice wanted for him to say. But no matter what, he was not going to back down and he replied.

"I live to accomplish my dream."

("Dream? What is it you dream to be boy?")

"I dream to be Hokage so someday so I will be recognized by the people in my village! And my name is Naruto Uzumaki, not boy!"

("Why do you wish to be Hokage Naruto Uzumaki?")

"So I can finally prove to the villagers that I'm not a demon! That I can be the greatest ninja the village ever had!"

("Is that all you want? Do you not have others to care for and protect?")

Naruto then recalled Iruka, the only man who treated him with kindness in the Academy, the Third Hokage, who despite him butting heads with was the closest thing to a grand-father he had, his friend Konohamaru, he recalled Teuchi and Ayame, the two who worked in the ramen stand that he frequented. He thought of his team-mates, Sakura, his sensei Kakashi, and even if he wouldn't want to admit it Sasuke. He would not give up on Sakura despite her actions towards him. He wanted to prove to Kakashi that he could be as good or even better than Sasuke. And he wanted to prove to Sasuke that he could be stronger than him.

The voice was silent and Naruto wondered if it decided to leave him alone, but it came back in the same tone as before…but he spotted a deep blow glint before him.

( "You do have those you wish to protect…will you defend them with all that you are?")

"Of course I will! I am a ninja of Konoha and they are important to me!"

("Important enough for you to risk you're very life? Will you fight with every fiber of you're being to defend them…even if you must face death itself?")

"They are worth everything to me and they are important enough for me to fight no matter what! I will fight with every bit of my skill and soul to defend them! And I will not die until I do that and become Hokage!"

The blonde ninja then saw the glow become larger and larger…and brighter than any light he had seen, and as soon as the light faded, he gasped as he saw a sword, unlike any sword he had ever seen before in his days in the Academy…

It had two edges and the blade was at three feet in length and it had strange markings on the middle and there were small gems on the middle as well in regular intervals and the base was surrounded by two strange serpent-like beasts that then covered the flat of the blade on either side. The hand guard was made in a way that the hand guard resembled bat-like wings, with two sharp prongs moving upward, there appeared to some sort of gem under a metal sheath on the middle of the guard and the handle was covered in a scale like pattern, like that of a snake or any reptile, and the handle was good for either a single or double handed grip. The end of the handle had another one of the serpent heads with it's jaws open and a beautiful gem that seemed to shimmer in different colors of the rainbow. The blade itself was made of a metal that seemed to glow with a silvery white light, mixed with gold tint. The hand grip was also made from pure gold…or something that resembled gold. And the handle itself seemed to be made out of another silvery metal inlayed with gold leaf.

The weapon was beautiful and it seemed to call to him as he reached out and when his hands gripped the sword handle, the voice once more spoke as the covered jewel on the middle of the hand grip opened like an eye and a glowing white stone appeared.

("You have been deemed worthy Naruto Uzumaki…I shall be you're ally, brother in arms, and protector to the very end of you're days. I am the Holy Dragon Sword, known to you're race as the Holy Talon…and you are now more than a ninja of Konoha.")

"What do you mean by that?! What am I now?!"

("A Dragon Champion.")

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Back on the bridge…

Kakashi, Sasuke, and Sakura tensed as they got ready to face Zabuza and Haku. The missing nin from the Water Country got his head cutter sword ready and Hauk, who had revealed his secret bloodline got ready to finish Sasuke off with a barrage of Senbon. Kakashi kept himself ready to fight though his Sharingan was still being disabled by the mist. Sakura stayed close to help Kakashi and protect Tazuna…while Sasuke bit back the pain and got to his feet.

They were so focused on each other that it was not surprising that all of them were suddenly stunned to feel a MASSIVE explosion of chakra and a type of energy that none of them had ever felt before…it was like an explosion of energy that blinded and overwhelmed their senses in a heartbeat. Haku halted his attack and so did Sasuke as they tried to look for the source of such immense chakra. Sakura tried her best to find out where the chakra was coming from… Even Zabuza and Kakashi tore their attention from one another and searched for the chakra source.

(What is that chakra?! It's massive!!!)

Sasuke thought as he looked as best he could despite the mirrors surrounding him.

(Such power, pure unadulterated power, it's like an unending wave of energy…where could that be coming from? I've never felt anything like it before.)

Haku thought as he tried to search for the source.

(It's certainly not the Kyuubi's chakra…it's different…very different and more powerful.)

Kakashi thought as he searched for it's possible location.

(That power…it's unlike anything I have felt in my travels since my failed attempt to kill the Mizukage…it even surpasses Haku's chakra.)

Zabuza said as he had this very uneasy feeling ever since the chakra explosion.

(That level of chakra is impossible! What or who could possibly make that much power?!)

Sakura thought as she too felt the chakra…she was unsure if it was a threat or an ally.

They all got their answer as a massive geyser of water exploded from the side…the very same side of the bridge where Naruto had fallen after Zabuza had attacked him. The water seemed to tingle, as if it too was alive and as the water fell back, they were all stunned to see a massive beast made out of pure light appear before them…it defied anything that they all had heard off…and it seemed to look down and then it spread what appeared to be wings and as it began to fade someone leaped out from the light and land on the bridge, the new figure stood up and the orange and blue jumpsuit gave it away.

"Naruto!!!"

The blonde ninja looked back and he smiled at his team.

"Sorry I'm late! I had to take a detour."

Before Naruto could speak further, Zabuza charged at him with his head cleaving sword and from the position of the weapon, the missing Mist Swordsman planned to end the blonde ninja's life with one blow right for the neck.

"I don't know how you survived brat…but I'm going to cleave you and take you're head!"

Naruto looked at Zabuza and then reached behind him and replied in a cool and more confident voice.

"I hardly think so Zabuza of the Mist!"

As Zabuza attacked, there was a loud metallic clang and the others watched as Naruto produced a sword that while smaller and less massive than Zabuza's head cutter sword had blocked the weapon effortlessly and Naruto was holding it in a two handed grip. The two tried to push each other back, and Naruto managed to push Zabuza away. The missing nin growled at being stopped and got his sword ready, but when he looked at his sword…he was stunned to find that a portion of the edge was destroyed and cracks had formed on the blade.

(Impossible! My sword was forged using the strongest metals that could be found and it has been tempered well, well sharpened, and reinforced… becoming the deadly weapon it is today…how can it suffer that much damage from that brat's sword?!)

Kakashi himself was stunned at the sight, he naturally knew about some of the weapon forging techniques employed by the Mist Swordsmen and to see that strange sword had not only withstood the cutting power of Zabuza's head cleaving sword, but caused that much damage to it was a sight he was certainly not planning to forget anytime soon.

(It's unlike any sword I've seen before…and there seems to be a field of chakra…almost hard to see around it…where on earth did Naruto find that thing?!)

The others had no time to waste as Naruto moved in and the swords clashed once more…however, Zabuza knew that this fight was lost as there was no way his sword could continue to remain intact if even a glancing blow with that sword that brat wielded could result in this much damage to it. The next blow further tore off an edge from the sword and more cracks were on the sword. As Naruto was able to force Zabuza back, he turned his attention to Sasuke and saw the extent of his team mate's injuries. He then turned to Zabuza and replied.

"I guess I can't keep fighting with you right now then, I'll let you and Kakashi-sensei sort this mess out between you two."

With that Naruto rushed into the mirrors and was now beside Sasuke, wielding his new sword in the face of Haku and the ice mirrors that he had summoned, Sasuke however was from happy with Naruto in the area…despite his wounds, he was already able to use the Sharingan and was able to even up the odds at least, he didn't need the dobe's help…though he wondered just when did he suddenly get this burst of chakra and where did the sword come from.

"What are you doing here you idiot?!"

Naruto turned and gave Sasuke a glare of disbelief.

"I came here to help you get out of this mess and this is the thanks I get?!"

"Now we're both trapped in here Naruto!"

"I noticed, then let's not waste time arguing, and find a way out of here then! Let me help with those blasted Senbon…you look like a pin-cushion."

Naruto felt an energy surge flow from the sword known as the Holy Talon and it glowed with a slivery green light and he then felt an urge to touch the blade and when he did so, the silvery-green flame covered his left hand with no harmful effect and he then placed his free left hand on Sasuke and the Uchiha survivor watched as the green flame surrounded him, but instead of hurting him the flames were harmless, and to his astonishment, the Senbon that had hit him were forced out and his body was healed…where there were cuts and piercings before, there was only whole flesh now as the flame faded.

(That was…impossible, that was like a medical jutsu, but unlike anything I've seen before! He healed all my wounds with sword's green and silver flame, what kind of power was that?!)

Naruto was also astonished at that power, but put that aside as he faced the mirrors that were before them, not wanting to get distracted and getting hit from behind by the ninja before him and Sasuke. He took a defensive posture and got ready to fight, while Sasuke managed to fight back his shock and got into defensive position.

Zabuza however knew that after all that he has seen, there was no way either he or Haku could beat this ninja team, the Sharingan user was a bit of a problem but Haku could even that up…but that brat that he thought he had killed now was a big factor that he was not in the mood to face at this point and time, as much as he wanted to settle accounts with Kakashi and his team, he would have no chance to win this fight and while it galled him, the Demon Zabuza…he had no choice…but to retreat.

"Haku! We're breaking off from this battle!"

Haku was surprised but understood his master's words as he too had doubts that he could win this fight easily…after sensing the immeasurable chakra that Naruto was giving out when he reappeared, his attacks that nearly destroyed Zabuza's own sword, and his new ability to heal wounds with that flame from the sword he carried, he felt that fighting the blonde was not the best of plans. He turned and moved away from the mirrors and faced the two ninja.

"It seems you both have won this round, but I have a feeling that we shall face one another again someday. Until then you both had better be ready I will not forget either of you…especially you Naruto-kun"

Zabuza then placed back his head cleaving sword and the two vanished and with that, the mist jutsu that Zabuza used faded as well, along with Haku's ice mirrors. The mission Mist Swordsman then spoke to the others.

"I guess this is one fight I will not forget…make no mistake Kakashi, I will come back and settle accounts with you. As for you with the sword…I don't know where you got that weapon, or what it is…but don't make the mistake of thinking that just because I am leaving doesn't mean I've forgotten my promise to take you're head. And when I do…that sword of yours will be destroyed!"

With that, both Zabuza and Haku left the scene and this allowed Team 7 to relax a bit and so did Naruto as he relaxed his grip on the sword and placed it on his back where the sheath quickly covered the weapon. This was not unnoticed by the others as Kakashi, Sakura, and Sasuke approached their fellow team member.

"Hey dobe…where did you get that sword?"

Naruto reached out and took the sword from his back and with it in it's sheath.

"I don't really know, I found it in the water when I fell and when I touched it…it's kind of hard to describe…"

Sasuke glared a bit more and wondered just what was going on here, and he wanted to know just where did Naruto suddenly get all that power…if he could find it…it might help him in his plans to avenge his family…he was going to have to keep an eye on his team mate from here on out.

"Well Naruto…you've really lived up to you're reputation as the most surprising ninja candidate to leave the Academy…but that still doesn't explain all that charka that we felt when you came back…and what that strange glowing creature was before you came out….what exactly happened down there?"

Kakashi asked as he examined the young blonde, he was thankful that the boy was not killed, and thankfully the Kyuubi's chakra didn't come out or the seal didn't break, that the events that just happened before him begged for answers.

"And what kind of sword is that Naruto? I've never seen anything like it before and it doesn't match any type of sword I know of in the history books back at the Academy."

Sakura asked as she too looked at the sword that Naruto had. Naruto shook his head and also answered her question.

"I wish I knew what kind of sword it was myself Sakura-chan, I found it buried in the side of a boulder when I fell down into the deeper waters. The really cool thing is, it's almost weightless!"

"What?"

"I'm serious! It's almost like it's totally made of paper or a pen, there's nearly no weight in the whole weapon!"

"Can I try holding it?"

"Sure!"

Sakura reached out for the sword's handle as Naruto gave it to her…but to her shock and everyone else, the pink haired Kunoichi yelped out loud as the sword hit the ground with a clang and she released it. The pink haired Kunoichi reached for the sword and tried once more to lift the weapon, but she couldn't even begin to lift it as it didn't even move an inch or a millimeter off the ground. After several more attempts, Sakura gave up and glared at Naruto with her hands on her hips.

"Naruto you liar! You said this sword had no weight! This thing feels like it weighs almost like a whole building!!!"

Kakashi raised an eyebrow at that statement by Sakura and he too tried to lift the sword once he had a good grip and when he tried to lift it…he too felt like he was trying to lift an entire mountain side with his hands and after several attempts he himself couldn't lift the weapon. The silver haired Shinobi tried again and afterwards gave up as he released the weapon.

"It weighs a LOT, that's for sure, but that doesn't explain how come you could carry it and we can't…can you try lifting it?"

Naruto nodded and reached out for the sword and to the amazement of the rest of Team 7, the sword was effortlessly lifted by the blonde ninja who showed none of the struggle that either Sakura or Kakashi had when they too tried to lift the sword. It was there that Kakashi noted something else and reached out to Naruto's right arm and rolled up the sleeve…and to his shock he found a tattoo of some great beast with wings that seemed to breathe fire.

"Where did you get this Naruto?"

Naruto looked and he too was surprised to see the tattoo was well and couldn't help but stare at it…however the team had no time to waste as they turned and spotted an armed wave of men and before them appeared to the leader of the whole bunch a man in a business suit and had a cane, and no doubt was the one responsible for Wave Country's troubles as Tazuna identified him very quickly.

"Gato…"

The man sneered and spoke to them all.

"I see that Zabuza and his follower didn't do as I asked of them…a pity since I wasted so much money on him, but then again I can always make more money to reimburse myself for the losses. But until I get rid of you Tazuna, I can't do that…so I'm going to make one last offer for you to…"

"No deal! You've had you're way over my home long enough and I won't stand for it anymore!"

"And what are you going to do old man? Attack me like you're foolish son-in-law did? Do you remember what I did to him after that little incident? I can do the same thing to you and then the rest of you're family as well…you are nothing but threats to me and threats to my business are the ones I despise the most."

Kakashi however spoke to Gato with a firm tone.

"You'll have to get past us first."

"Hah! You may be a Jonin, but you are alone and I am not…I hired all these mercenaries to deal with you and you're little team of kids on the off chance that Zabuza failed to keep his part of the bargain…and now that he did, I will be able to finally end this whole mess. Men, if you want to earn you're pay…then wipe them out…all of them!"

Naruto glared at he then took out the sword from the sheath and faced Gato and his men along with the rest of his team, the mercenaries were all eager for a fight and got all of their weapons ready, but then a loud number of foot-steps were heard and it seemed like an army was heading this way…making Gato confused…and the confusion faded and turned into shock and rage as he spotted Inari and all the villagers, and they were armed with whatever tools and make-shift weapons they could find. The evil tycoon growled and snorted as he spotted the leader of the villagers as Inari was wearing a helmet and was armed with a crossbow.

"So you're Tazuna's grandson? And what is this rabble you have with you…you're army? You're pathetic…you're nothing but poor folks with tools while my men can beat the tar out of all of you in a heartbeat!"

"I'd like to see them try that! You may have killed my father, but we're no longer you're pawns Gato…we want you out of our village and out of Wave Country now!"

"I've had enough of this! Kill them all!!!"

"Right!"

The mercenaries charged forward and Naruto got ready to fight, along with Sakura and Sasuke, and Kakashi as well. However Naruto decided to finally throw his ace in the hole as he made the hand signs and used his trademark jutsu.

"KAGE BUSHIN JUTSU!!!!"

And like before…there were large numbers of clones that appeared ready to fight, and they too were armed with the same sword as the original Naruto was. This made the mercenaries pause as they saw this, and Kakashi decided to get into the act as well…making his own Kage Bushin to even up the odds a bit more, even Sasuke got into the act as well.

Gato was livid and told the mercenaries to attack and with the incentive that not only will they be paid by him to do this, but they were free to plunder the village for all the items of worth in it. This was enough to make the mercenaries overcome their fears as they continued to charge. However, unknown to them all…the sword Naruto wielded began to glow faintly…as if it sensed the danger it's master was in and the shielded stone in the hand guard opened as the metal covering it opened and the glowing stone once more appeared like an eye and Naruto suddenly felt this urge and he felt something enter his mind like a gentle suggestion. He then decided to follow through and then placed the sword in front of his face with the flat ends of the sword facing him and the target…and instead of making hand signs as per requested by jutsus…he began to speak in an alien tongue…that got the attention of his team as they had no idea the language that Naruto was uttering.

(What is Naruto talking about?)

(What kind of language is that dobe speaking in?)

(This language certainly doesn't sound familiar…but it seems to be familiar to Naruto…what is it?)

They got their answer as Naruto raised the sword high and spoke in their tongue and uttered a phrase that seemed to resonate with power and authority and it was there that they saw the glowing stone that appeared in the hand guard of the sword Naruto had.

"I COMMAND YOU WHO SERVE THE CAUSE OF JUSTICE!!! ARISE AND FIGHT FOR ME!!!!"

Bolts of pure golden light shot out of the sword and to the astonishment of everyone the bolts of light took human forms and when the lights faded, there were many warriors before the mercenaries, they were all dressed in armor, some wearing plates of overlapping armor, others wore coats of mental rings and armor plate and the only feature that showed that they were united was the symbol of the same silver beast that was on Naruto's right arm. The warriors wielded a mixture of weapons, like the mercenaries did, such as swords, spears, maces, hammers, pole-arms, bows and cross-bows. The beings turned to face Naruto, revealing glowing eyes and hidden faces in their helms and they bowed before him like loyal servants to their master.

"We are the Knights of Faldren…we obey the wielder of the Holy Talon and we will fight for you!!!"

The warriors then faced Gato and his mercenaries and brandished their weapons and were moving in strict military formation…and the sight of these warriors appearing stunned everyone on either side, especially the rest of Team 7 as they each tried to figure out just how did Naruto summon these men….seeing Naruto use his Kage Bushin Jutsu was normal for them…but for someone like Naruto to suddenly summon a small but well armed army of warriors out of the light that came from the sword he was wielding was something else.

(When did Naruto learn how to do that?! I don't want to admit it…but that was cool! I've never seen Sasuke-kun do that before…does it have something to do with that sword Naruto found?)

(How could he have found that kind of power?! There's no way someone like him who's a goofball and idiot could suddenly have that kind of power! No way! Why does he have that sword?)

(Interesting…that sword is more than it seems, it somehow allowed Naruto the ability to summon a familiar in the same way a summoning jutsu is done, like the way I would have summoned my nin dogs…though those guys are unlike anything I've ever seen before…and Naruto has no blood contract to speak of, let alone made any hand signs to summon them, only that strange language…the Hokage should be told of this once we get back to Konoha.)

Gato looked on with wide eyes and so did the mercenaries…the sight of the newly summoned warriors who were very well armed and armored stopped them all cold…seeing that there was no way they could handle fighting not just the ninjas and the villagers, but this new force that came out from the very light made them know of only one option. Mercenaries were the most practical persons in the art of war…and despite being greedy for money and riches…they knew that sometimes you had to retreat in order to find a new source of money and be alive long enough to spend it…and now was one of those times.

They all dropped their weapons and ran back into the ship that had brought them here, leaving behind their former boss to face the army that appeared before him all alone and Gato was angry as hell as he turned and called them nothing but cowards. But the moment he realized that he was all alone and when he faced the army before him, he found himself being faced by Naruto who had a grin on his face.

"Looks like you're boys have changed their minds, I guess that leaves you alone and no one to help you."

"YOU BRAT!!! DIE!!!!"

Gato took out his cane and revealed a hidden sword and when he stabbed for Naruto's mid-section the blonde ninja moved with amazing speed and avoided the strike and with one powerful slash, he brought the Holy Talon on Gato's cane sword…the weapon was cut cleanly in half by Naruto's own blade like it was nothing but a piece of soft clay and Gato gulped as he stumbled and fell flat on his face, he turned and looked to see the Holy Talon's tip on his neck and Naruto looking at him with contempt.

"You're scheme's over Gato…Wave Country is no longer yours to control…it belongs to the people who truly deserve it…Inari and his fellow villagers. If you ever try to raise another scheme here…I'll take you out personally, that is the only warning you'll get from me."

Naruto took away the Holy Talon and turned to move back with the others, but Gato was not going to give up as he was not going to lose his only source of income to some brat…he grabbed a fallen spear and charged at Naruto.

"LOOK OUT NARUTO!!!!"

The members of Team 7 shouted, along with Inari and the villagers, Naruto however had sensed Gato's incoming attack and with amazing skill and precision for someone who never studied the art of kenjutsu, he slashed the spear at the rear of the blade head and rendered the weapon useless and before Gato realized that he was going to die. Naruto was already moving and only a brief flash of light and sound of steel cutting something was heard as Naruto held the sword to his side with one hand…showing that he had struck out with a slash. Gato groaned and blood flowed out of his mouth and nose as his shades fell off and he fell to the ground dead.

Inari and the villagers cheered as they saw that Gato was no longer a threat to them all and Tazuna smiled and looked into the sky and spoke to someone that he knew…

"It's over Kaiza…Gato's gone, and he won't be coming back any time soon, you're death has been avenged, Tsunami and Inari are safe and so is the village, you're son's become a man and he will be a fine man someday…and now our village can finally prosper and grow. And it's all thanks to those ninja there."

Naruto looked at Gato's body and sighed and looked away…as much as he knew he had defended himself from the treacherous businessman, it still shocked him that he had just killed a man in combat, but he knew that Gato brought in on himself, and he walked back to the others. He recalled the summoned fighters that he had called forth with the aid of the Holy Talon and with his pointing the sword to them, the men returned to their light forms and were absorbed back into the sword and the glowing eye in the hand guard was once more closed in it's metal sheathe as he walked back to the others as his clones dispersed.

----------

A few days later…

"You promise you'll come around here someday?"

Inari asked Naruto as he and his mom Tsunami and Tazuna, along with several other members of the village were seeing Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke, and Kakashi off as they were heading back to Konoha to give their report on the completion of the mission.

"Of course I will Inari…and when I get back, I hope you've become stronger! Who knows, you might even become a ninja like me!"

Sasuke and Sakura looked on with sweat-drops on their heads, while Kakashi gave a sigh and smiled a bit at the idea of two Narutos running about in the village, while Tsunami and Tazuna smiled at the scene. The villagers were also busy recovering from the rule of Gato who had been buried far away from here. Tazuna was able to finish the bridge and as they bid farewell to the people of Wave Country, one of the villagers turned to Tazuna.

"So what name are you going to give this bridge now that it's already finished?"

Tazuna smiled and replied.

"I'm going to name it the Great Naruto Bridge."

Tsunami couldn't help but laugh lightly at that idea and replied.

"That a very good name."

"It is…I'll wager that it will be very famous…like Naruto himself, that name gave us good luck here, and I have no doubts that he's going to be famous someday.

As Naruto and the others were moving along the bridge, he was really in a good mood as he knew this was his first success as a ninja in a very long time.

"When I get back to Konoha, I'm going to get Iruka-sensei to buy me the largest amounts of ramen he can manage…and I can't wait to tell Konohamaru all of my adventures…he's going to love it!"

He then turned his attention to the sword and took it out of the sheath that was on his back, it still amazed him on how elegant the weapon was. Sasuke kept his stare elsewhere, but he still wanted know more about that sword and where others like it could be found, he was deep in thought so he wasn't able to speak to Sakura.

"Huh? What is it?"

"You want to do something with me once we get back to Konoha?"

"Sorry, but I've got some matters to tend to once I get back…"

"Oh…all right."

"Hey Sakura-chan, If you want, I could go with you!"

Naruto added with his usual grin as he had the sword back on it's sheath. Sakura naturally responded in her usual fashion when it involved Naruto.

"You idiot! That was a private conversation between me and Sasuke so butt out!"

As the team of Konoha ninja moved on they passed the forest and Naruto recalled something and took off. Kakashi and the others looked at Naruto and decided to follow him, as they found him in the very same clearing that he found the wounded boar and the ruined area he reached for the creature that he managed to tend without being gored. Kakashi was about to warn him but they witnessed something remarkable…

The trees seem to come to life and grow branches that had been cut as if they were healing, grass was growing greener and thicker, and Naruto once more used the silver-green flame and placed his sword on the boar's body and the cuts began to heal and to the amazement of the others in his team, the boar got up and began to lick Naruto's face like a puppy instead of attacking him. It was as if the very environment came alive when that sword activated.

Naruto laughed and replied.

"Okay, okay Mr. Boar, you're happy, I did say I was coming back to get you fixed up remember?"

Naruto got up and placed the sword back as the boar got turned and ran back into the woods, and as the team headed once more for home, Kakashi knew that things were going to get really interesting once they made it back there.

----------

To be continued…

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Author's notes:

Well…things are going to be a bit different around here now isn't it? Now what exactly is a Dragon Champion?

Dragon Champion is the term given to those chosen by the two swords, forged from the leaders of the two Dragon races, Faldren and Chorvax, Holy Talon and Death Fang. They embody the mystical, martial, and physical aspects of the two sects of Dragons and their power, and philosophies. Meaning that in case of the Dragon Champion who wields Holy Talon is a fighter who protects those who are in danger and seeks out injustice or evil, and punishes them according to the state of their crimes, like a warrior of honor. In the case of the Dragon Champion who wields Death Fang, the wielder of Death Fang is a fighter who seeks power and strength regardless of how many lives are either destroyed or lost in the process, or how many victims fall to it's blade and the wielder of Death Fang revels in bloodshed and death.

The weapons provide exceptional powers and abilities to their wielders respectively such as magic, martial skill and more gained from the powers imbued into the blades and the essences of the previous Dragon Champions who wielded either sword in the past.

Naruto had acquired Holy Talon and as you have read, is chosen as a Dragon Champion…but that certainly doesn't mean that Death Fang is not far behind. As to who will be chosen as the wielder of Death and the…shall we say, the evil Dragon Champion?

We shall see as well.

And as to pairings, well, that's up to me…I MIGHT try the harem approach if anyone's interested in that. And also there will be some physical changes to Naruto as he gets used to using the powers of the Holy Talon as he will need to get used to it's power and abilities.

And Zabuza and Haku will be still around as well, I happen to like the two and I plan to have them still around.

See you later!


	3. The Dragon Speaks and the Chuunin Exams

Naruto – The Twin Swords

Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Naruto or Naruto itself. What a blasted shame that is…

Chapter 2

The Dragon Speaks and the Chuunin Exams begin…

( ): Thoughts

(( )): Inner Sakura

((" ")): Holy Talon's voice

/" "\: Faldren's voice

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In Naruto's apartment…

Naruto was tired as he ate his ramen for dinner, he and the rest of his team had arrived to Konoha after a day or two on the road. And the moment he was there, he made a beeline for Iruka's home and greeted the Chuunin with a grin and told his father figure about his adventures. Iruka smiled brightly but his smile faded a bit when he saw the sword, and was naturally curious as to where Naruto had acquired the weapon, but he had little time to do so as the blonde was already asking for a chance to eat his favorite ramen, he bid Kakashi farewell and left.

He recounted everything, including that weird conversation while eating ramen in the stand, and Iruka was amazed that Naruto had actually come close to being killed, but somehow was brought back to life…or fully healed…even more so, he had faced a Mist Swordsman and had been able to damage his sword with that weapon on his back. He had asked to hold the sword, but like Sakura and Kakashi before him, the Chuunin yelped as he felt the sword which appeared to be very light in Naruto's hands suddenly become as heavy as a mountain in his hands and when he tried to lift the sword after releasing it and failed to lift it…even Ayame and Teuchi tried and they too couldn't lift it…and they were amazed as Naruto effortlessly lifted the sword.

Naruto was about to tell them about the strange language he had spoken but had no idea on how he knew how to speak it and the arrival of the strangely armored and well armed men, but two thing happened, he began to get sleepy and Iruka had been called by the Hokage. He bid his teacher farewell and headed for his apartment, and here he was right now.

As he finished his food, he lay the Holy Talon on the side of his bed in it's sheathe and then took on his usual sleeping clothe and went to sleep. The blonde was unaware that the sword seemed to come alive once more as the gem that formed the pommel began to glow in various colors and the covered glowing stone once more appeared though only half open as the tattoo glowed on Naruto's arm and a hazy white light surrounded Naruto as he slept.

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In the Hokage Tower…

"Are you saying that Naruto was able to fight the missing Nin Zabuza and cause severe damage to his sword with two strikes?"

The Sandaime asked as he looked at both Kakashi and Iruka, he had been happy that the mission was concluded well, despite the dangers Kakashi's team had landed into. However, the events that surrounded Naruto's sudden acquisition of the unknown sword and the power that it seemingly granted to the blonde child and container of the Kyuubi was certainly something of great interest and concern for the old man as despite his arguments with the boy…he was like a grandson to the old man, though they were not related by blood like him and Konohamaru..

"That's correct sir…I was witness to the whole thing as Naruto damaged Zabuza's sword greatly with only a weak looking strike and the sword of the Missing Nin was nearly destroyed with a second attack and considering the way that Gato's sword was cut like it was nothing but cloth, I can bet that sword possesses considerable power and strength to do all that…and there is more."

"More you say?"

"Yes... Sakura and I tried to lift the sword ourselves after the battle with Zabuza and his accomplice Haku to find out more about it and a tattoo of a beast we found on Naruto's right arm… when Naruto handed Sakura the sword however, something unexpected happened. The moment he released the sword and Sakura took hold of it, the weapon suddenly became heavy and fell to the ground out of Sakura's grip, and it was now heavy enough that Sakura was unable to lift it, no matter how many times she tried…she then said that the sword had suddenly taken the weight of an entire building. And when I tried to lift it as well, it was just as heavy…like I was trying to lift a mountain side. But when Naruto held the sword, it was as light as cloth in his hands…I also noted some sort of tattoo on his right arm. It was then that Gato arrived with his mercenaries, just in case Zabuza and Haku failed."

"And what happened?"

"We were able to get support from the villagers who were armed and we called our clones to even up the numbers, but Naruto began chanting in some strange dialect I've never heard of before, and that is saying something in itself since I've traveled for a very long time. And then he summoned beams of light that turned into armed and armored warriors that called themselves the Knights of Faldren, they were going to fight for Naruto and faced Gato's men. The mercenaries left and Gato tried to fight Naruto himself, but Naruto disarmed him and gave him a warning…Gato didn't heed it and tried to attack Naruto…forcing Naruto to kill him."

Iruka's eyes widened at that statement.

"Are you saying that Naruto killed someone for real?! That certainly does not sound like him!"

Kakashi nodded at that and spoke.

"I was surprised myself, but I saw what I saw, and I know that Naruto was certainly not happy with his actions, but it was unavoidable at the time."

"I take it there's more to this story Kakashi?"

The silver haired ninja and armed with the Sharingan then told them of the little side trip they had taken and how the sword created a silver-green flame that healed a boar with severe slash wounds and how the environment seemed alive when the sword was near.

Needless to say, both Iruka and Sarutobi were very interested in the sword itself and what effects it had on Naruto. The Hokage thought clear and hard about this, and Iruka then spoke and told him of the events at the ramen stand that he and Naruto frequented, and even told the others of his own failed attempts to lift the sword, even Teuchi and Ayame couldn't begin to lift the weapon as well... but just as Kakashi said, the moment Naruto had the sword it was easily lifted.

The three men sat down and thought about all these events. The Hokage then spoke in turn to the Chuunin and the Jonin.

"Kakashi…who else knows about Naruto's possession of the sword?"

"Myself, Sakura, and Sasuke…though I have no doubt in my mind Zabuza and Haku are also aware of it's existence."

"Iruka…apart from you…who else in Konoha knows about Naruto's possession of the sword?"

"Teuchi and Ayame know about it as well."

"And the name of this sword is?"

"Naruto called it the Holy Talon."

The Hokage had a lot to think about, but for now, he had orders for both men.

"Kakashi, I want you to tell Sakura and Sasuke not to tell anyone about the sword's powers and it's abilities when Naruto used it in Wave Country, make sure that until we know more about this weapon, no mention of this sword will come out to the others in the other teams. The weapon no doubt will make it's own presence felt. Make sure Naruto does not use it constantly for despite the benefits it seems to give him, we can't be sure if there might be side effects that could injure or kill him."

"I understand."

"Iruka…I want you to go back to Ichiraku and tell both Teuchi and Ayame to not tell anyone else about the sword, we can't afford to have the villagers who hate Naruto to try and attack him when they misunderstand why he has that sword."

"Yes Lord Hokage."

"In the meantime I will be searching our archives for any mention of what this Holy Talon who made it, and why. If we can find out where this sword came from and who forged it, we might get a far better understanding of what happened in Wave Country and why it chose Naruto. In the morning Kakashi I want you to tell Naruto to meet me in the practice field where you had the bell test, there we might be able to find out more."

Sarutobi then dismissed both men and went to work immediately, he would tell the Council in due time, but this was a mystery, and if there was one thing the former shinobi known as the Professor liked…apart from talking to women, was mysteries.

------------

In the Uchiha Clan house…

The home of the Uchiha Clan used to bustle with activity, and even at night there would have been activity of some sort…but not tonight…not after the massacre perpetrated by one of their own. For now…only one resident was in the house…one Sasuke Uchiha.

The last survivor and heir to the Clan searched through his house and gathered all the scrolls that he could find, including the diaries and journals of every ancestor of his clan in order to find any mention of the Holy Talon. He wanted to know if there were other swords similar to the one his team mate Naruto carried. He had not touched the sword himself and therefore was getting more curious.

(I need to know what that sword is…and who made it…if I am lucky and find a sword with the same powers like… I could finally accomplish my dream apart from rebuilding the clan…killing him)

Sasuke tightened his grip on one of the scrolls in an effort to curb his temper, he couldn't afford to get distracted at this point as he began to read the first of many scrolls for the night.

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The next day…

Naruto woke up to the sounds of bird chirping and sunlight filling his room, and as he stretched and yawned, he took off his usual sleeping cap and stretched once more, and that was when he noted something…his clothes seemed…tighter for some reason.

(Hmm…that's kind of weird…my clothes feel a bit tighter than before….hmm, maybe I put too much detergent when I washed them.)

Naruto then got out of bed and looked to his side of the bed, and smiled to see the Holy Talon still there in it's sheathe that appeared to be ebony wood held by silver, gold, and a jade green like metal. He held the sword and took it out and smiled once more as he looked at the blade and after a few moments, he slid the sword back into it's sheathe. And went to the bath-room to brush his teeth and face his face…he felt kind of tired for some reason, like he had been in a marathon or something.

As he entered the room, the blonde ninja looked at the mirror to see himself and he commented to himself…

(Man…I really need to sleep more I look…huh?)

Naruto looked closer at the mirror and blinked his eyes a few times and looked a bit closer, and he then looked back…and when he processed what he was seeing…it didn't take very long for the blonde ninja to react.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!"

----------

Everyone in Konoha who were up and early were stunned out of their wits as the scream was heard, several of them were looking at the direction of the scream and some of the ninja on duty to quickly draw their weapons…even the Hokage was caught off guard when he heard the shout and he too wondered just what or who caused such a commotion.

----------

Back in Naruto's bath-room…

(Wh…What…What the…WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO ME?!?!?!?!)

Naruto was deep in shock as he looked at the mirror and wide awake as well, and he had very good reason to be shouting as he looked at his face…but wasn't his face at the very same time! What the heck had happened to him?! He asked himself that very same question once more as he tried to see if it was indeed his face.

He still had the same whisker marks as before…but they seemed more wavy, as if they were more well defined, his face seemed smoother, more angular and more…masculine, like all the baby fat that might have been there had been miraculously removed…leaving smooth skin and firm muscle…his face was more well defined, a feature normally found on teen three or four times his current age or with men at least the same age as Iruka.

It was as if he had somehow gained the face of an older man, though it was far from ugly…it was like that of a handsome full grown man…he then noted that his hair seemed longer and not so spiky upwards, and the blonde color seemed more…golden and had slight silver high-lights…not to mention when he turned his head, his hair on the back was longer now, almost reaching the middle of his shoulder blades. He looked at his eyes…they were the same, but the blue color seemed deeper and stronger…and it had a silver edging around the irises as well…but they seemed slightly…reptilian-like…

He then noted that he seemed a bit taller than before…a few inches…but taller nevertheless. He took a look with his room's measuring ruler and found that he was taller than before…nearly the same height as Sasuke.

(What the hell is going on here?! Did I eat something that made me grow overnight?!?!)

He looked at himself and noted that his clothes did seem tighter for some reason, he took off the shirt and was stunned to see himself…something had certainly happened to him last night…since he didn't recall having THIS kind of body!!!

His arms looked more muscular, but slim and smooth, he tightened his grip and noted that his grip was a lot stronger than before, he felt his arms and noted that his muscles were hard and tough, almost as if he had spent the sum on twelve years in the gym with weights in one night, and the tattoo of that silver beast was more well defined and more elegant looking!

He looked at his torso and abdomen and saw that he had well defined muscles on them too…not to bulky and not too thin, but a well balanced combination of both, his torso looked smooth and all the muscles were in the right place and form for his age…though resembling someone who really worked hard, he looked at his abdomen and noted the six back he had miraculously developed seemingly overnight and the seal on his stomach was taunt in that same area, when he turned around to look at his back…he also noted the well matched muscle structure as well. He took off his lower pajamas and noted that his legs looked like that of a gymnast and a runner at the same time, well formed and well proportioned muscles all over, he even decided to look into his boxers and he blushed bright red as he saw…his package.

He looked himself over and over once more just be sure…he even went as far as to pinch himself repeatedly to make sure he wasn't dreaming, and when he found out that he was not dreaming and wide awaken, and the changes were real, and NOT Henge he might have used accidentally in his dreams…he couldn't help but once more comment.

"What the hell happened to me?!"

He then got an idea and decided to see if the sudden changes had an effect on his two signature jutsus.

"KAGE BUSHIN JUTSU!!!"

The blonde ninja summoned three clones and to his absolute shock…they TOO had the same features as he did!!! It was officially not Henge!!! There was no way he was dreaming all of this!!!! (1)

He then decided to see what happened to the personal jutsu that he created a while before, the same one he knocked Ebisu, Iruka, and Sarutobi with.

"SEXY NO JUTSU!!!"

The blonde transformed into the form he used to stun the men of Konoha on more than one occasion…and wondered if his sudden physical changes affected that form as well, just as his other Kage Bushin Clones also used the same jutsu.

The second the smoke cleared, Naruto looked at the mirror and his other clones in their Sexy No Jutsu form…and the only words that came out of his mouth and that of his clones was…

"OH MY FREAKING GOD!!!!!!!!"

Not only had he changed in his normal form as a boy…but even in his Sexy No Jutsu, he had gotten substantial changes…and emphasis on the word substantial!!!!

The hair he had in this Henge was no longer in their twin tails, but was in a lush and smooth long tail of golden silk with the same silver high lights, there were two long tails in the front that framed the face. The face would have been enough to make a man stare at it all day and even the most beautiful women to take notice as the face had smooth skin and full red lips, high and well formed cheekbones, and the eyes were also a deep sapphire blue with silver highlights, enough to entrance a man and make him blush to the point of being a tomato and bleed out buckets worth of blood like a garden hose.

He looked at the clones who were in the same Sexy Jutsu form and studied the forms they had and his own in the mirror. Not only was his Sexy Jutsu form taller than he recalled, but more shapely and well formed…the arms were slender but well formed and defined, the breasts were…large and were certainly ample…so to speak…bouncing with natural grace when he moved, but settled gracefully and thrust out proudly when he landed. The hips were well shaped and perfectly proportioned, the legs were well formed, long, shapely and slender. The Henge he used was now very much womanly indeed, enough to give any of the women here in the village of Konoha a run for their money (2)

Despite the absolute shock of the whole affair…Naruto had to admit, there were a great deal of possibilities that he could pull off with this new and SERIOUSLY improved Sexy Jutsu. He didn't even want to guess how the others were going to react when they saw him.

As soon as he returned to his normal form and dispersed his clones, he realized that he was supposed to meet up with the rest of his team at the bridge today to get the latest mission. He took out his clothes and grunted a bit as they were bit tighter than before and he made a mental note to go and convince the clothes store owner to give him some fresh and better fitting clothes.

Once he was dressed, he reached out and took Holy Talon and placed it on his back and the weapon bonded instantly to him as if it was held by some invisible belt. Once he was done, he rushed out of his house, and once he talked with his team-mates, he was going to head out to the ramen shop and grab something to eat.

----------

(1) Imagine him looking a bit like the Fourth Hokage when the man was older, and add a dash of Tidus of Final Fantasy 10 and you've got his new looks.

(2) If you want a more…visual description of what happened to Naruto's Sexy Jutsu and what form it's currently in now…well let me put it this way…if you've seen the anime and manga Tenjo Tenge, then Naruto's enhanced Sexy Jutsu form resembles a fusion of the Natsume sisters, Maya and Aya…so you can bet you're money that it REALLY puts in the term 'SEXY' right on the dot.

----------

At the bridge…

Sakura was currently standing on the bridge with Sasuke leaning on the rails, both of them were waiting for their team-mate to show up for the meeting with Kakashi, however, both of them were also deep in thought, well one of them was as Sakura was happy to have some alone time with Sasuke.

Sasuke on the other hand was cranky and tired…he had searched the scrolls until early morning…and still found NOTHING in his clan's scroll collection that spoke of the Holy Talon or any sword that had the same power as it did, it was as if that was one artifact that NONE of his clan had ever seen before and that made him very curious and very frustrated

"HEY SAKURA-CHAN!!!!"

Sakura turned and spoke to the only guy she knew who spoke like that.

"Naruto! Please don't be late like…Kakashi…huh?"

Sakura's irritated looked was replaced with wide eyes as she gazed at Naruto, she couldn't help but stare as Naruto seemed to have changed overnight…and quite literally at that. She noted the change in height, looks, eyes and even the hair. She couldn't help but looked transfixed at the blonde as Naruto greeted her good morning and offered his usual smile…and for some reason…she felt like she was going to blush, she fought it down and looked closer.

(Whoa…what happened to Naruto…he's different…)

Her inner self however had other terms to describe the sight before her.

((Different?! He's not different girl…he's HOT!!!! Who knew he'd look like this in one night?))

(This has to be a trick of some sort. Maybe he's using Henge or something.)

Sakura then placed the proper hand signals and uttered the jutsu designed to dispel Henge and Genjutsu.

"Kai!"

She opened her eyes and was stunned to see Naruto's new features had NOT disappeared, there was no Henge the blonde ninja was using at the moment and that really got Sakura surprised as she decided to look closely, she noted that his usual clothes looked tighter and he seemed…taller for some reason, as soon as she was done, she couldn't help but ask..

"Naruto, what happened to you?!"

"I don't know really…I just came back from the ramen shop last night and went to sleep, the next thing I knew… I woke up and looked in the mirror in my bath-room… and I was like this!"

"Are you kidding me Naruto?! No one turns into…well this in just one night?!"

(Not that I'm complaining or anything…whoa! Did I just say that?!)

((Darn right you did girl!!!))

"Well I did!"

Sasuke then looked at Naruto and he ignored Naruto's sudden changes and Naruto glared back and the two looked away from one another with a snort…making Sakura worried and depressed.

(Oh man…they've acted like this when we got back from Wave Country, I feel like I'm dealing with children all of a sudden.)

((Darn it Kakashi sensei…get you're butt over here!!!))

A bit later…

The three Genin waited and waited and when they felt like they couldn't wait anymore…the chronically late Copycat Ninja of Konoha appeared on the top of one of the bridge's archways.

"Hey guys…sorry I'm late, I got lost in the path of life."

"LIAR!!!"

Both Naruto and Sakura shouted as Sasuke merely looked on…but also spared a glance at the sword strapped to Naruto's back…it was then that Kakashi noted the sudden changes that Naruto had experienced and he gave a low whistle.

"Well now…you've got a brand new look Naruto, and you certainly look…well…how should I say this? Impressive…what happened last night to make you change?"

"I don't know Kakashi-sensei, last night I was telling Iruka sensei about the mission in Wave Country and went home, the next thing I knew…I woke and I'm this!"

"Are you sure you're not using Henge or something?"

"No! I swear this isn't Henge, I even pinched myself ten times to see if I was sleeping."

Sakura then spoke to the Jonin.

"Naruto's telling the truth Kakashi-sensei, I also tried using the release Jutsu but there was no Henge to dispel…this is Naruto."

As he got down, Kakashi examined Naruto more thoroughly and despite the changes in looks, height, and muscle mass…there was no doubt in the former ANBU's mind that this was Naruto not a clone or in a Henge…and if he was in Henge…it was a darn good one.

(Very interesting, it seems that the sword might have something to do with this. I know I'm just guessing but I can't think up of any other explanation at the moment.)

Kakashi then recalled his time with the Hokage yesterday and what he was ordered to tell Naruto.

"By the way Naruto…I managed to have a conference with the Hokage last night in order to tell him about what happened in our mission at Wave Country, he asked that you meet him at the practice field where we had the bell test at one time. He will be meeting you there."

"The old man wants to talk to me? What for Kakashi-sensei?"

"He had researched on the origin of the sword you have with you, he might be able to find information on where that sword of yours came from and who made it and he wanted to talk to you about what he might have found. So I suggest you get moving already."

"But I want a mission Kakashi-sensei and no more missions with mundane stuff okay…I mean REAL missions this time, I know I can handle them now!"

"I bet you do…however, there isn't much in terms of missions right now so my hands are tied at the moment. But stop wasting time and head off to the practice field."

"Is Sakura-chan and…well Sasuke coming along?"

"No…it's a private conversation between the two of you only…now get going."

"All right then…I'll see you guys later!"

As Naruto took off to the practice field, the silver haired Jonin then turned to face the rest of his team and he coughed to gain their attention. The two Gennin faced Kakashi as he began to speak to them about what the Hokage had told him concerning the events at Wave Country.

"I was given some orders from the Hokage to give to the two of you."

"Orders from the Hokage himself?"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at that, and that was something of a first actually, while Sakura was also surprised at the words Kakashi was saying.

"That's correct Sasuke, the Hokage has ordered that none of you will talk about what happened at Wave Country…namely with the powers Naruto used in the battles we were in with Zabuza and Haku, and then with Gato and his hired goons. That order will remain in effect until the Hokage learns enough and says otherwise."

"Why is that Kakashi-sensei?"

"I can't really get into details at this point Sakura, but suffice to say… what happened in that mission was unprecedented in Konoha's history and the Hokage is not taking chances. Despite the apparent benefits that Naruto has gained since acquiring that sword known as the Holy Talon, there might be some side-effects that we don't know of that can be dangerous to him and might cause him harm and also the village."

"No offense meant Kakashi-sensei…but why would the Hokage be concerned with what happens to Naruto?"

"Well Sasuke, The Hokage and Naruto have a unique relationship,. Despite his antics, Naruto looks up to the Hokage as grand-father, and while he might not like Naruto's behavior on certain cases, the Sandaime sees him as a grand-son as well, in the same league as his own blood grand-son. We'll just leave it at that, I need to file my full report to the Council as well so for today, you two have free time on your hands."

As Kakashi left to do his duty, Sasuke thought about something and decided to move out, Sakura wondered just where he was going and so he called out.

"Sasuke…where are you going?"

"I'm going to take a peek at something."

"What do you mean by that…wait, you plan to soy on the conversation between the Hokage and Naruto?"

"Just to figure some details…you don't have to come with me at all, and you should be better off training too."

With that, Sasuke took off, leaving Sakura behind and she wondered whether she should go after Sasuke or get caught, with some misgivings in her heart, Sakura decided to back away for now and take a walk to make sense of what has been happening since the mission.

----------

In the practice field…

"I see you've made it Naruto, at least you're not late as Kakashi is."

"Nice to see you too old man."

Naruto smiled as he approached the Hokage, he WAS tempted to reveal his new and seriously improved Sexy Jutsu in front of him, but recalled what happened the last time he tried the still unchanged version and decided against it. Sarutobi then noted the differences in Naruto's appearance and he couldn't help but raise an eye brow as the sudden changes Naruto had undergone, and he surmised that it might have something to do with that sword he had with him.

"I see you've undergone quite some changes Naruto, I have to admit the new looks caught me by surprise."

"I know…and I don't know why it happened at all, it's like it just happened over night! Do you know why that happened old man?"

"I can't really give any information Naruto…but I suspect that you're new sword might have something to do with it."

"The Holy Talon? You mean you've found out information about it?!"

"I've only made a guess Naruto, and I'm afraid that even though I've spent the whole night and early morning pouring through all of our archives and scrolls, I was not able to find a single mention of the Holy Talon."

"No mention?! Are you saying that the sword's not in the archives?"

"I believe so…however I came to the conclusion that we might find answers from the sword itself…I have a feeling that you might have more details on how you got that sword Naruto, now tell me everything that happened there at Wave Country, and from your own perspective this time."

Naruto then told him of how he saw the sword and touched it and heard voices talking to him and saying that he was deemed worthy to hold Holy Talon, or rather the Holy Dragon Sword, and he then spoke of what happened afterwards. Sarutobi was naturally surprised by what Naruto told him about the voice he heard that seemed to come from the sword itself…as soon as Naruto was done explaining everything, the elderly leader of Konoha then had an idea.

"Naruto, I want you to try and speak to that voice once more…considering you appear to be the only one who can wield it properly, it might obey only you and the voice will respond only to you and you're orders."

Naruto took out the Holy Talon and looked at it and he spoke mentally, the same way he had done before with the voice.

(Can you hear me Holy Talon?)

("I can hear you Master Naruto…what is it you wish of me?")

(I want to know who made you, where did you come from, and what exactly are you.)

("I see…you wish to know more about my origins and my creators and what I am?")

(Yeah, you didn't exactly tell me everything about yourself and if what the old man said was true, you have something to do with my new looks. So will you tell me about yourself Holy Talon?)

("I am afraid I cannot at this point, however I can allow you to speak to my high ranking master and creator, or at least a manifestation of him, it's not too hard to do. Merely place me into the ground and speak the name the Knights mentioned and say the phrase, 'Come forth and speak you're lore.' I will do the rest.)

(Is that all?)

("Yes.")

Naruto then broke his speech with the sword and then told Sarutobi what the Holy Talon had told him. Sarutobi considered the ramifications of the statement and decided since this is the is the best course of action to find answers, he gave Naruto a nod and Naruto went to work and placed the sword into the ground blade first and spoke…just as Sasuke was hiding as best he could in the brush and undergrowth.

"FALDREN! COME FORTH AND SPEAK YOU'RE LORE!!!"

(Who the heck is Faldren anyway, those summoned men said that before, so who is this Faldren? Wait a moment… could he be the creator of that sword?)

The sword suddenly glowed deep white and a blast of energy was unleashed in a heartbeat, that blinded both Sarutobi and Naruto and even Sasuke had to cover his eyes. The shockwave was felt by all the ninja in Konoha and some of the other teams were caught off guard as well as they all looked for the source of the sudden energy wave.

When the light faded, Naruto, Sarutobi, and Sasuke looked and…gasped as they saw the sword was still glowing…but they were for the moment not concerned with the glowing sword…but were more concerned by the thing that appeared…

They were now looking at the strangest creature they had ever seen…in simple terms…they were looking at a Dragon!!!

But not just ANY Dragon…but a Dragon Lord!

----------

(What kind of creature is that?!)

(It's monstrous! I've never seen anything like it before in my whole career!)

(That is one BIG lizard!!!! And with wings no less!!!)

The three looked at a creature that was as tall as a three story building and was covered in shimmering golden scales that glowed gently in the sun and the scales were rimmed with silver edges. There were four limbs about it, all of them had five toes…and had razor sharp metallic like claws, though one claw in the right fore limb was missing. There was a beast-like elegance and beauty about the creature and it appeared to have wings that appeared to be folded, it had a long tail with several bony plates on it that tapered into a spear-like tail tip and a long made of golden hair with silver mixed into it ran from the base of the tail tip to the back of the head…which was on a long gracefully shaped neck. The head was like that of a reptile and there was a giant glowing diamond on the forehead on the creature and a pair of four horns on either side that flowed backward, The creature curled it's lips upward to reveal rows of VERY sharp teeth and it's deep rainbow like eyes were directed solely at Naruto.

Sarutobi had no idea what monster this was and quickly took off his Hokage robes and hat and was now in the same outfit that he wore in his youth and he spoke to Naruto.

"Get behind me Naruto!!"

The creature then opened it's mouth and amazingly enough…it spoke, and in a royal tone that demanded respect and attention yet in a patient and calm manner.

/"Peace elder, I mean you and the boy no harm. There is no need for violence."\

Sarutobi's eyes widened and Naruto was in awe and even the normally cool headed and indifferent Sasuke was stunned out of his mind as he looked at the creature before him.

(The thing…spoke!!! What kind of creature is it?!)

"Who are you?"

Sarutobi asked as he still kept Naruto behind him, he didn't know what this creature was or if his ninja skills could match it, but he would not let any harm come to the blonde as long as he was still alive and breathing.

/"I? Forgive me, I guess I forgot my manners since it has been a while since I was manifested, however I would like to see the wielder of Holy Talon…step forward wielder."\

Naruto didn't know why, but the voice held no threat, anger, or malice, and he stepped away from Sarutobi, despite the misgivings the elder had. As soon as he was before the creature, it moved forward and Naruto now found himself staring at the creature face to face…he felt great fear and anxiety, hoping that neither would show and get him into trouble with the creature.

After a few moments, the creature moved back and gave a grin and spoke.

/"You are not exactly what I expected to be the new wielder of Holy Talon, regardless, the sword is wise and fore-sighted when it came to choosing wielders, even those who appear ordinary. As to who I am, I am Faldren…Dragon Lord of the Holy Dragons and chief creator of Holy Talon. Though in this case I am only a manifestation and therefore I cannot last long in the material plane. I see that you have questions, you may ask them now if you both wish and I will answer them to the best of my ability."\

Sarutobi was the first to speak.

"What exactly is a Dragon and why is it you can speak?"

/"I am not surprised you asked me that question elder, since I have sensed that there are no such Dragons in you're world. We Dragons are being born of the earth, and magic of the world…we serve as living reservoirs of magic and energy and as such…we have long life-spans, thus we can learn and retain memories at a very large capacity. I have liked for over 25, 000 years now and I am the oldest of my race, and as such, I have learned many tongues apart from my native Draconian tongue, I have also learned much in terms of art, history, warfare, combat and more."\

Naruto then asked the Dragon Lord something.

"Huh…Faldren, sir?"

/"Yes wielder?"\

"Do you…uh…well…eat, other beings, like me?"

/"Good gracious no! I find the idea of eating mortal beings such as yourself distasteful, and a grievous sin, though I partake in feasting with humans such as yourself in my human disguise. I must admit that you're race is quite creative when it comes to feasts"\

"You can become a human?!"

/"Of course I can take the appearance and form of a human of any age young wielder, for you see, many of my kin have such a talent and we use it well when the needs suit us, apart from our powers and abilities. We Holy Dragons love justice, compassion, mercy, life, knowledge, and more and we preserve peace as best we can, and that is why I am here to talk, not to fight, however that does not mean we are weak creatures and we can fight as fiercely and deadly as any fighter."\

"Are there others like you Faldren?"

/"Yes elder, I rule several large flights of Holy Dragons along with my own brood, but we are not the only Dragons who exist in our realm."\

"Really?! Are they like you as well?"

Faldren looked at Naruto and shook his head.

/"I am afraid not wielder, the other race of Dragons are not the same for they follow the path of darkness, we call them the Chaos Dragons. Our respective realms have a very long and difficult history, if you wish I will tell you as much as I can, and then I will explain to you what is Holy Talon."\

The Dragon Lord then spun a tale before the two and told them the history of their kind and their wars with their dark brethren.

/"We have been at war with our dark kin for millennia and for a good reason, while my kin and I rule the realms we live in with peace, justice, knowledge, freedom, hope, compassion, mercy, and duty, the Chaos Dragons and their leader Chorvax, who like me is the oldest and wisest of his kin, rule their realms through slavery, corruption, hatred, greed, malice, anger, death, destruction, power, hunger, and evil. They have twisted the minds and hearts of their mortal followers who fear and worship them. They see mortals as pawns, food, and toys to play with to amuse themselves and not worthy of being treated any better.'\

/"They sought to do the same to those under our protection and we have fought back in kind and many of our kin and theirs have died in these battles that tore the lands and remade them as well, mortals under our respective realms also fought each other as well. The battles lasted for generations upon generations and we were tired of the countless slaughters and the battles that were fought between us, them and our respective followers. As such I called for a cease-fire and spoke to Chorvax in the borderlands."\

/"There we realized that there would be no true compromise even though I had convinced him that while he would revel in the slaughter and death, he would soon wipe out all of his followers and what sort of empire would he rule if all were dead? While we knew that even without our presence, mortals would continue to fight one another, we no longer wished to fight and rip the lands to shreds. So we all found an alternative."\

/"I gathered my kin and with one of my talons and one of my scales, and out combined powers, wills and magic we created a sword of immense power and poured into it portions of our magic, essences, martial and physical prowess, and our beliefs and philosophies. By the end of four years since then we created the sword and I blessed it with my blood and fire. I placed the sword in our most sacred place and mortals who wished to seek it out with pure hearts, souls, and minds were able to wield it. The sword itself was alive and it was true judge on who would wield it"\

/"In time, we gave each successful wielder the title of Dragon Champion, and as you might have guessed, that sword was given a name by those who couldn't speak the Draconian tongue…Holy Talon."\

Naruto was in awe as he looked at the weapon before him and was amazed that the living sword chose him to wield it. Sarutobi then asked another question.

"What is the Holy Talon capable of?"

Faldren began to explain to the Hokage and Naruto was Sasuke was spell-bound at what he had heard.

/"Holy Talon is a living weapon as you already know…due to our combined mystical powers and it being part of my body and imbued with my blood, fire, and magic, it cannot be chipped, damaged or broken by any mortal means or weapons. No forge known to mortals can break it and it can cleave and slice any other metal like it was nothing but mere clay or cloth, and any form of armor can be easily cut with one swipe. As it is filled with magic, which is quite different in nature and application from the energy you know as chakra, it can cast spells and mystical forces that can overpower most if not all foes, Magic can be used to heal…attack, summon, defend, and conjure. It is also able to absorb the essences without harm from each Dragon Champion that has wielded it in the past."\

"What do you mean by that? I thought Naruto was a Dragon Champion as you said."

/"That is true…he is a Dragon Champion, but to be more accurate, he is the first Dragon Champion of this world…for where it was forged, many warriors of various powers and skills have wielded Holy Talon in battle. When called upon, these essences can fill the current wielder with the power, skill, and knowledge of all previous Dragon Champions who fought with the Holy Talon in hand. It also has powers to call forth Holy Dragon allies of various powers, when you call them, the Dragons you summon will aid you in whatever venture you wish and will fight with you in battle."\

"Wow! This is so cool! I thank you for letting me the wielder of you Holy Talon!"

Faldren smiled at Naruto's antics and so did Sarutobi, as the old ninja was getting used to the Dragon's presence. Sasuke was livid as he realized that Naruto had gained a serious edge over him and that was painful to deal with. However Faldren spoke once more.

/"However wielder, I must caution you on several important matters concerning you're ownership of Holy Talon, just because you are the wielder, doesn't mean you have free reign with the weapon."\

"By the way…what happened to me anyway?"

Faldren grinned once more as he already knew just what sort of topic Naruto was about to bring up."

/"You speak of you're sudden physical changes? Are they not to your liking? I had thought that a young, strapping lad like you would appreciate them. They will certainly help in getting attention from the opposite gender, and if you are lucky…in more ways than one."\

Naruto blushed bright red at that, and Sarutobi coughed a bit as he admitted that with those new looks of his and a few years time, Naruto would give even Kakashi a run for his money. Faldren laughed gently and spoke.

/"However, you're physical changes are not merely for aesthetical purposes wielder. In order for you to be able to utilize the full power of Holy Talon, you're body had to adapt and change in order to handle the physical, martial, and mystical requirements of the powers of the Holy Talon. Normally such changes are subtle, but since you are quite young, they are now more pronounced, they will remain with you until you reach adulthood, which apparently will be far away from now. The physical changes will also help you in utilizing the essences of the previous Dragon Champions that you may summon to aid you, and also you're Dragon allies as well, though you will still need to train to master the higher level essences and spells…But as I have said before you do not have free reign with the weapon. "\

"What do you mean by that?"

/"As it is a weapon of justice and is alive, it has the gift of sensing the auras of those around it, and it could read hearts, souls, minds, and natures the same way you would read a book. As such it will not wound or kill those who have committed no crimes, who are innocent of any wrong doing, and are of pure hearts, natures, and souls. As such the weapon will not be used to kill or murder innocent lives, no matter how much the wielder may force it, it may cut armor and clothes, but never the flesh of the innocent and pure, if the wielder becomes corrupted, then the Holy Talon with disown the owner and fade away to be found by another, of course it will kill those who are evil instantly. Another limitation is the fact that it's powers, while immense are not limitless, when the magic of the sword is drained in a great fashion, it will take time to recharge it's reserves, that also goes for the essences of the Dragon Champions who reside in the sword. Once that happens, depending on the drain, the Holy Talon will not be able to create spells, or summon at all. It will retain it's martial and physical qualities but it's mystical powers will take time."\

/"You might noted that some of you're comrades couldn't lift the sword when you handed it to them, that is a build in defense for the Holy Talon, if the ones who hold it are of pure and uncorrupted hearts, but not chosen by it, the weapon will become too heavy to lift no matter how strong they may be…however, the reaction of Holy Talon to those of evil natures who try to take is another matter."\

"Why?"

/"Let's just say it is a far from pleasant experience when they attempt to hold the sword."\

"Are there other swords like Holy Talon?"

/"Yes, but this one was forged by the Chaos Dragons, and their leader Chorvax, who used one of his fangs and scales for the process, and like us, he and his kin imbued their blood, portions of their power, their martial, and physical powers into the sword, and when it was also finished in four years, Chorvax blessed it with his own powers and he too placed this weapon in their most sacred place, for mortals who worshipped them to find."\

/"Those who were able to find that sword were also blessed with the title of Dragon Champion when the sword chose them to wield it, and like the Holy Talon, the sword forged by the Chaos Dragons was known by another mortal name…Death Fang."\

/"Death Fang possess the same level of power as Holy Talon, but is imbued with dark energies and is corruption incarnate wielding dark magic and evil energy, Like Holy Talon, it too can contain and release the essence of the previous Dragon Champions who wielded in generations passed, allowing the current wielder to have the powers, skills, and abilities of those who used it before. But it is filled with hatred, malice, greed, corruption, anger, blood-lust, the desire to kill, subjugate, and dominate all life."\

/"Death Fang therefore does not make distinctions on it's victims, it will kill anyone, regardless if they are good, evil, or innocent, all it does is obey the order of it's wielder to kill without mercy. And as such it's wielder revels in death, blood-shed and warfare…becoming a merciless berserker."\

/"Years before, the last Dragon Champions who wielded both Holy Talon and Death Fang fought in Dragon's Basin, a large rocky valley and in the end of the battle the swords were sent far away by a maelstrom of magic and judging by the fact you wield the Holy Talon…then both swords are here in you're world. If that is the case, then you must be ready wielder…for there will come a time that one from this world, will meet the needs of Death Fang and when that happens, the Chaos Dragon Champion will arise and seek you out…when it does happen, you must be ready."\

Naruto gulped when he realized that there was such another sword in existence here on his world and that if it was ever found and chose a wielder, then everything was going to change and certainly not for the better. But he was not going to back down, his way of the ninja would not allow it!

He smiled and nodded.

"Don't you worry about a thing Faldren! I will be ready! Whoever finds Death Fang will soon know they will be facing the new Hokage of Konoha and the new Dragon Champion! Believe it!"

Faldren smiled as he looked at the boy.

/"You have spirit…now only time will tell if you have what it takes to face you're new destiny as Dragon Champion…now I must leave, my time in the material plane is at an end…if you need my help, and I am up to it, then call on me when you can."\

With that, the Dragon Lord glowed once more and in the same way he arrived, he left the two standing there. Naruto blinked and then walked over to Holy Talon and reached out and grasped it's handle and took out the sword as Sarutobi walked over and patted his hand on Naruto's head.

"It seems you have a long road ahead of you Naruto, and I think you should be getting ready."

"I will be more than ready old man! Believe it!"

"Same old kid as before…you had better head back to the village I have a feeling you're team might need you're help, but do not mention this meeting to them for now…until you trust them well enough to do this again. I doubt they are ready to meet a Dragon Lord, and neither was I for sure."

"Got it old man, see you later!"

As Naruto moved on after sheathing his sword, he decided to look for Sakura and Sasuke, hoping to find them and see just what sort of missions they might get soon. He then got into a conversation with Holy Talon and asked him if there were some essences he could use for a moment. And he asked the Holy Talon if he could get some better fitting clothes, the voice of the sword spoke and requested just what sort of clothes did Naruto want.

Unknown to Naruto…Sasuke who had witnessed everything left the hiding place he had and walked back, trying to look indifferent, but his mind was in fact reeling from what he had learned. He tried to contain himself and focus on the task at hand as he decided to find Sakura.

----------

Later…

"Please let him go! He's just a kid and it was an accident!"

Sakura tried to reason with a young man who had grabbed Konohamaru by the throat. The young grandson of the Third Hokage was currently playing with his two friends when they met Sakura, since Konohamaru had been told just who his rival for the title of Hokage and friend Naruto was working with he asked Sakura if she was Naruto's friend.

This got Sakura's attention and she couldn't respond, normally before Naruto's sudden make over, she would have denied it and said that she worked only with Sasuke. But since Naruto's changes, she couldn't help but have strange thoughts in her mind, and despite her thoughts, she blushed a bit at she recalled Naruto's new look, that was naturally misinterpreted by Konohamaru and he asked if Sakura was Naruto's girl-friend, naturally, Sakura didn't take too kindly to that and attacked Konohamaru and she chased them around, and they ran into the two.

One of them was dressed in black clothes and a hood and seemed to have something on his back wrapped in bandages, he also had purple paint on his face in a set pattern, like the ones worn by actors, and he currently was the one who grabbed Konohamaru by the throat, the other one was a blonde girl who had her hair in four short tails of some sort and had deep green eyes and she appeared to be dressed in a different fashion from the male, and seemed to carry a massive metal object that resembled a triangle of some sort.

"She does have a point, let the kid go, we're not here to be picking fights with children of all things."

"No can do…this kid ran into me and I'm going to make sure he's going to regret pissing me off."

Konohamaru's comrades, who were Moegi, and Udon were very afraid and Sakura didn't know what to do, from the way the two moved, she could tell that they were skilled and it didn't take very long for her to know just who they are. They appeared to be Genin and from the land of Wind as well.

"What's going on here?"

Sakura looked at there was Sasuke who was carrying a pebble.

"Sasuke-kun! Help us…he's going to hurt Konohamaru."

Sasuke knew who that was and moved forward and tossed up a small pebble up and down and he spoke to the Genin who still held Konohamaru.

"You might want to consider releasing the boy."

"No can do…I'm going to break this kid's body and make him really regret hitting me…"

The blonde looked at Sasuke and smiled a bit with a slight reddening on her face.

(Well…it seems the local cutie showed up.)

However, just as Sasuke was going to deal with the new arrival, a whistling sound was heard and Sasuke felt something coming at high speed and then dodged aside and when he looked he heard a deep biting strike on earth and when he looked, there was a sword buried in front of the of the ground before the one holding up Konohamaru, and he quickly recognized it.

(The Holy Talon?)

"What the heck is…"

Before the one holding Konohamaru could finished his question the sword disappeared and he then felt something under the tip of his chin, the moment he looked, the sword was poised right at his throat and when he followed it, the sword was being held by someone in one hand, he followed the weapon and found himself staring at none other than Naruto Uzumaki who was looking at him with controlled fury. The blonde ninja was now wearing a muscle shirt that was deep black with an orange vest with black and blue trim and apart from the swirl on the left side of the vest, there was a metal dragon on the right, along with the symbol of Konoha being surrounded by a Dragon. His left arm was covered by the long sleeves and his right forearm was not covered therefore his silver Dragon tattoo that showed his status as Holy talon's wielder was exposed.

He was also wearing black pants that had flame patterns in orange, with his kunai pouch and his shuriken pouch as well and he wore dark black sandals as well. He still had his Konoha forehead protector as well…that was the only part of his clothes that was the same as the clothes he normally wore.

"Boss!!!"

"Naruto?!"

Naruto didn't answer and pushed the blade forward, barely touching the skin and cutting it, but he made his threat very clear to the one holding his friend.

"You had better let go of Konohamaru right now…unless you want me to drive this sword right into you're skull."

The blonde girl with the four tails took a very good look at Naruto and noted his features, namely the eyes, the face, the blonde hair and silver high lights. She also noted the muscles that were being shown by the tight muscle shirt and pants…and despite the tenseness of the situation, she couldn't help but blush in a deeper shade of red as she took in Naruto's features.

(Scratch that…this new guy's not cute…he's smoking hot!!!! I didn't know that Konoha had such hot guys!)

The blonde girl wasn't the only one affected as Moegi blushed bright red and had hearts in her eyes, and even though Sakura tried to hide her own reaction, the new look Naruto had certainly added more power to his new features. Naruto turned and looked at his friend but only at the corner of his eye as he kept his eyes pinned on the one who had the grandson of Sarutobi in his grip.

"You okay Konohamaru?"

"I'm fine Boss…that was so cool! You've really got to show me that move someday!"

Naruto grinned a bit but that faded as he looked his Dragon influenced gaze at the one before him…making the normally arrogant guy move back a step…much to Sakura's surprise, Konohamaru's admiration, Udon and Moegi's awe and Sasuke's indifferent look. With that, Naruto relaxed his stance and pulled Holy Talon back but only for an inch.

"You've got some guts to be holding my friend in that way…who the hell are you two and what are you doing here in Konoha?"

"I don't to answer that brat…I'll take you out right now!"

With that the dark dressed boy reached out for that object he had on the back of his body and placed it down hard, forcing Naruto to take a defensive stance with the sword placed backward in level height of his head for a swipe or a block and in a two handed grip.

"What?! You're using Kurasu here?!"

Naruto however was not going to back down as he relaxed his grip so to control his sword more…however before things could get underway, he sensed a great deal of killing intent, much greater than normal…around the level of Zabuza as well, and then he heard a voice.

"Kankurou…what are you doing?"

The people turned and so did Naruto and he spotted a strangely dressed boy with what appeared to be a forehead protector like the other two, but unlike the blond girl and the dark clothed guy, he carried what appeared to be an entire gourd of sand. He had dark red hair a character on his forehead that spelled 'Love' and deep green-blue eyes as well, there seemed to be markings underneath the eyes and surrounded the eyes as well, almost like a mask of some sort. He was using the Tree walking technique to look down on the whole thing. Naruto didn't like the feeling he was getting from this guy and looked at the other two as the new arrival spoke.

"You're an embarrassment to our village with that reckless action of yours."

The girl seemed to be in panic and the guy with the bandaged wrapped object seemed to become very afraid for some reason…as was evidenced by his voice and response to the new arrival.

"Oh…uh…hi G-Gaara."

Sasuke looked at Gaara and was impressed.

(That guy moved real fast and so silently…only Jonin like Kakashi are that skilled, yet he seems to be a Genin.)

The new arrival who's name was Gaara then directed his gaze at Sasuke and then at Naruto…which the Genin and Dragon Champion returned in the same serious fashion.

(Who's this guy? He's different but has the same symbol as the other two, and what's with that gourd?)

(The blonde one with the suit and sword…he moved very fast, this guy needs to be watched.)

----------

Back at Hokage Tower…

Sarutobi looked at all the assembled Jonin, including Kakashi, along with the other Jonin, and Chuunin as well. The Hokage new the three he was about to call forward, Kakashi and two others, his son Sarutobi Asuma, and the resident Genjutsu specialist Yuhi Kurenai. They were here to choose to have their respective teams which included Naruto's class-mates to take the Chuunin Exams.

"You all know you were all called here, as you see the rest of you're fellow Jonin are here as well."

"It's the time of the year already? I guess I forgot all about it."

Sarutobi Asuma sighed as he still had his cigarette in his mouth though at the moment, it was not lighted.

"I take it that the other countries and villages had been notified? There were some of them who were in the village recently."

Yuhi Kurenai looked on and asked the natural question.

"So, when does it begin?"

The Hokage looked at everyone in the chamber pointedly and while he was still smoking his pipe, gave the answer to Yuhi Kurenai's question.

"The Chuunin Exams will begin exactly one week from now."

That got a rise from Kakashi as the time table was certainly not the same as he recalled from the last time the Chuunin exams were held.

"One week from now? That's cutting it a little close."

The Hokage took out the pipe from his mouth and blew out a large cloud of smoke and sighed, he admitted that Kakashi had a point, but things were already in motion and he certainly couldn't just change the whole thing, even if he wanted to…there was a lot riding on today's Chuunin Exams and it was make or break time.

"I'll be giving the official announcement, Seven days from now, on the first day of the month of July, we will begin the selections for candidates for the Chuunin Exams."

----------

To be continued…

----------

Author's notes:

Well now…this is a bit longer than the last one, but hey we needed good content. As you can see, the physical changes Naruto would be subjected to are now in effect and it seems that he's already turning heads…imagine the effect on the other Rookies see him, namely a certain shy wallflower of a girl and even a few more as well…he might even catch the attention of the older females soon enough as well!

And the changes apart from the physical changes and the wardrobe change is the fact that Naruto and Gaara have met each other instead of Sasuke and Gaara meeting, so things might be different this time around, and here's hoping things get even more steaming!!!

See you all at the next chapter!!!


	4. Discoveries

Naruto – The Twin Swords

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, but I do happen to own the Dragon Champions and all things related to them…

Chapter 3

Discoveries…

( ): Thoughts

(( )): Inner Sakura

((" ")): Holy Talon's voice

\" "/: Kael's voice

----------

'_The mightiest tree in the forest, was born of a weak seed, and through time and through perseverance against all odds, and all dangers, a great tree, tall and strong is born there and stands proud and defiant before all who face it…Never forget that the greatest champions were mere men and women, who grew into heroes in their darkest times, you have to start small to become something greater._'

An old saying from the memoirs of a former Holy Dragon Champion…

----------

Back in the field…

Naruto still kept his sword aimed right at Kankurou, but his gaze was directed at the new arrival Gaara, something about him seemed very familiar to him for some reason, and when Kankurou directed his attention to Gaara, the Dragon Champion relaxed his stance and went into a neutral position. Gaara then directed his attention squarely on Kankurou.

"You're becoming an embarrassment to the village. Have you forgotten the reason we came all the way here to Konoha, Kankurou? I doubt it involves picking fights with kids at random."

"I…I know…but they started the whole thing, they provoked us you see…"

"Spare me the excuses, keep that up, and I'll kill you in a heart-beat."

"Uh, yeah, right I was totally out of line."

Gaara then directed his attention to the gathered people, including Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto, along with Konohamaru and his friends.

"I'm sorry for the trouble he might have caused."

Gaara then faded into sand and disappeared from the branch and quickly reappeared on the ground in the same swirl of sand, allowing Naruto to further study this new arrival. He was then called by the voice of his sword.

(("There's something about that one, Master Naruto…I feel a source of evil buried inside of his body…and it might have a connection to his ability to manipulate sand and that gourd he carries."))

(Hmmm…that's not good, we'll have to keep tabs on him then. What about the other two, what can you sense from them?)

(("Believe it or not Master…they appear to be siblings, from what I can sense, the blonde girl with the giant metal case is the eldest of the three, with the one named Kankurou, carrying that thing on his back to be the middle sibling, and the one named Gaara appears to be the youngest."))

Gaara then faced both Kankurou and the still unnamed girl and spoke to them in the same manner.

"Let's go, we didn't come here to play games and we've wasted too much time here already."

"A-Alright, sure, I get it."

The three then began to leave with the shorter one moving ahead of the other two, showing that despite being around Naruto's original height, he had authority in the team he was working with, and considering the reactions he made the others give out, he was more than capable of being the one to give the orders.

Sakura however was not going to let this matter go off just like that however, it wasn't in her nature to do so in the first place. She moved past Naruto and then spoke to the three.

"Hold it you three."

The girl in the team was the one who answered for the rest of her group.

"What is it?"

"I can tell that from those symbols you have on those forehead protectors, you're Genin from the Hidden Village of the Sand. While it's true that the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire are allies, no ninja from one village can come to another without a special reason, so why are you here?"

"You really don't know? Have you guys been living under a rock or something? Of course we have a reason for being here in Konoha, and we are Genin from the Village of Hidden Sand, and we're here to take part of the Chuunin Exams. Get the idea now why we're here?"

Konohamaru then spoke as he recalled the things his grandfather taught to him about traditional events being hosted in villages such as Konoha.

"Oh yeah, that's right! This is supposed to be the time of the year for the Chuunin Exams! The Chuunin Exams is a special occasion where all Genin will be able to enter, and if they pass well, they get the rank of Chuunin, which is a step closer to being Jonin…and even better…you can be closer to being Hokage!"

Sakura was a bit surprised, in truth she had heard about the Chuunin exams being held, but she certainly wasn't aware of them being held at this time of the year. She had thought that they would be a few months more from now.

Naruto had to smile at that as he knew that the sound of all that is great news, namely since he was interested still in becoming Hokage, apart from taking his place as a Dragon Champion. However he still needed to know a bit more about just who these three were, namely the one with the gourd.

With that in mind, he moved forward and called out.

"Hold it you three…You might as well tell us you're full names so we'll all know just who you are."

The blonde turned and gave Naruto a sly and suggestive smile that made him raise his eye-brows at that, and she spoke to him.

"Do you mean me?"

"Why not? After all, it is considered a courtesy for the ladies to go first."

"Ladies first huh, you're a gentleman…I've never been called lady before. For you handsome I'll be more than happy to give you my name, I'm Temari."

"Greetings to you then Temari, I apologize for the situation before as well and I guess I should say welcome to Konoha and I hope that you enjoy you're time here during the Chuunin Exams, the food's really great here, namely the ramen! You should try some when you get the chance."

Temari smiled back slyly at the greeting and invitation and was about to reply to Naruto, until the one named Kankurou turned and glared at Naruto.

"Hey you! Don't get any bright ideas, you're not worthy of attention from my…"

"Kankurou! He was asking for my name, what's with you?!"

Naruto sighed and looked at the bickering pair of siblings.

"It's all right Temari, it's a brother thing…and I take it that the one with the gourd is you're youngest brother?"

The young man stopped moving and turned around and spoke to Naruto while examining the blonde ninja before him.

"That's correct, Temari is my sister, and Kankurou is my brother and I am known as Gaara of the Desert, I'm curious about you as well, you're different for some reason than some of the Genin I've met…what's you're name?"

"Well then you gave your so I shall give mine, I am Naruto Uzumaki of Konoha."

The two Genin stared each other down, Gaara took a look at the sword that Naruto had in his hand and Naruto looked at the gourd behind Gaara's back. The sand ninja studied the sword and could see a faint but very powerful aura coming from the weapon and his eyes widened slightly at the feeling of energy that was coming from it, the blonde before him, and the tattoo on the blonde's arm…it excited Gaara in a way that he never thought possible as he smiled a sadistic smile, a smile that unnerved both Temari and Kankurou when they saw it…and made Sakura gasp, along with Konohamaru, Udon and Moegi, and even Sasuke was a bit concerned.

Naruto however was not going to back down and smiled right back…making Gaara smile even more.

"You're very interesting Naruto Uzumaki…far more than I thought, I'll look forward to fighting you in the tournament."

"Same here Gaara of the Desert."

And Naruto offered a salute with Holy Talon, and to the shock of his siblings most of all…Gaara smiled wider and created a blade of pure sand in his hand and gave the same salute to Naruto. Afterwards, Gaara lost the smile and looked at the two of them.

"Come on you two…we have to meet up with sensei."

"Uh…right Gaara!"

Temari followed Kankurou and Gaara but the blonde female Genin gave a smile to Naruto and a wink that made Naruto blush slightly…much to Temari's enjoyment. Besides, not only was Naruto the first to call her a lady, but he seemed to be able to stand up to her brother Gaara, and instead of killing the blonde hottie instantly for that, Gaara was excited for the chance to fight him…while that made her worry, she couldn't help but feel that there just might be something different about the blonde.

(This is getting VERY interesting.)

As soon as the Sand siblings left the sight, Sakura walked over to Naruto, a part of her was relieved that the one named Gaara didn't attack, and the other one was a bit more complicated, the very moment she noted the sly and suggestive looks that the blonde Sand Kunoichi, she couldn't help but feel…jealous…

(What?! No! That's a bloody lie! I'm NOT jealous of Naruto getting looks from that Sand Kunoichi…)

((Quit lying girl! You SAW the way she smiled at him! That girl LIKES Naruto! We can't let her get her hands on him!))

(So what? Okay I admit Naruto's cute now…)

((Not cute girl… he's hot…as in smoking hot!!!!))

(Shut up!)

"You okay Naruto?"

"I'm fine Sakura-chan, are you all right?"

Sakura didn't answer at first as she found herself staring at Naruto's blue eyes which appeared to be in a much deeper and more attractive shade of blue, and tinged with deep silver edges around the irises, despite herself, she was getting herself drawn into those eyes, she managed to rein in her thoughts and actions and spoke in answer to Naruto's question.

"I…I…I'm fine, thank you for asking."

"Hey you two, are you all fine?"

Naruto and Sakura turned to see Sasuke who walked over and he still managed to keep his now considered normal look. But in truth, Sasuke was seething as he saw how skilled Naruto had become, not only was he able to move with considerable speed, when he tossed the sword, he was able to avoid hitting either the grandson of the Fourth Hokage or the others and he was moving at such a speed, that it rivaled Haku's easily.

"Yeah, we're all fine Sasuke-kun!"

Naruto merely looked at Sasuke and decided not to think about it for now, however, the recent bits of information that were told to him did give him some new things to think about. However he decided that it would be far better that he got all the facts right before he made a decision.

He smiled as he recalled the looks he got in his new garb as he had packed up his older clothes in a bag and left it in the care of the clothing store.

He had managed to get enough money to buy his new clothes and made some mystical modifications to them when he bought the clothes, he was unaware of the fact that the female store clerk had seen his looks, and despite able to recognize him as the supposed container of the Demon Fox, she was awed by his looks and agreed to sell the clothes at half price. A bargain indeed and Naruto smiled warmly at her for that, and she blushed bright red and bade him farewell with the promise to keep his old clothes safe until he came back to pick them up.

"Hey Sakura-chan, do you think there's a chance we could be able to take the Chuunin Exams?"

The pink haired Kunoichi thought about that bit of information carefully and thought about what she had heard about the Chuunin Exams, some of the things she heard were not very appealing, but if that was the way for them to advance to the next rank, it was understandable in her mind why Genin would come from all the world to participate.

"Maybe, but I don't think we can do that right now, from what I've heard, it's all up to the Jonin squad leader and also the team must undergo a certain number of missions before they are eligible to take the exam, and so far we only took on a few missions including the one in Wave Country, despite the dangers we actually found along the way. Either way however, the whole choice is up to Kakashi-sensei if he'll let us be part of the teams in the Chuunin Exams."

Naruto smiled at the idea and boasted once more.

"Hah! We can do it you know! With you're sharp mind, Sasuke's Sharingan, and my own skills, we can ace the Chuunin Exams and be all Chuunin with no problem whatsoever! Besides, it'll be awesome to meet all the Genin from other countries and villages and see what they've got so we can really test ourselves! I can bet that there's some really tough Genin teams out there, and with them all coming here for the exams…it's going to be one hell of a few days, or a week if we're really lucky, I am so into this!!!"

Sakura was surprised at the excitement Naruto had, and even Sasuke was taken aback by Naruto's actions and words as well, and despite his growing dislike for Naruto, the Uchiha couldn't help but smirk slightly at the idea, besides, if what he heard was true, he would no longer have to go out on missions if all the other Hidden Villages' Genin were coming here to Konoha. Plus Naruto did have a valid point, that many opponents would certainly be a good test of the Sharingan he had with him and allow it to grow.

"For once dobe, I agree with you."

Sakura was surprised at that statement and so was Naruto as the blonde ninja and Dragon Champion looked at his dark haired team-mate with surprise.

(Did Sasuke just AGREE with me?! That's a first…)

Sakura looked at her two team mates and mentally sighed in relief…at least they were on the same page today, and that was a seriously wonderful blessing in her mind, considering how they act towards one another before.

"You do?"

"Yes, the Exams seem promising from the sound of it."

"Naruto, Sasuke-kun, I know you guys are eager to go in, but we still need to wait for Kakashi-sensei's decision if he's going to let us take the exams."

Sasuke nodded as Sakura did have a point in that regard.

"Well either way, I'm ready to give the Chuunin Exams a shot if we get the go signal, I'll see you guys later, I've got to go home and deal with some matters."

As Sasuke left, Naruto then spoke to Konohamaru.

"Hey Konohamaru, can you do me a favor?"

"Sure thing Boss! Name it and the Konohamaru Corps will get right on it!"

"I want you to go by the Hokage Tower and ask your grandpa on when the Chuunin Exams are going to start, I want to know just when it starts so I can have plenty of time."

"Time for what Boss?"

"Why to train of course, no way am I going to join the Chuunin Exams without an edge, oh yeah, if you run into my Jonin sensei, get the info on where he'll want to meet with us on the off chance he lets us into the Exams."

"Got it Boss1 Come on guys, let's get going!"

Naruto smiled at Konohamaru as the kid rushed off to do as he asked of him, with Moegi and Udon coming along as well. He then turned and noted a good deal of worry on Sakura's face, he was surprised and worried about Sakura and walked over to his pink haired team-mate.

"Sakura-chan…are you all right?"

"I don't know about the Exams…I don't think I can keep up with you two…"

"Keep up? What do you mean?"

"Look Naruto…you've changed…not just physically…but you're powers have grown…and Sasuke-kun's an Uchiha after all, and sooner or later, he can use the Sharingan. Me? I don't even have a signature Jutsu like you two, you have the Kage Bushin, and Sasuke-kun has the Uchiha clan jutsus…I don't have one… Both of you have far better chances at passing the Chuunin Exams than me…"

"Don't say that Sakura-chan."

"Huh?"

"Look, I might have the new look, the garb, and the abilities, and well, the sword, but I'm still me okay? We started as a team and we have to end as a team. I'm not lying about you're sharp mind you know, you've got more brains than me, and I can bet Sasuke doesn't have the same intelligence as you, you've got an edge…Keep up you're spirits, cause I like it better when you're fired up and eager, cause that's the Sakura I know."

Sakura didn't know what to say to that and she couldn't help but smile a bit and nod a little. But before anything else could be said, a growl in his stomach told Naruto and Sakura that he had apparently skipped break-fast, making Naruto blush and scratch his head as he looked in apology to Sakura.

"I'm sorry Sakura-chan, but I haven't eaten a thing since this morning, so I've got to go, besides, just take a break and relax we've got plenty of free time, so just relax okay?"

"Uh…sure."

Unknown to Naruto and Sakura, they were being watched by three other Genin, but they were not of either Konoha or that of the Sand…but a totally different village. They were dressed in a different manner of dress, one of them wore a forehead protector in a face guard format and had wild, spiky hair, the others wore the usual head band style forehead protectors, but were different, the only female of the bunch appeared to have long hair that reached to her ankles, while the other male had his face wrapped in bandages and had only the right side of his face and his right eye exposed. They appeared to have a set of clothes that were in the scheme of camouflage clothing while the one with the bandaged face had a long sleeved tunic that covered his arms, and a massive fur like item on his back.

The spiky haired one looked at the sight and spoke to the one in bandages.

"So what do you think Dosu?"

"Nothing special today Zaku…just weaklings…however…that blonde kid with the sword, the Uchiha kid, and that rat from the Village of Hidden Sand…they are a far different breed, we're going to have to keep watch on them."

----------

In the Hokage Tower…

"All right then…we need to start the selection of viable Genin candidates for this year to participate for the Chuunin Exams, so to start it off, I would like the current Genin Rookie team leaders of this year's batch to please step forward."

Sarutobi looked on as the three Jonin in question stepped forward. Naturally this included Hatake Kakashi, Yuhi Kurenai, and Sarutobi Asuma. The three Jonin were exceptionally gifted ninja, and the elder Hokage knew that to be true for Kakashi, after all, he had become a Chuunin at half Naruto's age, Kurenai was the village's top Genjutsu specialist and a skilled Kunoichi of her own right. And his son Asuma was very talented as well, not only with his trench knives, but his other skills and talents that he honed over the years.

"Now then Kakashi, Kurenai, and Asuma, what do you say? Do the three of you have any Genin in your respective teams who you believe have the potential to be candidates for this year's Chuunin Exams and wish to recommend, despite their relative inexperience? As you three are aware, any Genin who has officially taken part in eight or more missions is already considered technically eligible for entrance to the Chuunin Exams, beyond that requirement, only you have the authority to decide if they are ready, though most Genin require a longer training period, and twice the number of missions specified."

Iruka did not really like the situation that much.

(There's really no need to talk about this…it's still too early for their teams to be in the Chuunin Exams to begin with.)

"So, what do you say Kakashi? You being first…"

The silver haired Jonin already had an answer to that, he knew that while others might see his move as dangerous, or insane, especially Iruka, he had a feeling that his team, all of them were going to really shine this year and he was going to let them take this chance. With that in mind, he gave his answer to Sarutobi.

"I lead Squad 7, and it's members are Sasuke Uchiha, Naruto Uzumaki, and Sakura Haruno. I, Kakashi Hatake recommend all three Genin to take part in the Chuunin Selection Exams."

Iruka gasped that statement.

Yuhi Kurenai also took the same stance as she spoke.

"And I lead Squad 8, and it's members are Hinata Hyuga, Kiba Inuzuka, and Shino Aburame, and I, Kurenai Yuhi recommend all three for the Chuunin Selection Exams."

"And I lead Squad 9, and it's members are Shikamaru Nara, Chouji Akamichi, and Ino Yamanaka, and I, Sarutobi Asuma recommend all three for the Chuunin Selection Exams."

The reactions of the Chuunin in the room were very much understandable, as they had not expected this action in a very long time, it wasn't often that Genin who were merely rookies were all sent to the Chuunin Exams. Iruka on the other hand was the only one who was against the whole thing.

"Just a darn minute! Lord Hokage, I must protest on this course of action."

The three Jonin faced Iruka and so did the Third Hokage, Sarutobi had a feeling that with the announcements that Kakashi, Kurenai, and Asuma made that sooner or later, someone was going to protest and it made sense that the one who would was Iruka himself. The scarred Chuunin stepped forward as Sarutobi spoke.

"Yes? What is it Iruka?"

"With all due respect Lord Hokage, the names of the three Genin teams are the names of all my former students from the Academy. While I acknowledge that they had potential and promise in their own right, they are not yet fully experienced Genin, and sending them to the Chuunin Exams this early will break them badly if they fail."

Kakashi then faced Iruka.

"When I was at least half Naruto's age Iruka, I was already a Chuunin."

"Naruto is not the same as you Kakashi! He is himself and while he may be no longer under my care he is still my student."

"I understand that this is not what you expected, but the three of them have wanted a chance to prove themselves, and the Chuunin Exams are the best choice at this moment, a little pain, though not too much of course will be a good lesson for them."

"What?!"

Kurenai was not liking this situation all that much between Iruka and Kakashi and she made that clear as she stepped into the situation.

"You've said enough Kakashi, that's enough for now."

"Not really Kurenai…I will say this, Iruka, you should know that the day they left the Academy, they were no longer you're students, they are mine, namely Naruto."

Iruka glared and so did Kakashi, but the Jonin softened a bit and gave a slight smile.

"Besides, considering certain events in their performance in missions, namely IN Wave Country, I have no doubts that Naruto is already ready to participate in the Chuunin Exams, don't you think so?"

Iruka looked on with stunned eyes as he knew what Kakashi was referring to. However, there was another who spoke to Kakashi and it was another person who was a Jonin, though he was dressed in a totally different fashion than Kakashi, Kurenai, or Asuma. The Jonin had a bowl hair-cut, the thickest eye-brows a person would have, he was dressed in a green skin tight body suit and wore large clothe bracer style leggings on his lower legs. The Jonin looked seriously at Kakashi and spoke.

"In that regard Kakashi I have to side with Iruka, I prevented my own Genin team from taking the last Chuunin exams so they could further refine their skills, gain experience, and enjoy their youth. What you're doing is a bit unconventional in my eyes at least."

Kakashi however smiled underneath his mask and replied to the words of his fellow Jonin.

"I can understand that Gai…but I think my newly formed team has quite a lot of potential this year, and who knows, they might even give you're team a run for their money, or take them on and win."

The other Jonin gave a look of challenge with a smirk as well at Kakashi.

"Oh really now…"

Asuma then stepped in.

"That's enough you two, we need to get them ready instead of going off the gun on this today."

"That is correct, however, I would like to have a few words with the both of you, Kakashi and Iruka, there are some matters that have to be discussed. The rest of you will have the time to get ready you're teams, when you are ready, give them the customary application forms."

----------

Later…

As Naruto walked back to his apartment to check the number of days left before he would take part in the Chuunin Exams, he wondered on some things as he hoped he could finally prove himself better than Sasuke and face some really tough competition so he could really grow stronger, not just to become Hokage, but to be ready to face the soon to be chosen wielder of the Death Fang. For now he decided to get his wallet and have some cash to buy him some food.

(("Master Naruto?"))

(Yeah?)

(("I mean no offense, but I suggest you order more amounts of healthier foods as well for you're lunch, you will need proper nutrition and energy to use the powers and essences that you will soon be able to use with the right amounts of time and training."))

(All right then…by the way, I've been meaning to ask you more questions, are you up for it?)

(("Since Lord Faldren's manifestation has filled in the key details, then yes, I am ready to answer whatever questions you might have Master Naruto."))

(Well, Lord Faldren, he mentioned that I still need to train long and hard in order to use the higher level essences. Just how many essences do you have in you?)

((Quite a lot actually…there have been many who have ever wielded me in combat. And many of them had exceptional powers and skills, many were talented sword masters and were quite talented in many levels of weapons mastery, though there were just as many of them were…a bit unconventional to say the least."))

(What do you mean by that?)

(("Well, some of the ones who were chosen as Dragon Champions were spell masters, who used my powers both as a supply and as a booster, while only using me for self defense, others were skilled hand to hand combatants who used me as a last resort or as a form of intimidation to avoid combat when they saw it as unwise, some were powerful healers who used my powers to heal or destroy those who are unnaturally brought back to life…the list would be going on and on Master Naruto…suffice to say, I have been in generations worth of battles and served generations of Dragon Champions in each battle."))

(So I can call on those essences to boost my powers and skills?)

(("Correct Master Naruto, I will be able to then allow the essence you've chosen to flow into you're body, once that is done, that chosen Dragon Champion essence will then bestow it's abilities and skills to you, such as grandmaster level sword skills, high level hand to hand combat, which in you're world would be referred to as Taijutsu if I guessed right, or high level spell mastery…and the like. However, I can only use one essence at a time and until you are better trained, it would be best that you choose the essence that suits the battle field and the foe. And the essences of those you can use at the moment, which are limited right now."))

(Wow…there is one more thing I need to ask you.)

(("What would that be Master Naruto?"))

(Lord Faldren mentioned something about me being able to call…dragon allies, what are those?)

(("Ah, well…many dragons who contributed their powers in my creation, as you might have guessed also contributed their own blood into my forging…not only has this given me mystical properties and physical properties, but with the right energy…I can actually create a living, breathing dragon to come to the aid of my wielder, such as yourself Master Naruto…and since I chose you and obey you're commands, those dragons will obey only you in effect and will aid you well. However the only one of my creators I cannot perfectly create or sustain is my 'father' Lord Faldren, I can do it, but it is the most taxing of the dragon allies I can call upon, therefore I recommend summoning Lord Faldren's familiar on only the most dire of situations, and I can only summon a handful of dragon allies as well…so I can't raise an entire flight of dragons in a moment."))

(Whoa…wait a minute?!?!?!?! You can summon a living, breathing Dragon?! You've got to show me how it's done!)

(("You wish it now Master?"))

(Of course I do…this is going to be cool!!!!!)

(("As you wish, but we will need to be at a large clearing for this to work…more than once, people have panicked at the sight of a living, breathing dragon coming out of thin air, and I have no doubt things will be even more pronounced out here."))

(Good point.)

With that, Naruto moved away from his usual direction towards the ramen stand and headed for the practice field, as much as he was in the mood to finally get a bit to eat after all the things that had been happening to him, this new discovery demanded that he look into it as soon as he could.

----------

Later…

Naruto smiled as he was in the practice field and looked about to make sure that no one else was in the area to just walk in and either mess things up, or when he and Holy Talon summoned a Dragon, wouldn't start causing a panic back in the village. As soon as he was sure that no one else was around except him and his sword, he spoke to Holy Talon.

(We're all clear…so how do you actually go about summoning a Dragon?)

((" That's the real trick Master Naruto, I want you to make these symbols with you're hands and fingers, and focus on me and I will channel the energy, once that's done I can take care of the rest…at least at this stage."))

Naruto followed the advice and began to make movements with his hands and fingers, they then glowed in a gentle green light and the symbols he made hung in the air and began to move in a unique pattern that resembled a circle that then placed itself on the ground. Once they did, the seemed to create a gentle glow and a humming sound.

(("Now…say this phrase, 'Born of Earth, Born of Fire, Born of Air, Born of Water, in Harmony with the world of the material and the immaterial. Servant of all that is good, and kin of the Holy Dragons, I call you forth to me in peace or war, come forth summoned one.' When you do, stab me into the ground I will do the rest."))

Naruto nodded and did as Holy Talon instructed him to do and when he said the phrase and stabbed the Holy Talon into the ground. The sword glowed brightly and the ground in the middle of the circle formed by the symbols began to turn into a glowing white liquid and from that liquid…

Arose a Dragon…

The Dragon that was summoned was smaller, about the same size as a one story house, but was long, nearly sixteen feet from the tip of the snout and the tail. It was smaller than Faldren, but was no less beautiful as it had shimmering blue scales that resembled a pure and clear ocean and were smooth and in a flowing pattern. The head was shaped in a very unique fashion and there were no horns on the head, but long fins on either side of the head and several whiskers near the nose and upper lips. The wings on the Dragon were the same as that of a bird's and had feather like scales on it and even feather like parts on the edges, it had four limbs that acted as legs and it too had claws, though shaped like those of the hawks used by the village as messengers. The tail end was smooth and well shaped and the tail tip was covering in what appeared to be frills that were shaped like a bird's rear feathers and a small row of bone like knobs lined it's back and neck, all the way to the tail. And to the blonde's amazement…there appeared to a saddle of some sort on the dragon's back that could hold three or four people, along with a harness and reins. The Dragon turned at it's eyes were in the color of melted copper and it also spoke to Naruto as he looked on in awe, showing sharp but small yet no less lethal teeth.

\"Greetings wielder, I am here as you command."/

"Who are you?"

\"My Draconian name is long wielder…but you can call me Kael Sky-Runner if you wish, or merely Kael if that suits you're tastes more."/

"Kael…I, well I wanted to see if I could really summon a Dragon, and I guess I can, but why do you have a saddle of some sort on you're back?"

\"I am what you might call a Sky Dragon Mount, young wielder, it is my duty to carry a Dragon Champion to a battle when traveling by land is too dangerous and his presence is direly needed, along with three companions, or if his foes are in the skies above him or her."/

Naruto was in awe as he walked towards Kael and placed Holy Talon back into it's sheath, his awe got the better of him and after some difficulty, he sat in the saddle and got used to the feeling of it. He then looked at the Dragon who looked back at him.

"Can I take you for a ride Kael?"

\"Of course wielder…though I will only impart one piece of advice for you."/

"And that is?"

The Dragon grinned at that and seemed to crouch down, as if getting ready leap into the air.

\"Hold on tight."/

The Dragon Kael then leaped upwards and as if in a split second, the Dragon opened it's wings and flew into the air at high speed, surprising Naruto greatly as he quickly grabbed onto the reins and the Dragon began to move through the sky at amazing speed, Naruto closed his eyes a bit in fear, but as he calmed himself and opened his eyes once more, he found himself in the clouds, looking at the clear blue sky and the sun shining brightly, he saw flocks of birds nearby, and he felt the rush of air all around him, he looked down and saw the village and the lands below as they circled Konoha in the clouds,…it was so new and scary…but instead of being afraid, Naruto was not feeling fear…but excitement, joy, and elation.

"This is so cool!!!! I'm actually flying in the sky!!!"

\"I hope you are ready for some quick aerial maneuvers young wielder…because this is merely the warm-up flight."/

Naruto was ready this time as the Dragon turned to the left and began to move through the clouds and flew at the mountains a great distance from Konoha, as they came to the mountains, the Dragon moved through the caverns, canyons and ravines at high speed, moving with seemingly no effort, and even as the caverns, canyons and ravines became smaller, the Dragon merely closed it's wings, but even with it's wings folded closer to it, the Dragon moved as if with no effort.

Naruto was in awe and joy, until he spotted the end of the canyon, but before he could warn Kael, the Dragon merely flew upward with now effort and spread out and the Dragon spun itself in a spiral into the clouds, They entered a cloud bank and Naruto only saw white for a moment and then the deep blue sky and the warmth of the sun.

The Dragon then made several zigzag flight patterns, loops, through the clouds, and with climbing runs and dives in between. They then came to the coast in only a few moments and the Dragon flew to the water and the power of it's flight merely feet from the surface created waves and even dolphins leaped out of the water to follow the Dragon as it flew overhead. Kael then flew back to land in a spin and flew to the right and then repeated the same trip through the mountains and Naruto couldn't hold onto his elation anymore as the two of them moved about over Konoha.

He realized that no ninja from Konoha…or anywhere else for that matter was able to ride a living, breathing Dragon and to fly in the skies with absolute freedom like he was at this very moment, and to know that was enough to make the blonde ninja shout out in pure victory as they were once more over Konoha.

"YYYYYAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHOOOOOOO!!!!!!"

The blonde kid was shouting, whooping, and cheering as the Dragon took him all around Konoha in the sky, and they even did cork-screw climbs and dives every chance they got and the blonde's elation was really getting higher as he shouted out his pleasure at this new dimension of his gifts from the Holy Talon and his status as a Dragon Champion…

Unaware of the fact that his whoops and shouts were already causing quite the commotion in the ground below him as the growing number of Genin coming into Konoha, along with the various officials and leaders were all looking for the noises that were seemingly all over the place.

----------

In the Hokage's personal chamber…

"Well, well, well…Naruto is certainly getting into the spirit of things. He's actually flying in the sky above us on a real living and breathing dragon."

Kakashi said with apparent awe as he, Iruka, and Sarutobi watched from the Hokage's personal viewing sphere. The Jonin and the Chuunin were told by Sarutobi what had transpired then he had spoken with both Faldren and Naruto when he was alone with them. They were stunned at what they were told and it was then that Sarutobi was told of strange shouting noises all over the town that they looked in the sphere.

"Unbelievable…so that's a real Dragon?"

Iruka said with awe at the sight of his student Naruto actually riding one right above his head. The Chuunin looked at the Dragon as if trying to convince himself what he was seeing was the real thing and not some elaborate illusion.

"It seems that Naruto has decided to experiment with the powers of Holy Talon. And from what it's chief maker, Faldren told me, that is just ONE of the gifts Naruto has been given with his being the chosen wielder of Holy Talon and the new Dragon Champion. It seems that Kakashi's arguments have merit…considering that, Naruto is MORE than qualified to be in the Chuunin Exams. Don't you think so Iruka?"

Sarutobi said as he looked at the images before him, and he noted that Naruto was already being brought back to the ground by the Dragon he was riding. The way Naruto acted showed that he was becoming more skilled with his new found powers and abilities…telling the Third Hokage that Naruto was truly changing. They all watched as Naruto got off the Dragon with a warm smile and the Dragon faded back and Naruto went straight to the ramen stand's direction.

"I guess so Lord Hokage, so forgive me for acting the way I did before, I know Naruto is strong and full of potential, as are the rest of his classmates from the Academy, but still…it's not exactly easy on me as I have been their teacher for a long time."

Kakashi nodded at that.

"No one here's disputing that Iruka…but Naruto is craving a challenge to reach his dreams and the Chuunin Exams are the closest chance he has now, if we deny him that, then he would never be able to grow up to be the ninja he wants to be…and if what the Lord Hokage said is true…he will not be ready if the Death Fang does awaken and find it's own wielder. The same could be said for all you're former students as well, their time to shine has come, and the Chuunin Exams will prove to be the best chance they have."

Iruka sighed as they watch Naruto get off the Dragon and bid it farewell as it faded away and the blonde went back to the village to his favorite food stand.

"He's really going to be happy when you tell him this Kakashi."

"Don't I know it."

---------

In the Ichiraku Stand…

Ayame was still looking at Naruto wide eyed as the blonde ninja was gulping down his third helping of ramen. Now seeing Naruto eat ramen like there was no tomorrow was not a new thing, having been doing that for nearly his entire life since she had known him…but now it was different…namely because of the new looks Naruto had.

When he arrived, she gave him her usual greeting, but stopped and suddenly blushed bright red and stuttered as she saw Naruto's new looks. Naruto gave her the usual smile he gave, but with his new looks, Ayame felt her body react in a very unique fashion, she had asked him if it was really him and Naruto replied that it was indeed him. Her father commented on his looks and made both of them blush brightly when he mentioned that Naruto was going to be one hell of a Ladies Man, considering how much Ayame was blushing. For that, he was going to half the price of the entire menu for his favorite customer. Naruto was more than happy and he was eating a lot right now.

(Naruto-kun has changed…he's so…handsome.)

Ayame then blushed bright red as she began to have…impure thoughts concerning her and Naruto, but she couldn't help but smile at them as well

Naruto finished his last bowl and sighed as he was now full as there were already at least three piles of bowls and smiled warmly at Ayame and Teuchi and spoke.

"Man, that hit the spot…I'll see you all later old man! See you Ayame-san!"

"Bye Naruto-kun!"

Teuchi smiled slyly at Naruto and then to his daughter who was still blushing bright red as she had her eyes on the blonde ninja.

"Careful Ayame, Naruto may be a Genin, and an adult in the eyes of the law now…but he is still a kid, though give him a few years and if he gets even better looking… I don't mind at all if you do the mattress dance with him. Just make sure to tell me how he is in bad."

"FATHER!!!!"

Teuchi merely laughed while Ayame blushed bright red at the thought of being intimate with Naruto.

----------

The next day…

Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto waited for Kakashi once more and they were not happy with the fact that as usual Kakashi was late, Sakura sighed and she couldn't handle it anymore and shouted.

"What is with Kakashi-sensei?! He's always late! Every time he sets the time, he arrives late! I woke up early and had to eat light for this sort of thing!"

"Easy Sakura-chan, I've had it worse, I had to skip break-fast entirely."

Sasuke sighed at his two team-mates and then looked upward as Kakashi showed up and greeted them in his usual fashion, which once more included another flimsy excuse for his tardiness.

"Hi there you three, sorry I'm late, I ran into a black cat along the way and had to take the long route."

"YOU'RE LATE YOU LIAR!!!!"

Kakashi leaped off the archway and got down to business as Sasuke walked over to the rest of the team.

"Well now…I've got good news for you three. I know it's a little sudden and you three do need to train more and get more experience, but I have selected you three to take part on this year's Chuunin Exams."

Sasuke smiled widely at that…and Naruto's eyes were in saucer shape mode as he was in awe. Sakura gulped a bit, but smiled as she recalled that she had her own talents and kept her cool.

"These are the application forms that officially place you as Chuunin Exam entrants."

"Application forms?"

"Stop repeating my words Sakura…now listen up, you have to be in room 301 on the third floor in the Academy once you sign them, and just so you all know, this is all purely voluntary, if you feel that you're not ready or qualified to take the Exams, then you can wait for the next year's Chuunin Exams."

Naruto was happy and made it obvious as he hugged Kakashi.

"You're the best Kakashi-sensei! Now this is a real challenge!"

The Jonin expected that from Naruto, but it was a bit uncomfortable for him. Not to mention the fact that Naruto's enhanced strength, while not that painful, was unexpected to say the least

"Stop that Naruto or you'll start drooling all over my vest."

"Oh, sorry!"

Naruto released his grip on the Jonin and was laughing out loud.

"Easy there…one more thing, you three have five days before the start of the Exams start…so think long and hard on this choice of joining the Chuunin Exams, this is a serious matter and when you step in, you can't back away from it, so choose wisely. Since that's it for today, I'll see you there at the Academy, you guys are dismissed."

As Naruto walked back to his home, along with Sakura, and Sasuke, he was having a fun time thinking things over.

(This is so cool! I am going to face some really tough guys, and I can't wait! I might even fight Gaara in combat…not to mention Mr. Attitude himself, this is going to be one heck of a few days!)

Sasuke thought in his own way on the Chuunin Exams.

(This will be a good test of the Sharingan, not to mention fighting those ninja, namely that one with the gourd, and I will finally get to see just what else that sword Naruto has to offer.)

Sakura however thought about what she should do, she was worried, but she wanted to prove that she was a good ninja of Konoha, but she had enough time to get ready for the exams and enough time to prepare herself for whatever the Exams had in store for her, after all she had five days to prepare. So despite her worries, she was ready to back up both Sasuke and Naruto.

As time passed more and more Genin from different villages arrived on the scene and as the days passed, the Genin and their Jonin leaders were all given accommodations for their stay in the village of Konoha. Naruto himself was busy studying a number of fighting styles involving swords, Taijutsu, spells, and refining his use of Kage Bushin, all under the training and advice of Holy Talon along with using the essences of the Dragon Champions that he could access at his current skill level and capacity. Sasuke was busy refining his own skills though he used the Sharingan more often in order to better use it's abilities and to further improve it for battle, while Sakura was busy working hard on what she could in order to support her two team-mates.

----------

In another part of the Konoha training ground…

"Did you hear? We're going to have first year Genin from the Academy this year, all of them are rookies. That hasn't been done in five years."

A training dummy made of straw with was the day's target as it had a large number of kunai and shuriken imbedded in it. A hand wrapped in bandages was near it.

"No way, I bet it's just a bunch of Jonin getting in to boost either egos or get a kick out of it."

A female voice said and the voice belonged to a woman wielding a kunai in one hand and with surprising skill began to flip the weapon and spin it about without being cut at all.

"No…it's a bit more interesting than that Tenten…three of those students happen to be from Hatake Kakashi's team, and I happen to know that they happen to be the ONLY team that has ever passed in his bell test."

The first voice belonged to a boy who wore the very same garb as the Jonin named Gai, so much so that he even had the very same hair cut as the Jonin and had bandages on his other arm as well, and wore his fore-head protector which had the symbol of Konoha but in a belt style, similar to Gai…so much so that he might as be Gai's own son.

"Really? Are you sure of that Lee?"

"I'm positive."

The girl known as Tenten was ninja as well, dressed in a sleeveless dress and wore deep green pants with sandals, she had her forehead protector with the Konoha symbol in the normal style, and had her hair in a style that meant that most of her no doubt long hair was well placed to stop flowing about, and it seemed that her longer hair was made into two buns on the side of her head.

"I see, that's certainly interesting information."

"I hardly think it's that interesting Neji."

Tenten wasted no time and threw the kunai in her hand and struck the target, just above the head of the one named Neji, who was dressed in a thick jacket with clasps, and wore his own forehead protector with straps on the sides, he had eyes that seemed to be devoid pupils for some reason and was pure white, yet he seemed to be able to see with as much clarity as the two others who were with him.

"Either way…it's going to be too bad for them."

----------

The next day…

"Where's Sakura? It's not like her to be the late one this time."

Naruto asked as he looked about for their pink haired team-mate outside of the Academy, he and Sasuke had arrived at least half an hour early to get ready for the Exams, but it seemed that they couldn't go in yet until Sakura was with them.

"I'm not sure where she is, but she'll be here so don't worry about that."

It was then that both Genin turned to see their pink haired team-mate as she came running towards them, Naruto smiled and Sasuke sighed a bit and looked on, Sakura stopped and gasped a bit as she tried to catch her breath, as soon as she was able to get her breath back, she gave an apologetic look to both team-mates

"Hi Naruto-kun! Sasuke-kun! Sorry I'm late, I had to help my mom with some grocery items when she got back from the market."

Naruto gave his usual smile and nodded as he spoke.

"That's okay Sakura-chan, you made it here anyway, so let's go!"

As the three of them made their way to the third floor, they noted something odd, Naruto wondered what that was about and so did Sasuke and Sakura, and they quickly figured it out that there must be Genjutsu in the area…they then spotted a large number of Genin who were gathering about in the area before them.

"What's going on here?"

Naruto asked as they got closer, Sasuke nodded and spoke.

"The only way we're going to find out dobe is to see for ourselves right?"

"Quit calling me that!"

"Heh…"

The three of them arrived to see a strangely garbed boy with even stranger hair-cut and bushy eye-brows get knocked back by a pair of Konoha Genin, one of whom appeared to be armed with large versions of kunai, the other had his Konoha forehead protector in the way of a bandana of some sort. Naruto quickly noted something odd about that and whispered to Sasuke and Sakura…

"There's something odd about those two, I can't say for sure why I think so, but I do…"

Sakura looked and nodded at that, she too noted that and quickly analyzed the situation.

"That must mean that they're the ones who's got the Genjutsu set up on this floor, and considering that, they must be Chuunin in disguise. They're usually the ones who handle a good portion of the Chuunin Exams, from what I've heard."

Sasuke nodded and smiled a bit.

"Good eyes…so I guess it's time we end this test, they must be the ones to determine who's willing to go far enough to be a Chuunin."

Naruto grinned as well.

"Then it's their lucky day then…cause here comes Kakashi's Team 7."

The three stopped whispering as they made their way through the crowd as the two rowdy Genin (Chuunin in disguise) made comments to the Genin they knocked over and his female companion. The two then faced the trio, with Sasuke in the lead, while Naruto studied the Genin on the floor.

(That guy's got the weirdest fashion sense I've seen…makes me happy I had a wardrobe change.)

(("True enough Master Naruto…but I have a feeling that there's more to this Genin, those bruises he has don't match any type of wounds I know of."))

(So he's faking it?)

(("Quite possibly, either he's also a Chuunin in disguise, or he's hiding his skills intentionally, and it seems he's quite good at that."))

Naruto had no time when he heard Sakura gasp and quickly turned to spot the disguised Chuunin throw a kick at Sasuke, he reached for Holy Talon and drew the weapon halfway out of the sheath when he sensed movement that somehow got past him, and to his astonishment he spotted the formerly downed Genin in the green body suit grab both Sasuke and the Chuunin's kick with both hands.

(("It seems I was right Master Naruto."))

(You're right indeed, that guy's fast, I'll give him that.)

Sakura herself was surprised at how fast the new Genin moved and so was Sasuke as Lee released both their legs. The other Genin's apparent team-mates were talking to him and the long haired one appeared to be talking to him. This allowed Naruto to study them carefully, while Sasuke traded words with the apparent leader of the bunch.

(That guy has the same eyes as Hinata…that must mean he's a Hyuga Clan member.)

(("Pardon Master Naruto, but you know this clan?"))

(Not personally…I know that I have a classmate from my Academy days whose name is Hinata, and her clan is supposed to be one of the more powerful clans here in Konoha, something to do with a powerful gift called…what was that again…ah yeah, now I remember, they call it the Byakugan. It's supposed to allow others to see chakra and it serves as the basis of their fighting style. Though I've never met this guy before…he seems kind of…driven for some reason, like he's got this entire mission and burden on his hands or something.)

(("That gift is similar to the Dragon's Eye then."))

(Dragon's Eye? What's that?)

(("It's a natural gift that allows certain Dragons a limited ability to see the past, present, and the possible future. I know my chief creator and father Lord Faldren possessed a very powerful Dragon's Eye and it helped him call the cease-fire and naturally led to my creation, and I know that certain members of the Chaos Dragons have the same gift, and Chorvax was the most adept to use it…which led to the creation of Death Fang."))

(Wow, I didn't know that. Do you have something like it?)

(("Not in the pure form, I can only make a powered down version of it that I passed down to you when you first took hold of me back in the water."))

(Wow…you mean I can SEE the future?!)

(("No, I'm afraid not Master, such a thing is forbidden for mortals, even Dragon Champions, the future in my Lord Faldren's words is something one must make for himself or herself, it means that all beings have the ability to make their own future, as the Dragon Eye only sees a POSSIBLE future, one that can change in a heart-beat under different circumstances and events…personally I find that to be a great boon and lesson, fate's something that beings such as yourself must make with their own hands Master Naruto, just as my Master and his kin allowed the mortal races in their realms make their own decisions."))

(You're right there…I'm happy you chose me to be you're wielder. All the advice you give me certainly helps loads.)

(("You are welcome Master Naruto."))

(So how does this version you have of the Dragon Eye work?)

(("It allows you a limited ability to sense attacks and how to best counter them…as I said, it's not perfect, and has it's flaws, but in the right moment, it will be the difference between life and death in a fight."))

(Good ability it is then.)

(("Very much…ah, it seems you're being studied Master…"))

It was during Naruto's mental conversation with Holy talon that Tenten noted his presence, she had thought Sasuke was cute…but the moment she gazed at Naruto her thoughts of Sasuke being cute were put aside as she gazed at Naruto's features. She was amazed that he looked so mature and handsome despite being a Genin and he was certainly well built for his age, not to mention…She had enough time to note that Naruto was looking back at her, and he smiled in greeting…making the brunette Kunoichi blush bright red.

(Wow, the blonde's hot! That pink haired girl has no idea how lucky she is to have two hot guys in her team…maybe I could ask her if she knows where they live…namely the blonde one. I wonder if he's…stop that Tenten, lest you start thinking the wrong things!)

Naruto himself was getting ideas as he had to admit that despite some initial discomfort with all the staring, he was getting used to it, and found it…nice.

(I guess I can get used to this.)

(("I see you're enjoying all the attention Master Naruto from you're physical changes, good for you, though I would caution you about entertaining thoughts about such…ah, meetings at this point and time…you are participating in the Chuunin Exams after all."))

(Good point.)

Naruto then spotted Sakura berating the green spandex jump suit wearing guy and felt sorry for him, he had been under the brunt of Sakura's temperament more than once and personally knew the feeling, though she seemed nicer now than before.

"Naruto-kun, Sasuke-kun, we should head out and find the real room, we've wasted enough time here."

With that, the pink haired teen grabbed both their arms and began to pull them away, much to their surprise.

Neji glared at the Uchiha clan survivor as he didn't like his attitude, and Lee took notice of that too…however he was also curious about the blonde ninja who was part of the team the pink haired angel was part of, despite his silence, the Genin felt that the blonde was deep in thought. He decided to see for himself the extent of the power of the Uchiha Clan survivor in a match.

"Well now…so those two group of misfits are the ones Kakashi and Gai have been talking about."

"I believe so, congratulations are in order then for their passing of their application forms."

The two Chuunin then transformed to their normal forms and one of them smiled.

"This year's Chuunin Exams is proving to be a lot of fun."

"For us maybe…but I doubt the Genin we're about to test would see it that way."

Unknown to them all…

"It's here…I can feel the power that I heard so much about…it shall be mine…along with the Sharingan…"

----------

To be continued…

----------

Author's notes:

Well that was interesting indeed. Took me quite a while to set it up. Naruto's already summoned his first Dragon ally, and has used some of the Holy Talon's magical powers. Now what else can be found with the powers possessed by the Holy Talon, and what had Naruto learned from it before heading off to the Chuunin Exams?

That's a surprise for the next chapter as it is also where the rest of the Rookie 9 meet up with Team Kakashi and they will be seeing the differences now between the Naruto they knew to the Naruto now before them. The two other girls in the Rookie 9 especially, since once of them happens to have a king-sized crush on Naruto and how will she react to his whole new look.

On the next chapter, Sakura gents a new and unwanted admirer who shows Sasuke a few tricks that really surprise the Uchiha clan member…and afterwards, all three of them get ready to take the first level of the Chuunin Exams.

But who's the new arrival looking for both the Holy Talon and the Sharingan? We'll have to wait and see now won't you?


	5. Old faces

Naruto – The Twin Swords

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that is related to Naruto, I wish I did though.

Chapter 4

Old Faces

( ): Thoughts

((" ")): Holy Talon's voice

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'_A hundred skilled warriors bought and paid for is worth the effort and is called a small force. However, a handful of friends whose loyalty is to you and each other…no matter what dangers you face…then that is no small force…that is an army. Friendships built on trust and loyalty is far stronger than any weapon or force._'

The words of an infantry officer in the 13th Dragon Champion Wars

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In the Academy…

Neji looked at the trio as they left the scene with Sakura dragging her team-mates along by the hands. He, Tenten, and Rock Lee looked on and it seemed that things were going to get interesting indeed this year. Neji knew about the Uchiha massacre and he had to admit that Sasuke was certainly living up to the image of an Uchiha.

(So that's Sasuke of the Uchiha Clan.)

"The black haired one's pretty bold Neji, you going to challenge him?"

Tenten spoke as she looked at her team-mate, Neji gave a slight snort and walked away, making Tenten smirk a bit as they headed off to get their team registered, but as they were making their way towards, she noted that their comrade Rock lee was not following them, but seemed to be deep in thought.

"Lee? What are you waiting for? We're supposed to be checking in right now."

Lee turned and replied to Tenten as Neji stopped and waited for them.

"I'll catch up with the both of you later, you don't need to wait for me right now. There's just something that I have to check out for myself."

Tenten watched as Lee left them and she wondered just what her team-mate was up to this time. With that in mind she turned to Neji and asked him.

"What do you suppose Lee's up to this time Neji?"

"I wouldn't know actually, but we should get going, he'll catch up with us soon enough."

Neji replied as he kept on walking to where the real third floor was.

----------

As the three Genin of Kakashi's Team 7 moved into a large hall, Lee was able to catch up with them and called out to the one he wanted to test a theory on and knew that now was the time to see how the Uchiha's favored bloodline trait would stand to his brand of fighting, not to mention he wanted to try and get to know Sakura better.

"Hey! You with the attitude, hold on!"

Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke looked back to the higher floor to spot Rock Lee looking at them, Naruto recognized him quickly, while Sakura was not exactly pleased with Rock Lee's arrival, recalling his actions towards her, while being flirty did kind of creep her out a bit, and Sasuke gave an indifferent look to the Genin who called them, but he was indeed curious as he recalled how Lee had stopped his kick with only one hand.

"What do you want?"

"I want to challenge you to the fight, right here, and right now."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed a bit at that and he replied.

"You want to fight me here and now?"

"Yes."

With that, Lee leaped over the edge and landed safely on the floor from where he had been, as he got his footing, the green suit wearing Genin then got to his feet and pointed his finger at himself and gave his name.

"My name is Rock Lee of Team 10."

He then pointed his finger right at Sasuke and spoke.

"You yourself said that it is considered a common courtesy for a challenger to give his name first, am I correct Sasuke Uchiha?"

Sasuke was a bit surprised, here was a guy he knew next to nothing about, but this one named Rock Lee knew him already.

"So you know me already?"

Lee then got into a fighting stance that seemed to be quite unique, that Naruto looked at carefully, and so did Holy Talon, the Holy Dragon Sword had known many hand to hand combat specialists in it's existence back in the world of it's birth and knew a fighter's stance when it sensed it.

(("Hmmm…this one Genin seems serious in his intentions for a fight with Sasuke Master Naruto."))

(Yeah, looks like it, this guy's certainly got the spirit, wonder if he has the moves?)

(("Guess we're going to find out now Master Naruto."))

"I challenge you Sasuke Uchiha, everyone I know speaks highly of the Uchiha clan and how great they are with the Sharingan, well, I for one wish to test those myths personally, and since you are who you are, then you would be a good test for me."

Naruto didn't know why, but he suddenly began to feel like he could respect Rock Lee, something about this guy's words and the message he conveyed touched him. Long before he acquired Holy Talon he had struggled to make a name for himself, and he did it through pranks and many other ways, but it was hard as so many people disliked him, with the exception of Iruka-sensei, who was like a brother figure to him, and the Third Hokage who was the closest thing to a grand-father to him.

And of course he now had Sakura, Kakashi…and even though he wouldn't admit it, Sasuke. Sakura was naturally his crush, despite him knowing that she was head over heels in love with Sasuke, however she seemed nicer now and he decided to pay her back too by being nice to her in return.

Kakashi was someone he liked playing jokes on, but he did respect the Jonin, and he did give out serious advice, not to mention that ever since he acquired Holy Talon, Kakashi had been supportive of his time.

Sasuke…well, he was a bit complicated, he hated the Uchiha's arrogance and stuck up nature, not to mention the way he acts around people, always saying 'I'm better than any of you', that nature of Sasuke really grated on his nerves. However, Naruto was not always disliking Sasuke, he had to admit that Sasuke had the skills to back it up, not to mention the bloodline, and he had to admit that Sasuke had lost his entire family…to his own brother, and he could only imagine the horror that Sasuke had been through that night to know that one of his own kin did the massacre. Still…that was no excuse to be the way he is now. However Sasuke was and still is the reason he pushed himself to excel, and for that, he had to actually thank the Uchiha survivor for being his team-mate and rival.

"And also…"

Lee then directed his attention to Sakura, who gave a very uneasy look when she found out that she was now the center of Lee's attention, this also got Naruto's attention as he had been busy with a discussion with Holy Talon to see what had transpired between Rock Lee and Sakura.

He couldn't help but feel the urge to laugh as he suddenly saw the guy blush at Sakura's direction.

"Sakura, I love you."

"AAAAAUUUUUUGHHHH!!!! NO!!!!"

Naruto was looking at that and tried not to laugh so as to avoid getting Sakura's ire and anger. Despite his dislike for Lee's antics, for some reason, he could tell that Lee was a good guy, and was being nice, though he had an odd way of doing it.

"You have the weirdest fashion sense I have ever seen, that's the ugliest hair-cut I've ever seen in my life, and you're eye-brows are so bushy…you're totally weird!!!"

Instead of being insulted by Sakura's comments like before, Lee was unfazed and the next words that came out of his mouth nearly made Naruto burst out laughing. He had no idea why he was finding humor in this situation at first, until he realized that Sakura now had a fan-boy of her own and was now probably getting a dose of what Sasuke must go through every time. It was a bit bad to laugh about his team-mate's obvious discomfort with the whole situation, but he couldn't help himself at that as he managed to contain his laughter.

"You are an angel sent from heaven."

And then Lee sent a flying heart to Sakura, who set about trying to avoid it as it hit the pillars behind her with a very...weird sound.

"Good move there Sakura, I should have expected that from the most attractive Kunoichi here, but I am not giving up just yet. Let's see you dodge these!"

Sakura was crying out in panic as she saw lee unleash hordes of hearts right at her direction. She quickly began to dodge and move away as each heart came at her in different areas and as she did so, they also made very weird noises, the last one made Sakura bend backwards until she hit her head.

(That…that was…too close!)

As soon as she was back on her feet, Sakura glared at Lee and made her displeasure known to him.

"Hey you! Keep those weird valentine hearts of yours to yourself right now! You had me dodging for my life there!!!"

"You don't have to be so negative about that Sakura, I was being nice."

Naruto shook his head at this and tried desperately not to laugh…he had to admit, this Lee was something else entirely, he knew that most people labeled him weird apart from the usual band of insults, but Lee beat everything he's ever done, and he could almost swear that Holy Talon was laughing as well and since the sword chose him, only he could hear the living weapon's laughter.

(("I have to give him credit Master Naruto…he's not shy about saying what he likes."))

(Yeah, I totally agree. Now then, I wonder if old Sasuke is going to go through with this, this could be good.)

(("You don't want to fight Lee yourself?"))

(Not really, I don't know his style of combat, what else can you sense about Lee?)

(("Apart from the obvious? Well, it seems that he has no serious chakra control to begin with, or has very low reserves of chakra, but his physical condition is at a very high level, just the kind you would expect from a fighter who uses hand to hand combat."))

(Wait, Lee has no control chakra? That would mean that he can't use Genjutsu or Ninjitsu, so that would leave Taijutsu then…this is going to be good, I can't wait to see just how good this guy really is, besides, he is challenging Sasuke so why should I interfere, it is a formal challenge after all.)

(("Point taken."))

"You know about the Uchiha Clan, yet you still want to challenge me? You must be even more psycho than you look, if that's even possible. You want to know more about my clan? Then I'll be happy to teach you…the hard way."

Sasuke said with a dark look on his face as Lee merely extended his right hand and replied with a confident look.

"Bring it on."

(Excellent, I finally get to fight the number one rookie of this year, I will make him draw out his techniques and see just how good he really is. I will make you proud of me Gai-sensei!)

"Hold it you two!"

The group turned to Naruto who looked at the two of them with a serious expression, totally unlike the normally goofy looking and jovial blonde ninja as before.

"While I'm actually looking forward to this kind of a fight, you all realize that we do have limited time before the Exams start, so try not to make this an epic battle, just a good one from start to finish so we can get the Exams under way."

Then he grinned once more.

"But just because it's going to be a quick bout…try not to make it boring, and Sasuke, you had better be careful, this guy might not look like it…but he's a lot more skilled than he looks, you might be in for one hell of a ride."

"Quiet Naruto…I can handle this weirdo."

Naruto shrugged.

"All right then, go ahead and knock yourself out. But don't say I didn't warn you, Lee here might not look like it, but he's got some serious skills as far as I can see."

Lee nodded in agreement with Naruto and smiled a bit at the blonde ninja with the sword on his back. He had thought that Naruto was not into being social since he seems so silent, but it seems that the blonde was actually observing him.

(Hmm…he knows more than he let's on, I'll need to talk to him later and see just who he is.)

"You're blonde comrade is correct Sasuke, out of all the top Genin that graduated from the Academy last year, I am one of the best in my chosen way of combat, fight me and I shall prove my point."

Sasuke thought about it and he had to admit that he did agree with Naruto's words to an extent as he recalled how Lee was able to stop his kick with just one hand. He smiled a bit and replied to Lee's words and he was going to see if this weirdly dressed up Genin was all he said himself to be, or all talk and no guts.

"This'll be fun then, all right, I accept you're challenge and I'm going to make you regret ever issuing it to me of all people."

Sakura then directed her attention to the clock and gasped as she saw the time that they had on their hands, and that was not enough.

"Sasuke-kun, we have no time for this between you two, we have to register before 3:00 or we'll never be allowed into the Chuunin Exams!"

"Relax Sakura, this'll all be over…in five seconds!"

With that, Sasuke rushed at Lee, intent on finishing this fight with one blow and show why he was the number one Rookie of the year and just what he was made of. Lee however kept his cool and focused on the fight in front of him.

(Good, he made the first move, forgive me Gai-sensei, I know that you forbade me using that jutsu…but it seems I will need to use it in this fight with Sasuke!)

Sasuke launched his attack, but to his shock, Lee faded from the area his punch was and he stumbled and recovered, but as he turned, he spotted Lee in the air as he shouted his attack.

"LEAF HURRICANE!!!"

Sasuke dodged the attack, but as Lee landed, he was already on the offensive as he landed on his hands and left knee with right leg upward and then lashed out with his right with a strike to the head. Sasuke went on the defensive as he realized that he was at a disadvantage as he was open and had to block Lee's attacks.

(I'm not moving fast enough! I have to block!)

Lee however knew that in advance and place a hand sign…this caught Sasuke off guard as he tried to determine if like Haku, Lee could make hand seals with only one hand. However as Holy Talon had sensed, Lee was not a user of Genjutsu or Ninjutsu and was using the hand sign as a decoy…and Sasuke paid for it as he let his guard down, allowing Lee to hit him hard and send him flying.

"Sasuke!!!"

Sakura shouted as she saw Sasuke being hit by Lee and hitting the ground and skidding until he stopped, while Naruto looked on with some difficulty as he wanted to fight, but he kept his peace as he observed the fight with his hands in his pockets.

(Hmm…Lee's got the moves all right, he used that hand sign to make Sasuke lose focus.)

Sasuke felt the pain of the blow and was stunned.

(I had my guard up…but he went through it…what's going on?!)

Sakura was also stunned by the sight of Sasuke being hit like that and sent flying.

(Sasuke-kun had his guard up…but Lee went right through it…maybe Naruto-kun's right…maybe Lee's more than mere looks.)

Sasuke got himself to his hands and got up slowly as he tried to think how Lee got past his defenses.

(He's using some sort of technique to get me…what is it? Is it a Genjutsu or a Ninjutsu?)

Lee kept his calm as he held his usual position on the floor, left hand behind him and right hand forward as he waited for Sasuke to make the next move.

(As I thought, he's coming back for another go at me.)

(Well then, if he's using a Genjutsu or a Ninjutsu, then I guess it's time I get to use my ace in the hole. Besides, he's exactly at the spot where I want him to be.)

Sasuke got up and was now ready to give another go at fighting Lee. But this time, he was going to go up a notch and give lee a taste of what made his clan famous in the village of Konoha.

"I've been waiting a while to put this to good use."

Sakura looked on and was surprised as she realized what was happening.

(Could it be?)

She got her answer as Sasuke revealed his eyes, and they were no longer in the usual shade of dark black, but were red, just like Kakashi's left eye and Sakura knew quickly what that meant.

(The Sharingan! When did Sasuke-kun learn how to use it?)

Lee noted that as well and looked on patiently.

(So, he now reveals the Sharingan, this will be an interesting match.)

(Be it Genjutsu or Ninjutsu…with these eyes…I will see right through it!)

Sasuke locked his eyes right at Lee and then charged as Sakura was in awe as she thought that Sasuke had lived up to his blood as an Uchiha, and no one could predict what he'll do next, with the Sharingan, he would be able to read this guy's jutsus and get him good, there was no way lee could beat Sasuke now.

Naruto however had his doubts as he kept on watching…and sure enough he was proven correct as Lee once more kicked Sasuke aside like he was nothing more than a rookie fighter taking on a more seasoned and highly skilled opponent. Naturally the Sharingan user was stunned by this turn of events in a very serious way.

(He still got past my guard, but how?! What sort of jutsu is this guy using that I can't seem to see?!)

Sakura was in shock at the sight as she expected Sasuke to win easily with the Sharingan in hand, but Lee proved her otherwise, the Genin then spoke to Sasuke as he watched Sasuke fall from his kick.

"If you believe that my techniques have anything to do with either Genjutsu or Ninjutsu, then you are sadly mistaken Sasuke Uchiha."

And for the first time in this battle, Lee was the one on the offensive as he charged right at Sasuke as soon as Sasuke landed and got to his feet, Naruto watched the whole thing and shook his head as the real fight had just begun…as Lee attacked with flurries of kicks and punches at Sasuke, the Uchiha managed to evade a few of the attacks, but the rest hit him hard, as Lee blocked his attacks and fought back as well, he then slammed an elbow strike right into Sasuke's stomach and forced him back in pain and surprise.

As Sasuke held his stomach, Lee then spoke to him.

"Do you understand now my words before and why you're blonde companion was correct in saying that I am not an easy foe? My fighting style makes no use of Genjutsu or Ninjutsu…but Taijutsu that means there are no tricks or illusions Sasuke."

Lee vanished once more to Sasuke's shock and was now right behind him.

"It's s just simple and straightforward martial arts, nothing more."

Sasuke gritted his teeth and lashed out at Lee, but the Genin avoided his strike and once more was in his neutral position.

"I know you're technique, and I say that you should forget it, because it will not work, not on me… I know about the Sharingan, it gives you the ability to see past a foe's jutsu so you can see their hand signs and their movements and decipher them instantly, allowing you read them and predict their movements and intentions before they know it themselves… and I know that with them you can read you're opponent's chakra to further you're abilities…however Taijutsu is not the same as Genjutsu or Ninjutsu."

"What's you're point?"

"The point is simple Sasuke, I don't hide or disguise my moves, I don't have to in any case, and even if you can see them, you can never block them or stop them…you are too slow…while you're eyes may allow you to be one step ahead of me, you're body does not have the way to keep up at all, and that is very much true, so how then will you be able to stop me? And you know what the answer is to that? You cannot stop them. Because in the end, you're Sharingan is worthless in a fight with me."

That hit a nerve as Sasuke growled in anger, and Sakura was getting worried. Naruto however was very impressed and so was Holy Talon. As far as the blonde ninja could see, Lee was the only one person who could face the Sharingan and defeat it's advantages in a fight. This guy was definitely living up to his claims to be one of the top Genin in Konoha.

(("Lee is correct, as long as Sasuke does not have the physical speed to match Lee's own speed in combat, there's no way he could beat him in a straight on fight."))

(You're right…he's certainly someone to be wary of, shame Mr. Attitude's finding that fact out too little too late.)

"You know something Sasuke, this is what I believe, there are two kinds of ninja in this world…those such as yourself who are born with talent and don't have to work hard on it."

Sasuke had enough and attacked, but he had lost his composure and was no longer focused and calm, but Lee was different as he held his ground.

"And those like myself…the ones who train ourselves with all that we are every second of our lives!"

Lee evaded several more attacks from Sasuke and then he commented that Sasuke's Sharingan was the worst match with his brand of extreme Taijutsu and he was about show the reason for his statement and he launched out an attack that Sasuke once more failed to block as he was sent into the air once more, but this time Lee was not waiting for Sasuke to hit the ground as he followed him.

Naruto's eyes narrowed at this and knew that things were going to be serious from here on in, Lee wasn't playing anymore, he was serious.

Sasuke looked to see lee behind him in mid-air and knew what this move was.

"Dancing Leaf Shadow…"

"Good eye…but here is where I prove my point to you."

Lee moved his arms and Naruto spotted the bandage tape on Lee's arm begin to loosen and saw that Lee was unleashing a jutsu that must be part of Taijutsu style moves.

"And that point is that hard work beats natural talent."

Sasuke knew that this move was a serious one, but he had no idea what to do right now at this point and time as he realized with reluctance that Naruto was right for him to be wary of Lee, and that Lee was right that even with the Sharingan active, he was not able to equalize Lee's speed.

(What the heck is his next move?!)

"You're finished!"

Sakura looked on in shock and fear as the two Genin were in the air, with Lee on the bottom and Sasuke on the top, she had no idea just what sort of move was Lee going to pull out, but she could tell that it was a very serious move indeed.

But suddenly Naruto felt the presence of another and he heard something in the air…and sure enough, so did Lee as the end of the tape he had released was suddenly hit by a windmill toy with a metal head on the end, pinning it to the wall.

Sakura turned as Naruto did to see just where did that move come from, and Lee also knew that this was not a good sign.

"This is bad."

There was a turtle on the area…a rather big one at that, with red and yellow colors and amazingly enough had a Konoha forehead protector around it's neck and a orange band on it's right fore-leg, and to really surprise everyone, the turtle spoke.

"All right! That's enough of this! Lee!"

Lee got the message and stopped his attack and left Sasuke wondering what else was going to happen, Sakura shouted out and rushed to help Sasuke as she caught him in her arms. Lee on the other hand was now kneeling before the large speaking turtle in red and yellow…much to Naruto's surprise.

(Well that was interesting…but as much as this right now…who or what is this turtle?)

Sasuke got his breath back and glared at Lee as Sakura checked him out for any further injuries. The pink haired Kunoichi was really worried as she looked Sasuke over once more to see how he was doing and she asked him.

"Are you all right Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke didn't reply as his anger was very high and that really worried Sakura as she had never seen Sasuke like this before.

(He's really shook up…he didn't even take the fall right.)

Lee was very much in a very different mood as he spoke to the turtle.

"You…were watching us the whole time?"

"Of course I was! That last technique you tried to use is forbidden Lee and you very well know that!"

(Well this is new, this Lee's talking to a turtle, and it's talking right back to him. What kind of turtle is that?)

"I am sorry I didn't mean to resort to that."

(Now he's actually apologizing to the turtle…I know this is weird…even for him, but surely that turtle can't be his sensei.)

Lee suddenly gave a cry of fear as he stood up and began to ramble out an apology to the turtle that apparently had given him a very stern look, making Naruto wonder if there were still things about his world that he knew next to nothing about, and that turtle just MIGHT be Lee's sensei.

Even Sasuke and Sakura were surprised as Naruto walked over to them and spoke.

"Hey guys!"

"What is it Naruto-kun?"

"No offense meant Sakura….but that weird talking creature that Lee's talking to is a turtle, right?"

"Of course it is!"

"Well, this is the first time I've seen a talking one."

(Though I carry a living sword on my back and speak to dragons who can speak back…so that's not TOO much for me to take…but the turtle's certainly a new one.)

"You're a disgrace!"

The turtle shouted, making Lee cringe in reaction to the admonishment begin handed down to him as he stood in attention and focused it on the creature talking before him.

"You honestly think you could get away with a bunch of lame excuses such as those you just told me? A shinobi never reveals his techniques to his foes unless it's absolutely necessary, that is such a basic rule you should know it by heart now!"

"Forgive me sir."

Lee said dejectedly.

Sasuke was livid with rage as he wiped some of the blood and dirt off with his fore arm bands as he gazed at Lee.

(How could I have lost to that freak?!)

"Are you prepared to take the punishment for you're actions Lee?"

"I…yes sir."

"Good, please come out…Gai sensei!"

A large puff of smoke suddenly appeared on top of the turtle's shell and there was a new arrival…but he seemed to be an older version of Lee, the same hair-cut, the same suit, the same leggings, the same forehead belt, the only difference was apart from age, was the fact that this new arrival had a vest on him and had even bushier eye-brows than Lee, and he was currently in the most outlandish pose any guy would be in.

"Hey! What's shaking, how are you doing everybody, life treating you good?"

The reaction of Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura was of absolute shock and surprise, but only Naruto, being as outspoken as ever when he felt like it spoke first on what he was looking at.

"That guy's got the biggest eye-brows I've ever seen! They're almost alive!!!"

Gai didn't notice nor care about that and gave his greeting with his usual grin and shining teeth.

"Hi Lee."

Sakura was the next to speak.

"This is way too weird."

"Now I can see where Lee's got it, the same soup-bowl hair-cut but even bushier eye-brows."

Lee didn't take a liking to that as he had a vein on his head throbbing and turned around with a look of fury on his face and his still covered hand in a fist.

"HEY! Don't you dare insult Gai-sensei! He's one of the greatest men of the entire world!"

"Don't take that the wrong way Lee, I'm still trying to get used to the fact I just saw him come out of a turtle."

"He did NOT come out…"

"It's all right Lee, give it a rest."

Lee sighed and turned to face his apparent sensei.

"Yes sir."

"Now then, time for you're punishment you fool!"

And right in front of Sasuke, Sakura, Naruto, and Holy Talon…Gai hit Lee right in the face and sent him flying…much to the shock of them all.

----------

( Author's Notes: I won't describe the whole nice guy scene between Lee and Gai because quite frankly, if I did, I won't stop laughing…but it was fun either way.)

----------

(How could I have lost to someone that lame?!?!)

Sasuke thought, while Sakura tried not to barf out, while Naruto tried not to laugh out loud at the whole thing, while Holy Talon looked on, and if it had a human form, there would have been a sweat-drop there.

(("I've seen plenty of strange sights since my creation…but this one certainly is a new one I doubt I'll be forgetting anytime soon."))

Naruto then spoke.

"I know this sounds weird, but it is kind of endearing in a way when…they're doing that sort of thing."

Sakura didn't like that and replied.

"Naruto-kun, you can't be serious!!! Those two are totally beyond weird!!!"

As Lee and Gai began to leave, Naruto called them out.

"Hey, hold on a minute, you can't just leave whenever you like."

Sakura also recovered and recalled that the Chuunin Exams were going to start very soon. And they have wasted a lot of time.

"That's correct, what about the Chuunin Exams? You can't just go out, there's no time for fooling about here."

Gai turned and realized Sakura's point.

"Actually you are right, Lee, it seems that you've not only disobeyed the rule of no fighting, but you've also disrupted the Chuunin exams as well, and considering that, I believe that merits a slightly harsher punishment for you, am I correct?"

Lee saluted Gai and naturally replied.

"Yes sir."

Gai once more went into a pose and gave his new punishment for his student.

"How about we make it about 500 hundred laps? How does that sound?"

"Outstanding sir."

Naruto was about laugh once more, while Holy Talon was also laughing, while Sasuke and Sakura couldn't believe the two before them, and Sakura summed up their thoughts on Gai and Lee in one phrase.

"They're insane."

(They might be…but they definitely know how to crack me up!)

((" I couldn't agree more Master Naruto."))

Gain then directed his attention to the three before them and quickly guessed who they were, namely since they were the only team to pass the hard test of a certain rival of his.

(So this is Kakashi's squad eh? They do have some talent, I think I should go and test them a bit.)

Sakura saw that and she panicked as Gai was staring at them.

"Oh no! he's staring at us!"

"So tell me, how is Kakashi doing lately?"

"You know our Jonin sensei?"

Sasuke asked as he looked at the two before them.

"Do I KNOW Kakashi? Well, you three could say…that you're sensei and I are arch rivals for all eternity."

"No way!!!"

"That's no lie! If Gai-sensei says something true then…"

"That's all right Lee, a ninja's actions speaks far more than words or hours of dialogue."

Naruto and Sasuke looked carefully, then noted something, both of them were surprised that Gai was no longer standing next to lee…but was now right behind them.

"My current record is 50 wins and 49 losses, which as you can see is one point higher than his."

Sasuke and Sakura were stunned at that as they faced the Jonin, while Naruto was certainly impressed at this discovery, not to mention the speed and power Gai showed in a flash.

(Wow, he's even faster than Lee himself.)

(("That would make sense Master Naruto…Gai must train Lee personally since they wear the same clothes and almost look the same, so it would make sense that Gai is stronger and faster than Lee himself. He does have the potential to match up with you're sensei."))

"The fact of the matter is, on a stand point I am faster and stronger than Kakashi."

Gai said with the usual shining glint on the tooth expression, which made Sasuke look at him in shock and ever growing anger.

(His speed is unnatural…he's definitely faster than Kakashi, is he even human?!)

Lee then added an even more difficult to swallow comment to the mix.

"Now do you see…Gai-sensei is the best there is."

Gai then looked at Sasuke and spoke to the Genin.

"I want to apologize for any trouble that Lee might have caused you and you're team, and I want you to look at me and accept my apology, not to mention looking at my manly features."

(He claims he's better than Kakashi…could all that talk be true?! Damn it!!! I don't think he's making that up for his ego!!!)

Gai smiled and then took out a kunai and tossed it at the toy pin wheel that held Lee's bandage tape, loosening it when it struck the pin wheel, as he spoke to his favored student.

"Lee, I believe you should accompany these fine young ninja to the class room where the Exams are going to start, right now."

"I understand Gai-sensei."

Lee then moved to re bandage his hand, and that was when Naruto noted the condition of his hands, and so did Holy Talon.

(("He seems to have the scars to prove his training under Gai Master Naruto…I've seen hands like that among some of my wielders and former Dragon Champions in the past, those are the marks of a person with dedication and conviction."))

Naruto agreed with that as well as he could see that Lee indeed worked his butt off to be that skilled in Taijutsu alone.

"Remember to give it you're best! Lee, I will see you soon!"

"Yes sir!"

With that, both Gai and the turtle vanished and Lee had finished re-taping his hands, the Genin then spoke to Sasuke who quickly turned and looked at him.

"Hey Sasuke…I have to confess that I was not totally honest with you, There is truth to what I had said before that I wanted to test my skills, but you are not the one I truly wanted to test my skills against, I lied to you in the fight as well… I said before that I am one of the top Genin in Konoha, but there is in truth another, and he is on my team."

Naruto however, already had a good idea on just who Lee was referring to since he knew of only one guy on Lee's team.

(He must be referring to that guy who's a Hyuga then.)

"I came here to finally defeat him, you were merely practice, but now you are a target, the next time you and I meet, it will be in a fight to the finish and I will crush you…you have been warned."

With that, lee leaped up and flipped to the balcony while Sasuke fumed at his loss at the hands of Rock Lee, while Sakura and Naruto looked on. Sasuke faced away and tightened his grip and his teeth at the memory and what Lee had told him. Sakura turned and was very worried about Sasuke.

"Sasuke-kun…"

Naruto then looked at this team-mate and replied.

"I did warn you not to take that guy lightly Sasuke, now look what happened to you, I guess you still have a lot to master."

"Naruto-kun, stop saying that stuff, you'll just make it worse."

"Shut up dobe!! The next time I face him, I'll be driving him into the ground and on his knees!"

"Really? Who just got his rear end handed back to him?"

"Naruto-kun! Please stop it right now!"

Sasuke then gave Naruto a death glare, but Naruto was far from intimidated and replied.

"Listen, that guy knows a weakness in your Sharingan, and he knows HOW to use it. Until you find a way to counter that same trick he mastered, there's no chance of beating him easily… besides, you didn't notice the state of his hands when he took off the tape?"

Sasuke then recalled that like Naruto…he too noted the condition of Lee's hands before the Genin put back on the tape and he was silent for a moment, which allowed Naruto to speak further to him about what he observed.

"Those are the hands of a guy who no doubt trains his ass off until he can't walk the next day, and does it all over again when he CAN walk the next day. I'll bet Lee's been working so hard day in and day out to be that skilled in Taijutsu, he trains a lot harder than you have and that gives him an edge."

Sasuke looked away and had to admit that Naruto did have a good point, but the blonde then replied.

"But look at it this way…it proves that we're having some serious competition in these exams, it won't be much of a challenge if we fight lower level foes all the way to the finals right? Lee's just shown to us that there's some serious talent here to face and if there's talent like him here in our own village, then who knows about the other villages too? It'll certainly give us all the more reason to push ourselves to the limit and then some. And if we win against them…then that tells us we're getting stronger, am I right?"

Sasuke looked at Naruto and for a second he looked at Naruto and considered his words…and to Sakura's relief and pleasant surprise…Sasuke smiled.

"You're absolutely right Naruto…it won't be a real test if we fought lower level opponents all the way to the end. This Chuunin Exam is definitely worth being in."

Naruto grinned and Sakura smiled at that.

"Right."

"All right then, let's go, we don't want to be late for the registration!"

With that, all three of them made their way to the room…unaware of the fact that there was someone watching them. And this stranger had his eyes on team 7, namely on Sasuke…and Holy Talon.

(So…that's Holy Talon? And there's Sasuke…I can't believe the beauty of this…all the eggs in one basket…this will be fun.)

----------

Later…

Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke arrived on the real third floor and were already on their way to the main room when they spotted their Jonin-sensei before them, leaning on the door.

Kakashi smiled a bit to himself as he spotted his Genin team and looked them over, not to mention he approved of Naruto's new look and also the presence of Sakura herself, he knew that things hinged on all of them to be as a team.

"Well, I'm happy that all three of you are here, namely you most of all Sakura, for your sake and that of both Naruto and Sasuke."

"Huh, what do you mean by that Kakashi-sensei?"

Sakura asked as she was very much confused by what Kakashi had said to her just now, she had made this decision to stand by her team-mates on her own. That also got the attention of both Sasuke and Naruto as they also wondered just what was going on here.

"Now you three can formally be allowed to participate in the Chuunin Exams."

"Why do you say that Kakashi-sensei?"

"Because in truth Sakura, only Genin teams of three can apply to take the Chuunin exams can be allowed to participate in the Chuunin Exams, that's a formal rule that is very much enforced and no one Genin is allowed to take the Chuunin exams without a team with them."

"But sensei, you said that joining the Chuunin Exams was a personal, individual decision,"

"That is correct, I did say that."

"Then was what you said was a lie Kakashi-sensei?"

"Not entirely Sakura…more like a test. You see, it IS a personal decision to take the Chuunin Exams, but that decision can affect the lives of your team-mates, in the same fashion as one decision can determine the outcome of a mission and the lives of you're team-mates. I didn't tell you that, or Sasuke, or Naruto, because I didn't want them to pressure you into joining them. And at the very same time, I didn't want you to feel obligated to join because of whatever feelings you might have concerning either Sasuke or Naruto. I wanted you to decide for YOURSELF if you wanted to take the Chuunin Exams of your own free will."

"I see, so you mean that if Sasuke-kun, and Naruto-kun came but I didn't join them…then they would."

"I would not have allowed them to enter this room and take the Chuunin Exams, if you had not arrived with them of you're free will, then it would have been the end of the road for all three of you…but that is now a moot point."

Kakashi then spoke with a proud voice and his Genin team could sense that and they were also in high spirits.

"You're all here for the right reasons…"

"…Sakura."

Sakura blushed a bit and smiled at the pride and respect being given to her by their Jonin mentor.

"…Naruto."

Naruto grinned widely in anticipation.

"…and Sasuke."

Sasuke smiled as well, ready to test himself in the fights to come.

Kakashi then smiled at all three of them and made his pride known to them.

"I'm very proud of you all, I couldn't have asked for a better team under my command. Good luck and do well."

With that, Kakashi stepped aside as Sasuke and Sakura were the first to reach for the doors and open them, while Naruto replied with a smile to his Jonin sensei.

"We won't disappoint you sensei, believe it!"

As soon as the three of them opened the doors and went inside, Kakashi sighed and looked outside to the windows to view all of Konoha.

Inside the room Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura were treated to a sight none of them were prepared for…as they were looking at a veritable sea of ninja teams from different villages.

"Whoa…this is unexpected."

"I…I guess we're not the only ones here then."

Naruto and Sakura commented while Sasuke merely looked on as they found themselves suddenly being looked at by so many ninja, who ranged from either late teens to adults and all of them were not giving off a friendly aura in the least as they all glared at the three of them.

(I had no idea there was so much competition here…if being scary looking was part of the tests, these guys have me beat clean to the floor.)

Sakura thought to herself as she gulped a bit at the glares she was getting really unnerved her. Naruto and Sasuke on the other hand were really psyched up for this. However it was also then that six figures were now heading towards them.

The three groups were also in threes and appeared to be around their own respective ages. One appeared to be a blonde teen Kunoichi with bandage wrappings on certain parts of her body, and she even had the same fore-arm cloth bracers that Sasuke also had, she had her hair in a long tail with a shorter tail on the right side of her face and she had a lighter shade of blue in her eyes as well. She wore a skirt and blouse style ensemble which was in purple. And had an earring on the left ear

The other wore a vest style outer shirt with dark olive green lining, and he had a Konoha forehead protector headband on his left arm, he also had a body suit of fishnet style mesh clothing and wore long pants. Plus his hair was done in a upper facing tail, and he had an earring on both ears as well.

The other one was fat beyond most words and amazingly enough, had his hands on a bag of chips and was munching away like there was no tomorrow, he too wore a long outer shirt in dark green color, and had a long scarf wrapped around his neck with the ends on either side of him and he had long bandage tape on his arms as Rock Lee did, his forehead protector was different as his head was covered except for two parts that were on either side and he had swirl like tattoos on his face as well.

The other three came in and in the lead was a boy with canine like eyes and had two marks in his cheeks shaped like fangs of some sort. He wore something of a trench coat and had a hood with fur lining it and also the sleeves as well on the ends. He wore dark brown pants and amazingly enough, there was a while puppy riding on the top of his head, and the guy didn't seem to complain in the slightest having the puppy on his head.

The other one was a boy with a really messy pile of hair on his head and he seemed to wear a pair of really dark shades and had a coat with a high buttoned up collar that covered the lower half of his face, along with a pair of black trousers.

The last one was young girl with dark blue-black hair which was short, with two long tails on the side of her head and her own Konoha forehead protector around her neck, she had a face that would be described as very cute and she had the same silver eyes as the one Hyuga that Naruto and his team had met before, she had a large jacket with flame symbols on the arms and her jacket had fur lining on the bottom on the jacket. The moment Naruto looked at the girl, she blushed bright red and looked away even though she walked with the other two towards them.

Naruto knew all of them very well…after all they were his classmates.

(("Who are they all Master Naruto? From what I can sense, you seem quite familiar with them."))

(They are my old classmates in my Academy days, we didn't exactly see eye to eye on some issues, but as far as things go…they weren't too bad.)

(("Really? Since you knew them before I have, care for doing some introductions on them?"))

(All right…the first one is the one who's walking towards us with the lazy expression is Shikamaru Nara, laziest guy in the whole Academy and complains a lot, never does anything about it since all he says that it's either troublesome, or a waste of time…the guy with the bag of chips is Chouji Akamichi, or rather the Eating Machine as I like to call him, I can't recall a single time I've ever seen NOT eating, and he eats anywhere. The girl in purple's Ino Yamanaka, she's a rival for Sasuke's affections like Sakura-chan, she's nice looking, but can be annoying at times, though not that much.)

(("And the other three?"))

(The silver eyed girl's the one I know is a Hyuga, her name's Hinata, she's an okay girl and thankfully isn't after Sasuke, but I can't understand why she acts all shy and embarrassed when I look at her, it kind of feels a bit weird, but all and all, she's nice and seems to care a great deal for her comrades and works hard in the Academy, though I never got to really know her since she was assigned with another team, and those two guys with her are her team-mates. The one with the dog on his head is Kiba Inuzuka, and the puppy is his pet Akamaru, he's a lot more annoying than Ino since he's always thinking he's cool and all. The other one with the shades is Shino Aburame…I have to admit that I know next to nothing about him.)

(("I see…well, it looks like it's time for you to make the move, since all of them are looking at you."))

"Hey Sasuke-kun! You've made it! And who's the guy with you? I thought you guys had Naruto with you, the new guy's different, and did you get a replacement team-mate?"

Ino asked as she looked at her crush Sasuke but had her attention torn between Sasuke and the tall blonde ninja with the sword on his back and the wicked looking outfit, along with the strange tattoo of some beast on his arm. The guy was tall and as she looked more closely, she saw the deep blue eyes with what appeared to be silver lining and the long golden hair with slight silver high lights, his face was smooth, masculine and even though he had those whisker marks on his face, they didn't detract his appearance, rather they made him more…primal in a male sort of way and he gave a warm, calming, and strong aura, and his clothes seemed to hug his frame a bit and she could see the muscles that he had…and she could help but blush slightly as she continued to study him. He looked so…powerful…but there seemed to be something familiar about him.

(That guy's hot! And as much as I don't want to say it…he's more attractive than Sasuke-kun…but why does he look familiar to me for some reason, I don't recall meeting such a hottie like him before.)

She wasn't the only one who was looking at Naruto as Hinata herself was blushing bright red as she studied the blonde ninja, but despite the new guy's handsome looks, she was not going to give up her deep crush on Naruto. But she couldn't help but note that the new stranger did seem familiar.

"Yeah, as I recall, that pipsqueak was assigned to you guys, and I don't recall hearing that you had a replacement."

"It's a shame too, I'm going to like seeing if Naruto has improved at all, of course, he can't still beat me in a fight. I've been training for quite a while now and I can beat him easily."

Naruto was shaking his head and decided to finally drop the bomb hard on his former classmates and fellow Rookies as he stepped forward and grinned at both Shikamaru and Kiba.

"You guys haven't changed a bit have you? You're still complaining as much as ever Shikamaru, you're still spouting you're mouth Kiba, you're still stuffing you're mouth Chouji, lay off with the food once in a while, you're still looking pretty Ino, Shino's as silent and mysterious as ever, and Hinata's still the same I guess."

Kiba looked at Naruto and gave a growl like a dog and Akamaru was barking as ever and while Naruto had no clue as to what the puppy was saying, he could tell that the puppy was pissed.

"You've got some guts new guy…who the heck are you?"

Naruto smiled once more and replied.

"Take a good long look Kiba, and think it over, who's the only guy in you're Academy days that likes the color orange, has whisker marks on his face, loves eating ramen, being late in classes and giving Iruka-sensei headaches, and I used a jutsu to turn into a woman to make him bleed and fall to the ground, and I promised to be Hokage someday? NOW do you know who I am?"

The other Rookies looked on in shock as it dawned into them, Kiba's eyes widened and Akamaru stopped barking, Shikamaru looked on with wide eyes, Ino looked on in shock, Chouji stopped eating for a second, even Shino was surprised though no one was sure about that…and Hinata blushed bright red as she realized just what that meant as she looked at Naruto's new features. It was Kiba who broke the ice…

"No way…no damn way…is that you Naruto?!"

Naruto laughed and nodded.

"Now you've gotten it Kiba, I hope you're not all talk about your training, cause when you and I fight, I'm going to really put those words of yours to the test, so put you're money where you're mouth is."

Hinata looked at Naruto and she felt her heart beat even faster as she looked at Naruto's features and saw just how handsome he was right now, she recalled that he was nice looking in her eyes back then…but now he was devastatingly handsome. His hair was golden in the light and the silver high lights in his hair seemed to add even more detail to his golden hair, his face was now devoid of the baby fat and seemed to be very well defined, almost like a sculptor had made his face into perfection, she noted slight silver in his eyes and instead of clashing with the sky blue of his eyes, they melded perfectly with one another. She looked and noted that he was taller now and from the way the clothes he had, namely his muscle shirt, he was certainly more muscular than the last time she had seen him, the clothes made him look so…handsome. The Hyuga girl then blushed deep red as she began to have VERY impure thoughts about her and Naruto being alone together. And she quickly felt her body heat up along with her face as Naruto turned and looked at her once more. She felt all the heat and blood in her body go to three places, one to her face, the other her heart, and the other…to the spot between her legs.

(Oh my…please stop thinking those things…but N…N…Naruto-kun looks so…delicious….Ahhh! Did I just think that?! I feel like I'm going to faint…he looks so strong…I wonder if those muscles are…no! I mustn't think those things! It's not proper!!! What would Naruto-kun say if he found out I'm thinking such things?!)

Ino likewise was stunned as she recalled how Naruto looked like when she had last seen him, and compared it to Naruto as he was now and she was still trying to get used to it. She had no idea that Naruto who she considered to be a louse and a loud-mouth had somehow changed over-night into this godlike hunk of a teen…and as much as she tried to hide it…she once more began to look Naruto over. And when she was done she also felt her heart beat grow faster as she began to have very impure thoughts herself, those thoughts involved…well, let's just say that some of those thoughts included positions that would have been considered as…perverted?

(Wow…who knew he'd be this good looking…wait a minute! Why am I saying such things?! This is Naruto! No matter how hot and hunky he looks, he's still a loudmouth and an idiot! But I can't help but look at him…he looks so…tasty… and those muscles….I wonder if they are as hard as they…Ahhh! What the heck am I saying?!?!)

Sakura noted the looked both Ino and Hinata were giving Naruto and she was getting even more annoyed, she could understand how Hinata felt, since the Hyuga girl did have a king sized crush on Naruto…which she no doubt was now amplified by Naruto's changes over-night. But Ino looking at Naruto in the same way she and her would look at Sasuke? This was certainly unexpected to say the least. Who would have thought her rival would now be looking at Naruto like a wolf looking at a meal? And for some reason, the facts there made her feel VERY uneasy as she saw them looking at Naruto who seemed to be keeping his cool the whole time.

Shikamaru then spoke.

"You can't be Naruto, are you just some Jonin who's using a Henge?"

Naruto smiled at his classmate and replied.

"Why don't you guys try using the Release Jutsu and find out?"

The lazy Genin did so, and so did Kiba and when they used the jutsu, they had expected Naruto to be revealed, or the Jonin that they both suspected was taking up this form…but to their shock, the situation didn't change in the least, Naruto was still there…with the same looks and then Akamaru barked at his master and Kiba listened and sighed a bit.

"He's Naruto all right, Akamaru's gotten his scent. Now the big question in my mind is what happened to you?"

"It's kind of a long, very long story, but I'm not telling anyone right now."

"Hey you guys!"

All nine Rookies turned and spotted another Genin who appeared to be a few years older than they were, he had silver hair and glasses on him. He had long fingerless gloves that reached his elbows, had an outer vest of purple, a long sash on the waist, purple pants and had a white undershirt on him.

"You guys really shouldn't be making a spectacle of yourselves, I mean no offense by that since you are no doubt the Nine Rookies, fresh out of the Academy right? Here's some advice, just cool it for now, this isn't exactly a class field trip."

"Well we didn't ask for an opinion! Just who are you then?"

Ino asked as she was a bit angry at this new-comer butting into the conversation like it was normal for him to do so.

"The name's Kabuto Yakushi, but I guess you should look about yourselves…you've made quite the impression on the others here."

The Genin looked about and found themselves being looked at by all the other people in the room, many of the older Genin were very, very serious looking and they were not in the best of moods as they looked at Naruto and the rest of his comrades, both in his team and the other teams as well, three other ninja also looked at them as well with very serious looks at them.

"You see those three? They're from the Hidden Rain Village and they are very touchy right now. Rub them the wrong way and you're asking for it. In fact, everyone here in the room, all of them are all tense, the Chuunin exams is a serious deal to everyone here and they are not in the mood for games."

The nine Genin then looked at Kabuto as he gave them a whimsical expression. However Holy Talon was far from fooled, the sentient living sword sensed something…different about this Kabuto and decided that while he was around, it was going to keep an eye on him. For now, the man was not a direct threat to it's wielder or his comrades, so for now, the wary sword kept it's peace.

"Well, I can't blame you guys, you are Rookies after all, so how can you all know just how things work here in the Chuunin Exams? You all remind me of myself when I was a first timer in the Chuunin Exams."

Sakura then looked at Kabuto and asked him something.

"So you're name is Kabuto, right?"

"That's correct."

"So this isn't you're first time taking the Chuunin Exams?"

"No, to tell you the truth, this is my seventh time to take the Chuunin Exams."

Shikamaru was somewhat surprised at that announcement and so were the rest of the Genin.

"Well, the Chuunin Exams are held at least twice a year and that means it'll be my fourth year taking the Chuunin Exams."

"Wow, so you're a veteran then."

"You might say that, yes."

"Cool, then maybe you can help us with some inside information here."

Naruto said with a smile.

Shikamaru snorted a bit.

"Some veteran he is, he hasn't even passed the Exams."

Kabuto gave a sheepish expression and scratched the back of his head with his right hand.

"Well, they do say seventh time's the charm right?"

"So the rumors about the Exams being hard are all true huh? Man this is going to be a drag."

Naruto looked at Shikamaru and replied.

"Don't be so darn negative Shikamaru, we haven't even tried it ourselves yet."

Kabuto replied as he took out a large deck of cards and showed them to the nine of them, and he spoke to the group with a calm and relaxed voice.

"Actually, I can tell you about things I've learned in the Chuunin Exams for the past four years and the times I have taken it, so I wasn't completely wasting my time while I was here you know. These are my special information cards."

"Information cards?"

"Yes, I made them personally, there are at least 200 of them and while they may not look like much, they are quite helpful in many ways…here, let me show you one of them."

Kabuto placed the deck down and took one of the cards and placed it face down and then placed one of his fingers on it and began to rotate it.

"What are you doing/'

"I'm charging it up with my chakra, the cards are blank for a reason, only the right application of chakra can make them reveal their contents, plus only MY chakra can do it since the cards have a security chakra system in them, you don't want to go through all the trouble of gathering information and placing them in these cards to have them read by potential enemies now do you?"

The group watched as Kabuto completed the action and revealed the information in the shape of a map with special numbers and graph symbols.

"Wow! Those cards are good, is that a map?"

Ino asked as she looked at the card that was at first blank and with a poof of smoke was now filled with information.

"That's right, this is no ordinary map though, this map contains all the currently participating Hidden Villages and their Genin Squads who are currently here taking the Chuunin exams, and as you can see, the number of Genin they send here happens to be pretty big. Now the reason why the Chuunin Exams are hosted here is to foster brotherhood and equality among the ninja nations…of course that's true, at least in a certain point of view."

"What do you mean by that?"

Naruto asked, a bit curious about what exactly Kabuto meant about the fostering of brotherhood to be true at a certain point only.

"Well, the other reason is the maintenance of the balance of power, you see if there is no way to help maintain the number of ninja a particular country has, then there is a big chance that one country might wind up with more ninja than the other nations and it might be tempted to go to open war with the others, it's happened before. That's why the Chuunin Exams are needed to maintain the status quo…I'll admit that it's a bit harsh, but it's the only way at times to prevent over aggression. There are at least six villages so far taking the Exams, of course, being the host for this year's Exams, we have a large number of Genin, including you nine freshmen, there are those from the Village of the Hidden Sand, our current allies, there are also those from the village of Grass, Waterfall. Rain, and Sound."

Kabuto then put the card back into it's blank state and placed it back in the deck and showed the rest of them.

"I've also taken the liberty of gathering information on all the contestants here in the Exams, including you guys, naturally, I can't be sure that all the information is entirely accurate but the data here is all from reliable sources I happen to know of."

Sasuke then stepped forward, intent on finding out some information of his own and since Kabuto had the cards, who better to ask then him.

"Do you have the cards on two guys I want to know about?"

"I might, but you'll need to give me some specifics, a name, appearance, anything, and I'll see if I can get you the information you need."

"I need to know about Rock lee from Konoha, and Gaara of the Dessert from Sand."

"Hmm…well, that wasn't very thrilling to say the least, you know their names already so they should be easy to find..."

Kabuto made some quick moves and in a few moments, acquired at least two cards and showed them to Sasuke.

"And here they are, who do you want to know of first though?"

"Rock Lee."

Kabuto repeated the gesture that he used to show the first card and sure enough the card revealed the information on Rock Lee himself, along with a chart to show his abilities and the number of missions he had undertaken in his career. Kabuto then spoke the information that he had been able to gather on the one that had beaten Sasuke as the Uchiha clan member.

"Rock Lee is a Genin from Konoha and is a year older than you, his squad members include Tenten and Neji Hyuga, and their Jonin squad leader is Maito Gai. His skills in Taijutsu are unlike most Genin his age, second only to Gai, but his other skills, namely Genjutsu and Ninjutsu are shaky at best. He gained quite a bit of attention in his graduation from the Academy is being the only graduate of the Academy through Taijutsu alone, but he didn't participate in the Chuunin Exams that year, so while he's older than you by a year, it'll be his first time to take the Exams like the rest of you."

"And Gaara of the Desert?"

Kabuto placed away Rock Lee's card after re-sealing it and then repeated the very same procedure on the next card that held Gaara's information. In a moment, the card was covered in white smoke and then Gaara's information came out, along with the pictures of his brother and sister, Kankurou and Temari, curiously enough, their Jonin squad leader's picture was not present.

"Gaara's actually more of a mystery, not much is known about him, except that he is very moody, violent, and has a killer's streak in him, and he's very dangerous to engage in a fight, but get this, he's been in a B-rank mission…but never got a single wound in combat…the ones he took out on the other hand…well, I'll just say that what happened to them when Gaara dealt with them in the fight is best not described on a full stomach."

Shikamaru gulped at that little announcement.

"The guy took a B-rank mission…and didn't even suffer a scratch?!"

Naruto would have reacted to the news, but he kept his focus on the matter as he already sensed a lot from Gaara when they first met, not to mention Holy Talon told him about the source of evil it felt that was buried in Gaara's body.

"I see…"

"Well, that's about it right now, as far as I can gather on those two, there may be some missing details, but as far as I can see, the data on the cards on those two are the most recent I have."

Kabuto then directed his attention to the rest of the Genin from the various villages, and he looked at the only band of ninja that was a bit out of his own data cards.

"What about the newest villages?"

Kabuto pushed back up his glasses and replied.

"Leaf, which is our village has the highest number of ninja participants, while the second is Sand, and then followed Rock, Waterfall, and Grass, the smallest number is the village of Hidden Sound."

"Sound? I've never heard of them before."

"You're correct on that regard, they have sent only a small Genin squad, and there's little that's known about them, what is known is that they're a new village that is located somewhere in Rice Country, though being new to the Chuunin Exams, no one knows just how skilled they are since this will be their first time in the Chuunin Exams. But the villages mentioned have already sent quite a number of highly skilled teams this time on this Exam."

"It seems that way…it's almost enough to make one lose confidence."

Hinata blurted out as she understood just what Kabuto was talking about. Ino naturally was not in the mood for it as she turned and spoke to Hinata.

"Now's a really fine time for you to talk like that!"

Hinata sighed and Sakura brought that discussion to a close with a question directed to Kabuto.

"Do you think it's really going to be tough this time around?"

"Oh yes, in my four years being here in the Chuunin Exams, I can tell you honestly that I've never seen a batch with this much potential in years."

Kabuto then spoke solemnly.

"You guys will need to keep a very low profile since if you try something, they will all certainly be VERY angry to say the least…they all are strong foes, so saying something to piss them off is not advisable."

Naruto thought about it and Sasuke and Sakura wondered if Naruto's silence meant that he was getting frightened by all that he had been told by Kabuto, Kabuto himself noted that and wondered if the blonde Konoha Genin with the sword on his back would be frightened by the information he had been handing him and his classmates.

"Naruto-kun…"

(Is he getting scared by all this? Maybe I should talk to him. I mean, it's okay to be scared and all, those guys are older and more experienced than us since we're rookies…)

(Don't tell me the dobe's going to choke on this…please tell me he isn't going to quit here and now…after all we had to deal with to get here.)

Neither of them had to worry as Naruto laughed out loud and then looked right at all of the other teams and pointed right at all of them with a challenging glare.

"All right you guys! Listen up, I am Naruto Uzumaki and I am going to beat the tar out of every last one of you, so bring it on and show me just how tough you all really are! Believe it!"

And with that, Naruto reached behind him and took out Holy Talon and with a light stomp, thrust his sword deep into the ground and sent a slight shockwave into the room, making his point a little bit more pronounced than usual.

Behind the door, Kakashi was smiling all the while and laughing to himself.

(I guess I don't have to worry too much, Naruto might not have enough wits to be scared like the others, but he's certainly got bravery in basket-loads…this is actually going to be fun.)

Sasuke and Kabuto were smirking a bit at Naruto's statement.

(Hah…the dobe's really on fire now…I guess I was worried for nothing. No matter how many odds you put before him, he's not backing down from any of them, this Exams' are going to be fun.)

(Interesting, this blonde guy certainly has got guts by the basket loads if he's saying that, not to mention…that sword, it's got a very strong energy to it as well, this year's going to be fun.)

The other Rookie Genin were stunned at Naruto's words to the rest of the other teams, and Sakura was shocked, but then again, she recalled that with the Holy Talon with him and the still undiscovered powers inside the sword, Naruto was very much confident in himself at this point and time. Ino was shocked though a bit awed that Naruto was going all out, and so was Hinata as she admired Naruto's bravery…while the others, even Shino wondered if Naruto was either acting brave, or losing his mind.

The rest of the Genin were NOT happy and quite a number of them itching for a chance to give Naruto a serious lesson to keep his trap shut. In one of the groups were the Sand Siblings, Gaara watched with a slight smirk, while Kankurou growled a bit.

"That's the same guy as before who had that sword on me."

Temari nodded as she looked at Naruto with a smile and slight blush.

"He's really got guts to be saying that…I like that."

In another side of the whole room was Konoha Genin Team 10, Tenten, Lee, and Neji were looking on as the atmosphere in the room became darker after Naruto spoke. Tenten sighed a bit and smirked a little as she recalled just what Naruto said.

"That guy's something else."

"He's certainly got spirit."

Neji replied as he studied Naruto. Lee interjected as well.

"He's got fire and passion."

"I guess he's going to be quite the handful isn't he?"

One group of Genin however had other ideas.

"Did you hear what that one said about our village of the Hidden Sound? He called us little, a mystery."

Zaku said with a glare at Kabuto

"I heard."

Dosu replied as the only female in their group, the one named Kin spoke as well.

"I think we need to teach this guy a lesson."

"I think so as well, remove some of the mystery about Sound, help up his information for him and let him know that if he insults the Sound Shinobi, he's going to have to be ready for the consequences!"

The other Genin in the Rookies looked at Naruto who then took back Holy Talon and then tossed it into the air, and as it flipped and then landed blade down, Naruto leaned to the left a bit to show the sheath and the blade slid right into it without cutting him in the slightest. Kiba and Shikamaru then spoke to Naruto.

"I didn't hear that, maybe you should say that again, and a little louder this time."

"Have you lost what's left of you're sanity Naruto?! You want everyone else in this room to hate our guts or what?!"

At that same moment, the Sound Genin made their move as they dashed towards Kabuto, the senior Genin heard the movements but was unsure where they were coming from. The Sand Siblings however heard them and Kankurou was about to unleash his puppet from his back, but Gaara stopped him, Kankurou wondered what Gaara was thinking but decided to follow his youngest brother's command and stepped back.

Naruto was being told by the others to be more careful with his words, but Holy Talon suddenly spoke urgently to Naruto.

(("Master Naruto! We have incoming threats! Three attackers closing in on Kabuto and they are serious ones!!!))

Naruto reacted quickly, just as Zaku leaped over a desk and Kabuto spotted him. The Sound Genin then tossed a pair of Kunai at Kabuto, forcing the Genin backwards, but Naruto was already there, using the enhanced speed he gained and with Holy Talon in hand, sliced the kunai in mid flight. He then sensed Dosu who ignored him and went straight for Kabuto who was just getting his bearings.

Naruto then recalled a sword skill that Holy Talon had taught him and he used it as he cocked the sword back and slashed outward…sending a powerful blade of glowing chakra flying out of the sword and it was aimed right at Dosu's back.

"DRAGON CLAW!!!"

Dosu sensed the attack and looked in surprise as he was forced to stop his assault on Kabuto and leaped away as the chakra blade flew past him and suddenly dissipated before it would hit Kabuto, who was surprised himself as the energy faded before it could touch him. Naruto then leaped over Dosu and landed in front of Kabuto with Holy Talon in a defensive position with Holy Talon in both hands, near his head and aimed forward with the tip aiming right at the three Sound Genin. Naruto glared darkly at the three and allowed Holy Talon to glow in white flame, catching the eyes of everyone in the room. He then spoke, but there was something a bit different in his voice…almost like an animalistic growl.

"You've got some guts trying that."

Dosu looked at Naruto darkly and spoke, despite being surprised of what had just happened.

"This has nothing to do with you punk, the issue we have is with you're informant friend there."

Naruto growled…almost like a Dragon would as Sakura walked over to Kabuto and checked on him.

"You okay Kabuto?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

Kabuto then directed his attention to both Naruto and Holy Talon and studied them.

(He's got exceptional skill with that sword, and somehow he was able to command that chakra based attack like it was a part of him, yet there's something different about that sword…it's as if it's not…normal… this is interesting.)

The other Genin in the Rookie group were surprised indeed as they never saw that move before, though Sasuke was somewhat impressed, after all he had seen Naruto fight with the Holy talon before. The others thought that not only did Naruto physically change, but apparently he had trained in some new tricks as well.

Gaara nodded.

"That was interesting."

Kankurou nodded and despite his reluctance, he had to admit, the kid did surprisingly well.

"I agree…never saw that move before, that sword he's got is not ordinary."

Temari didn't say anything as she was blushing a bit at that.

Tenten was surprised and so were Lee and Neji. The brown haired Kunoichi had to admit that Naruto was certainly showing something interesting of himself right now.

"It seems he's not all looks and talk."

"I agree, he's got the moves as well."

Naruto glared at Dosu's words and naturally made his anger known to the Sound Genin.

"I don't give a damn about you're issues…you try that again and I'll make sure it's you're last mistake."

The Sound Genin glared, though Kin looked at Naruto more intensely than her team-mates, and amazingly enough, she licked her lips at the sight of Naruto in his combat form. Zaku then spoke to Kabuto.

"Consider yourself lucky this blonde dope's actually got some skills to save you're sorry butt, but write this down you're information cards…by the end of the Exams, the Village of the Hidden Sound Genin will be Chuunin by the time this is over."

Dosu then spoke to Naruto.

"And as for you…I'm going to make sure you learn the foolishness of sticking you're nose where it doesn't belong brat."

"And I'm going to make sure that if you try something like that on me…you're going to be six feet under-ground, pushing up flowers and grass, and acting as fertilizer when I'm done."

Naruto shot back…but before things could get really underway, a large cloud of smoke appeared in the room…and a booming voice was heard.

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"All right you bunch of baby faced degenerates!!!! The fun and games are over, so get to your seats and stay there before I personally staple you're butts on them!!!"

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The smoke cleared and out of the smoke were a large bunch of Chuunin and in the middle was a really tall and muscular man. The guy was dressed in a black trench coat along with the usual uniform of a Chuunin proctor, with heavy gloves with metal plates on them and he wore a forehead protector with the Leaf symbol on it in the form of a bandana.

He had several scars on his face that really made him looks scary, namely the one that ran from his left cheek to his lip… and his voice certainly didn't help matters as he spoke once more.

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"It's time to begin the Chuunin Exams, I am Ibiki Morino…your proctor for today…and also you're worst nightmare and enemy come to life."

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To be continued…

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Author's Notes:

That's done…took me a while since getting all the data right to squeeze in two episodes into one story was no easy feat. As you can see, Naruto's new looks are getting a good deal of attention, and his recent display of skill with Holy talon has gotten some attention with the other Genin in the room and also the Sound Genin.

Holy Talon is wary of Kabuto and it's planning to keep a close eye on him while he's around and for a good reason. For now Kabuto is in the clear where Holy talon is involved, and when things go to a head…well, the fire-works will be worth it.

The fight between Sasuke and Lee was good, and Naruto's interactions are different from last time, and it seems that while they will still be at each other's necks at times, I'm going to try and make Sasuke and Naruto work together more often than most.

I hope you like the reactions of Ino and Hinata to Naruto's new looks, and that will come to a head soon enough as Naruto will meet a certain Kunoichi soon enough!

Bye!


	6. The Chuunin Exam's first test

Naruto – The Twin Swords

Disclaimer: I am merely a simple guy with too much free time on his hands, as such, I don't own anything the least bit related to Naruto.

Chapter 5

The Chuunin Exam's first test

( ): Thoughts

((" ")): Holy Talon's voice

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'_In the times of ignorance, darkness clouded our vision, but a little wisdom gained, understood, and retained, can light even the darkest night and allowed us to see beyond the darkness. Treasure knowledge and wisdom, for they can be as strong as the strongest armor and weapon. And knowledge can be greater than any spell or army when used at the right place, the right time, and for the right occasion.'_

From the memoirs of a sage of Dagren

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Naruto looked towards the new arrivals and sighed as he could tell that now was not the time for him to get violent as he quickly sheathed Holy Talon in the sheath behind him. Just as Ibiki was done speaking with the rest of the classes, he then pointed a finger to the Sound Genin, and he was not in the best of moods as he spoke.

"You Genin from the Village from the Hidden Sound! What makes you think that you can just start fighting before the start of the Exams? You want to be failed out from the Exams before it's even started?"

Dosu spoke in his usual arrogant tone.

"Sorry, we're new here so we're kind of jumpy, sir."

Ibiki gave a snort and a slight glare and then directed his attention to the rest of the Genin teams, including Naruto.

"I'll only say this once so you all had better pay attention. There will be no combat between candidates, no attacking without the permission of you're proctor, and even if that happens, use of fatal force is forbidden! If you do break those rules while I'm here and you try to piss me off, not only will I physically throw you out of the Chuunin Exams, but I'll bar you and your team from ever being in it and taking the rank of Chuunin…do I make myself clear?!"

The other Genin got the message and all of them were ready, while one of the Sound Genin, Zaku replied smugly.

"No fatal force…that's no fun."

The rest of the Chuunin smirked and chuckled lightly as they

Naruto however didn't seem to notice as he waited for what sort of Exam was this first part of the Chuunin Exams were supposed to be. Ibiki was the one who started the whole thing as he spoke once more with full authority in his voice.

"Now that we've got that over and done with, it's time for the first stage of the Chuunin Exams to officially begin, submit you're paper-work and you will each be then given a number, the number then determines where you will be seating. Once you're seated, we will begin the written test portion of the Chuunin Exams."

That got Naruto's attention right off the bat.

"The what? Did he just say what I think he said?"

One of the Chuunin confirmed Naruto's worst fears as he was handling a large bundle of test papers, and the looks Naruto had on his face got the attention of both Sakura and Kabuto was Naruto looked like he was about to be stunned out of his mind.

Naruto slapped his forehead and groaned.

"Written Exams…I should have known that this was going to be part of the Chuunin exams. This is going to be trouble…for me anyway."

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Later…

The Chuunin all took seats around the walls of the room as the Genin were right in the middle. The Genin were naturally broken apart so there was no chance that they would be as a team when they took the test, and Naruto knew that for a fact as he sat then and looked at the Exam papers. The blonde ninja was not in the best of states as he looked at the exam papers.

(This is just great…I don't know where Sasuke, and Sakura-chan are sitting right now, this is not good, I'm all alone right now.)

In the back of Naruto at least a few rows back, Sakura watched her team-mate, and truth be told…she was getting a bit worried. She normally would have snickered or laughed at Naruto since she knew for a fact that written exams were not his strong point, but not today, she was concerned on what might happen for her blonde team-mate.

(This is not good, Naruto didn't do very well in any written exams back in the Academy…well, I just hope that the Exams aren't too hard.)

Naruto placed his hands on the sides of his head and mused on what he should do right now, but it was then that he heard someone calling his name right next to him.

"Ummm…Naruto-kun?"

He turned and to his surprise, he found himself looking at none other than Hinata Hyuga, who was currently blushing bright red as she sat next to him, while he still had Holy Talon next to him. The Hyuga girl couldn't help but be thankful for her luck at sitting close to her crush…who had gone from cute in her eyes, to outright devastatingly handsome. Naruto recognized her quickly and smiled in greeting.

"Hi Hinata…wow, I didn't know you were seating here. Is something wrong?"

(Wow, she's good, I wasn't aware that she was right next to me.)

(("It's because you were worried about the written exams that you failed to notice her presence Master Naruto…she did acquire the next number that you did when she submitted her paper-work."))

(Maybe you're right…but she's good at avoiding my senses, I guess she's really worked hard on that since I last saw her.)

Hinata shock her head and smiled at her crush…while willing herself not to faint as she could see how much Naruto had changed, he was taller than her now and he seemed to be so…masculine. She reluctantly pushed those thoughts aside and spoke.

"N…No, I'm fine Naruto-kun…I…I wanted to say, good luck and everything."

Naruto smiled right back at her and replied.

"Good luck to you too Hinata."

(From the looks of things, I'm certainly going to need it.)

Ibiki then took out a piece of chalk and tapped the board with a slightly quick pace, grabbing the attention of everyone in the room.

"All right everyone, eyes front, before we being the exam, I want to make it clear to all of you that there are a few rules you all will need to hear…and no, I will not entertain any questions so shut it and listen up good the first time around."

Sakura and the other Genin were stunned by that and she was the first to think it over.

(No questions answered? What sort of rules does he have in mind?)

Ibiki then began to write on the board and as he did so, he also spoke out just what they had to get themselves ready for the moment he gave the order for the exams to finally take place.

"All right, rule number one is that this written exam is graded in a point reduction system, however, unlike what you're all used to, you all start with a perfect score of ten points, for every answer you get wrong you will lose one point, so if you fail to provide the correct answer to three question you're total score will be seven."

(So if I get all of it wrong, I don't get squat…that's a real mess.)

Naruto thought as he listened to what the proctor was telling them. However the next rule he was going to give out was really going to grab Naruto, and just about everyone else right in the guts and yank them the hard way.

"Rule number two…teams will either pass…or fail through the total scores of all team members so that means all of you have to give high marks in order to pass the exam."

That got the reaction of shock and anxiety from just about everyone in the room full of Genin as they all gasped in shock and realization on just what sort of a situation they had just been able to find themselves in, The team of Shikamaru, Chouji, and Ino were tense, the Sand Siblings, Gaara, Temari, and Kankurou kept their cool, Shino, Kiba, and Hinata were silent the whole time, while the Sound Genin Kin, Dosu, and Zaku were also calm as well. Sakura however was far from cool as she hit her head on the table and on her test paper and when she looked back up, she was livid with shock, unmindful of the bruise on her forehead.

"What the heck?! Are you saying we all get scored as a team?!"

"Silence!!! I have my reasons for the rules, so shut up and listen!"

(Reasons?)

"Now then…rule number three…the Chuunin sentinels you see that are around the room are there to watch you for any signs of cheating. And if they catch someone cheating, they deduct two points from the culprit's score."

"What?!"

"Huh?!"

Ibiki was enjoying this as he spoke once more to the Genin who he could see were already feeling the pressure.

"Be warned, their eyes are very sharp, once they catch you, you'll regret it… and on the off chance you get caught five times…then you're history and you will be dismissed from the Chuunin Exams before the scores are even tallied and recorded."

The Genin were really feeling the pressure and Sakura was not happy as she began to understand the situation they were in and how hopeless it sounded to her.

(Sheesh, the tests and rules are so hard, and there's so many ways to lose points here, how in the heck are we suppose to pass this test with that many rules?)

"Anyone foolish enough to be caught by the sentinels does not deserve to be a ninja, if you truly want to be Chuunin, then you will have to show us just what kind of exceptional ninja you can be and what you all really are."

"I've got my eyes on you all, so be ready." One of the Chuunin replied as he looked at the Genin daringly…making them gulp and be even more stressed out.

Sakura then placed her mind to work as she tried to figure out a solution.

(Okay, okay, calm down Sakura and relax….I know I'll do all right, and so will Sasuke-kun…but I'm more worried about Naruto-kun, wait, if me and Sasuke-kun do well enough we might survive this…even if Naruto gets a zero in the scores."

"Oh yes, there is one more thing I need to mention to all of you…if any candidate gets a zero…then the entire team he or she belongs to…fails instantly."

Ibiki said with a slight grin and a very dark and serious expression.

Sasuke was shocked by that announcement and Sakura was livid, while Naruto felt their glares directed right at him and the only thing he could do was once more shake his head and slap his forehead with his hand.

(Great…that's really adding the last nail on my coffin with a bang.)

(("He's a strict one all right."))

"Naruto-kun?"

Hinata asked, and she was very worried for Naruto as she knew that while she was good in academics as well, though not in the same caliber as Sakura, she was still very good at what she did when it involved academics, but Naruto was another matter and she was worried that he might not do well…she wanted to do something to help her long time crush….but what could her option be?

"The final question won't be given until fifteen minutes before the end of the testing period. Therefore you have only one hour to finish the full number of questions in you're exam paper."

And at exactly 3:30, Ibiki gave the go ahead for the exams to begin.

"Begin!"

The Genin wasted no time and began to make their moves on the Exam, Sakura too a deep breath to calm her nerves and thought it over.

(Ok, calm down Sakura…you can do this, this is where you can really show you're stuff…please Naruto-kun, just get one of the questions right.)

Sasuke shook his head mentally and gazed right at his blonde team-mate, and while he didn't want to show it, he was also worried about how Naruto was going to get out of this one.

(This is not good…all he's going is just sitting there, he might choke for real this time…I just hope that sword he's got, Holy Talon can get him out of the mess he's in or we're done for.)

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Sakura and Sasuke however didn't have to worry too much, as Holy Talon was not just a living weapon or a massive container of Dragon magic and essences. It was created with the knowledge of the Holy Dragons and their leader Faldren…who had lived for over 25,000 years and had taught countless Dragon Champions, and since it was under Naruto's command it was more than ready to aid it's wielder.

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(("Master Naruto…please let me see the questions."))

(Why, what do you plan to do?)

(("I intend to help you with this problem you have, all you have to do is to allow me to see the questions and decipher them for you and I will provide you with the needed answers to the questions."))

(Can you do that?)

(("Of course Master Naruto, all you need to do is to run you're right hand which has the Dragon Champion tattoo on it slowly, I will then read the questions slowly through you're hand using magic and decipher them, once I'm done, I will relay the answers to you."))

(But what if we get caught?)

(("You need not worry Master Naruto…as you might have guessed, no one but you can hear my voice due to you being my wielder, thus there is no way they can hear me giving you the answers. And I have gained quite a lot of knowledge over the many centuries of my existence, I am not just limited to combat techniques, sword styles, hand to hand moves, spells, and warfare, I carry knowledge on art, philosophy, literature, science, engineering, mathematics, geology, geography, magical incantations, medicine, tactics, social graces, economics, strategy, politics…and more. And since I resemble a sword, no one here would suspect that I am a living sword despite my unusual appearance. In this case…YOU have the advantage over all of them, with the exception of Sakura and Sasuke, as you're pink haired team-mate has the highest intelligence in you're team, and Sasuke can find his own way to answer the questions before him….namely with the Sharingan you mentioned that he has at his disposal"))

Naruto smiled at that and realized what that meant to him. The Holy Talon could translate the questions to it's own language and then tell him the answers to his questions, and the beauty of it was…he was not cheating officially. He was cheating in a way…but his way of cheating was totally unique since he was NOT cheating in the normal fashion that most ninja were known to do. No one could hear Holy Talon's voice but him and no one else knew that the sword was a living being, except himself and the Hokage, and that meant that none of the Chuunin sentinels would be able to see him cheat and better yet…be unable to hear the words the Holy Talon would say to him…it was o…brilliant he almost wanted to scream out for joy and brag about his advantage, but he knew better and kept his trap shut.

(Man…I'm really happy you're on my side Holy Talon.)

(("You need not thank me Master Naruto, it is my duty to serve you as my wielder and master."))

(Well, thanks anyway, how long will it take for you to come up with the answers?)

(("At least half an hour maximum since I will need to translate the questions to my language and then I will speak the answers to you in yours, once you are done with what the procedure requires, you can relax and take it easy for now."))

Naruto smiled warmly and then ran his right hand over the question paper and he watched as the tattoo glowed very faintly and he felt a slight rush of energy in his arm. As soon as he was done, Holy Talon told him that he can relax for the time being, but it then suggested that he act worried to further shield himself from any prying eyes.

Naruto did so and sure enough, he was able to act in such a way that almost no one suspected that he had an ally already giving him the answers he needed. He then looked about and decided to observe the happenings about him, while retaining the image of struggling his ass off and panicking under pressure.

Sasuke was dealing one problem that involved a precise analysis of how several key factors could affect a shuriken when thrown at a target in a tree…along with other factors, the Uchiha survivor had to admit that this was one exam that was really going to test his brain cells. Sakura on the other hand proved her intelligence as she scanned the problems carefully and managed to figure them out.

(These are all integrated problems based on uncertainty and require highly complex mechanical energy analysis…incredibly advanced stuff for an exam…there's no way Naruto can solve these things! He doesn't have a chance! In fact I'll bet that there's only a handful of Genin here apart from me who could even solve these without losing their minds through the problems.)

Sakura looked at the other problems while Naruto continued to act all freaked out but trying not to panic, which in truth came naturally since he knew that without Holy Talon's help, he would have been sunk long ago.

(Each problem just gets even harder as you complete the first, this is really hard stuff for anyone.)

Sasuke himself finally admitted that even he couldn't understand these problems.

(This is really getting interesting…I can't even begin to understand all these problems.)

Hinata looked at Naruto and she had to admit that she was deeply worried about how her long time crush was handling the pressure, unaware of the fact that it was only a ruse made by the blonde Genin to keep himself occupied and away from most scrutiny, until Holy Talon completed it's analysis of the questions. She wondered what she should do to help her crush out of her predicament, she knew how much Naruto wanted to be Hokage someday. And the idea of failing and being denied that chance must be hard for him.

(What should I do? I…I have to help Naruto-kun somehow…but what can I do for him?)

Sakura ran her hand in her hair and thought it over once more.

(These problems are real hard…I'm almost tempted to…no, that's a bad idea, if I get caught, that's really going to affect the others. But why all these rules…I don't get it…it's almost as if they want us to try and cheat to pass this exam. But why go through all the trouble of making rules against cheating when they are encouraging cheating in the first place? Unless…they WANT us to cheat on purpose without us getting caught by them.)

Sasuke himself found out about the hidden trick in the Exams as well as Sakura did. He had to admit that it was hard to figure out at first, but the test did have an ulterior motive for being this hard.

(The reason these problems get successively harder is the fact that the only way to pass IS to cheat, and that is to see how we gather intelligence under dire circumstances and this is a dire as things can get, not to mention the rules are not actually forbidding cheating, but encouraging it. This test was made this way in order for us to reveal our ability as ninja to gather information and use it, but without revealing anything to the ones observing us. I just hope that the others have figured it out already.)

Naruto looked on and then out of nowhere, he heard Hinata speak to him in a low voice, apparently in order not to be heard by the Chuunin sentinels.

"N-N-Naruto-kun…"

"Huh? What is it Hinata?"

"I…I…If…y…y-you w-w-want…you…you could…um…"

Hinata tried to speak but she was so nervous at this moment that she was once more stuttering as she looked lovingly at her handsome crush since her Academy days, she couldn't help herself as she looked at him and felt herself blushing once more, however she clamped down a bit on her emotions and focused on doing what she had in mind, as she slowly slid her exam paper closer to Naruto, hopefully without being seen. She had answered several problems already and she was assured of her correct answers to the questions, and she hoped that Naruto wouldn't mind.

"You…-y-y-you could…c-copy…from….me."

This got Naruto's attention as he couldn't believe that Hinata, one of the strangest, and somewhat weird, shy, and yet nice girl he knew was actually saying that she was all right with him copying her answers, he didn't expect this and he quickly began top suspect something was off with how Hinata was acting.

(This could be a trick…no, what the heck am I thinking?! This is Hinata here, she's too nice to actually go into tricking someone. Or maybe she was forced by Kiba and Shino…I wouldn't count them out for trying something like that.)

(("I do not think so Master Naruto…from what I can sense, Hinata's gestures are not forced or coerced…they are totally sincere and that means she's actually wanting to give you the answers that she has already completed."))

(Wait a minute…are you saying that Hinata's actually giving me the answers to the questions freely? But that's just weird…no offense meant, I mean I really like the gesture…but why would she do that?)

(("I believe it's because she cares about you, her aura tells me that she feels something for you and wants to help you in her own way, even if she might get into serious trouble, since if she is caught doing this, there is a chance that she will be barred from taking the Chuunin Exam and I doubt Kiba and Shino would like that. But she's willing to do that for you Master Naruto…though she seems to be really having a hard time focusing on it…considering the way she's stuttering and well…blushing."))

(Hinata's doing all this because she cares about me? I never knew that, but what does that mean, why would Hinata do all this for me? What would she like about me anyway?)

(("I'm not entirely sure why she likes you Master Naruto since I cannot fathom her reasons for that attitude she shows towards you…but I can assure you that Hinata has affections for you, if you really wish to know the reason, then you must ask her yourself. However, it would be best for you both to stop this, if she is caught then she will pay for it…and I doubt you'd like that Master Naruto. And there is the fact that if you are caught, then you're team mates will also be caught in the firing line."))

Holy Talon was right, Naruto thought about it and knew that to be true, while he appreciated Hinata's gestures and in normal situations, he would have taken this chance since he would have been very desperate at this point. But he didn't want Hinata to suffer all for his sake…he was still unsure as to why Hinata had feelings towards him but he would find out eventually, until then, he would have to tell her politely that he can't ask her to give up her chance to be a Chuunin for his own…he would have never wanted that. Along with that was the fact that if he was caught cheating, he would also involve both Sakura and Sasuke…and that further convinced him to turn that idea down.

"Hinata…"

"Y-Y-Yes N-N-Naruto-kun?"

"I thank you for the options…but I have to say no."

"B-Bu-but why?"

"I don't mean that I don't appreciate you helping me…in fact I am happy that you are doing that for me of all people. But I won't have you get caught by the sentinels and be kicked out of the Chuunin Exams because of me. You made it this far to be in the Exams Hinata, I won't have you lose it now."

Hinata looked a bit surprised at that and then Naruto smiled warmly at her…making her blush brightly as he spoke once more.

"Besides…I am a ninja Hinata, I am my own brand of ace ninja and I will make my way through this. You don't have to worry about me Hinata, go do what you're doing and I will be right with you. I can do this."

Hinata looked at him and saw the sincerity in her crush's eyes and his face, he was going to pull through and she felt her heart go out to her long time crush as she smiled warmly at him.

"All right then…good luck!"

Hinata then went to work on her test as Naruto spoke to Holy Talon.

(Did I do the right thing?)

(("You did well enough Master Naruto…she'll be fine and I am almost done with the questions, but it seems that my warning to you was well warranted…move you're head aside now."))

Naruto did so as a kunai came out of nowhere and missed him and hit the test paper of one of the Genin behind him. The guy was stunned by this and a Chuunin sentinel had just told him that he had cheated five times and was out, after a few protests, he and his team were out of the room, they were not the only ones as the Chuunin sentinels began to remove Genin teams one by one.

Like Sasuke, and Sakura, the other Genin teams were already using their moves to cheat in the exam in order to pass it and show their stuff.

Shino sent some of his bugs to exam the papers of the other Genin and when they all the got correct and needed information, the bugs then spoke to Shino and since Shino was a specially skilled ninja who's clan specialized in insects, he was able to speak to them in the same way Naruto could talk to Holy Talon. Likewise, Akamaru scanned the room with his vision, which was a bit stronger than Kiba's and relayed in barks and yips what he saw, and Kiba, being familiar with the language of dogs understood that very quickly.

Tenten on the other hand had placed a hidden set of mirrors on a light above her and used hidden metal wires to move the mirrors to copy the answers, namely from Shino's own paper as well, she then sent a message to Lee who acknowledged his grasp of the answers with his headband, Neji on the other hand was using his Byakugan to see the actions of the other Genin to determine which one he could be able to read an gather answers from.

Kankurou got his answers with the aid of one of his puppets who posed as a Chuunin, Gaara however kept his composure and relaxed himself. Sasuke used his Sharingan to gather the answers from another Genin, the Sound Genin used their own training in telling the difference of sound waves and patterns to locate the right answers being written on the paper. And soon enough Gaara made his move as Ibiki watched him.

(That one is as calm as ever…he's different all right.)

Gaara however had already begun to cheat by creating a sand replica of an eye-ball and used it to spy on the other Genin, with the sand blinding them and giving him a window of opportunity to go his thing, Ibiki noted that but let it pass for the time being.

The only one who was NOT cheating was Sakura herself as her high level of intellect was brought to the fore-front of the exam as she answered the problems without resorting to any cheating methods.

Ino also used her clan's body and spirit switching jutsu to temporarily take command of Sakura's vision and gain the answers for her team, much to Shikamaru and Chouji's approval, this gave them the edge they needed in this test.

It was at this time that Holy Talon was finished with it's translations and deciphering of the questions and it now spoke it it's master and wielder.

(("Master Naruto…I have finished my work, I am now giving you the answers."))

(Great!)

Naruto dropped his disguise of panic and worry and smiled widely as he was given the answers by the Holy Dragon Sword and took up the pencil and began to write in the answers to the questions as Holy Talon gave him the answers, this made Naruto relax a bit more as he was able to finish the answers before the time was nearing the expired rate. However he was wondering about the mentioned tenth question. The one that was not going to be given out until the exam period was over, he wondered why it was kept out of the test itself.

Holy Talon then told it's master what it was able to find out about the objectives of the test, namely since the reason why the problems were so hard was to encourage cheating, or rather in military speak, to gather information, in the most adverse conditions. Naruto was surprised at that, and took a bit of time figuring it out a bit more and then sighed a bit and went on to finish the Exams.

As soon as he was done, Ibiki got ready to finally drop the tenth question right on the top of everyone's heads.

(Now that we got rid of the hopeless cases, it's time to really get the main event rolling and crank up the heat on our survivors.)

"All right then…it's time for the final question so get ready and listen up good!"

(This guy's really full of himself)

Sasuke thought as he looked on, while Sakura herself thought as well on the tenth question.

(Here it is…the final obstacle to overcome.)

(Kankurou, hurry up! We won't make it out if you don't get here in them for the final questions!)

----------

In the Hokage Tower…

Kurenai, Asuma, and Kakashi were busy sitting down and thinking about the year's Chuunin exams and how different this year's Chuunin Exams were. Kakashi noted the silence and he began to wish he could hear his team's voices once more, despite the calm atmosphere.

"It's really quiet without the Rookies around, makes me wish they were here to liven things up a little."

Asuma sighed and spoke to his fellow Jonin.

"You might be seeing them again sooner than you think Kakashi."

"Oh, why's that Asuma?"

"Because they have the most dangerous and most sadistic Jonin to be their proctor this year, you and I both know him and how capable he is at what he does. And I can bet that a large number of the Genin teams are being weeded out"

"You mean…"

"That's right, the Rookies on all our teams have gotten the short end of the stick this year for this stage of the Chuunin exams…Ibiki's the one who's giving them the Chuunin Exams right now. And you and both know what that means when Ibiki's the one in charge of the exams."

(Already their chances of passing look very low…that's really handing them to the wolves right off the bat.)

Kakashi sighed at that and knew that things had just gotten thrown off the deep end for his team.

"Great…this is really going to be a problem for them if that sadist is the one handling the exams."

Kurenai was curious about that as she had never heard of Ibiki before and she naturally wondered why this man was able to get such reactions from veteran Jonin such as Asuma and Kakashi.

"What do you mean by that? Who's Ibiki?"

Asuma sighed and explained as he looked at the roof first.

"I'm not surprised you don't know him Kurenai, since you've only been appointed as a Jonin recently. You already know that there are actually two groups of Jonin, right?"

"I do, though forgive me if I am ignorant on some things, so what does that have to do with this Ibiki person who's giving the Genin teams the written part of the Chuunin exams?"

Kakashi took over and spoke to Kurenai.

"Well…the other group of Jonin are different from us and are naturally called Special Jonin, basically they are chosen to have that distinctive rank since they specialize in one particular skill or specialization…in Ibiki's case…his specialty is interrogation."

"Interrogation?"

Asuma nodded as he looked at Kurenai.

"Ibiki Morino is a Special Jonin who's had his share of battle-field experience and is a very skilled fighter, though more than once he himself has been captured and tortured by enemy ninja, but he has fought his way through them but he also learned plenty from those missions and also was able to capture his own share of enemy ninja and interrogate them. He's a specialist in physical and psychological torture, he knows how much a person's mind and body can handle before they break down. That's why he's also the head of the ANBU Squads' torture and interrogation teams. He might NOT be using physical torture on the Genin…but he knows ways on mentally torturing people and interrogating them without the use of physical action. He works his best people's minds and only reserves physical action when the needs come to that."

Kakashi nodded in agreement at Asuma's statement, while Kurenai looked on in worry as the facts now became clear to her.

"That's why he's going to be one hell of a test for the Rookies to deal with, and I can bet ten to one…they are already seeing just how much of the nightmare Ibiki is when he puts his mind to the task at hand in front of him."

----------

Sure enough…

"Now before you survivors decide to take the tenth question…there are some rules you all might have to be aware of that is part of the question, so listen up good."

(You've got to be kidding me?! What sort of rules does he have this time?!)

Sakura thought as she and the others, including Naruto looked on and waited for what Ibiki was about to say. The Special Jonin then directed his attention to the door as Kankurou entered the room, escorted by his puppet still in the Chuunin disguise. The Genin had requested to use the comfort room earlier with the intent on gathering all the information he could on the exam, and he had gone there not just…to do the call of nature, but to get the data, Ibiki knew that for a fact but said nothing in order to let Kankurou think that he got off scot free…but since the tenth question was about to come into play…play time was now officially over. It was time to toss aside the kid gloves and put on the gauntlets…so to speak.

"Well now, you made it just in time, I do hope you find you're little trip to the bath-room, enlightening."

(He's seen through the disguise…he's on to us!)

Kankurou kept calm and made his way back to his seat, but not before covertly dropping off a roll of paper the size of a thimble to his sister and then took his seat.

"Now then, the rules that I am going to give you are purely unique only to question 10 and therefore you will need to listen since I will NOT repeat them…and try not to let them frighten you."

Naruto looked on intensely at that.

(Those rules he's got for the question don't sound the least bit helpful…what the heck kind of is it?)

(("I can't say for sure Master Naruto, but we will have to keep on moving no matter what, it's you're move this time."))

"Rule number one…each of you is given the option not to take the question, it shall be you're personal decision."

(What the heck?)

Naruto thought as this one rule was not making sense, the same thought was also running in Sasuke's mind the very second he heard that new rule as well as the others did and that rule was also beginning to not make sense to him as well.

(We're free to choose to answer?! That's one of the weirdest rules I've heard of.)

Temari was also surprised and was among them to voice that concern.

"Whoa…there's a catch isn't there? So what if we choose not to take the tenth question?"

"The answer to that question is very simple…if you choose to not take the tenth question, then you're exact total of points, regardless of you're answers to the previous questions will be reduced to zero…and you will fail, and as you already know, if you get a zero, then you all will fail as well."

The reactions of the Genin were natural as they were talking that they would rather take the question than fail, just as Ibiki knew they would, and now that was the case for all the Genin teams, he was going to really turn up the heat on them, and make them think twice before taking the tenth question, he was going to see just how tough they really were.

"Not so fast people…you didn't let me finish."

Sakura was getting more worried and more annoyed and frustrated.

(Darn it! Enough with the rules and tell us the question already!)

"Rule number two. If you do take the question and answer it incorrectly, not only will you be failed from the Chuunin exams this year…but you will be forever barred from taking the Chuunin exams ever again!"

Naruto was stunned by that announcement and practically just about everyone in the room were stunned out of their minds. Kiba and Akamaru were the only ones who voiced out their protest.

"That's total bull! What kind of rule is that one?! And there have been just as many people here who've no doubt taken the Exams before!"

The puppy also voiced it's displeasure on the situation itself.

Ibiki laughed a bit at that and looked right at both Kiba and Akamaru.

"Then I guess that means that you're unlucky, I wasn't making the rules in the past Exams…"

Ibiki then glared darkly at all the Genin and spoke to them in a very creepy voice.

"But today…I AM making the rules, of course you don't have to take the tenth question if you don't want to…but know full well what awaits you and you're team if you chose not to take it…either way, that's up to you…now, you have anything else to say?"

Kiba and Akamaru could only look on helplessly as the Genin sat back on his bench.

"Of course, if you're not feeling confident enough, then you can skip the question and take the Chuunin Exams next year."

Ibiki then laughed as he waited for the Genin to make their move.

----------

Sakura was stunned by the revelations and was really worried about the fates of herself and her team.

(Thanks a lot, if one of us takes the choice to not answer the question, then all three of us fail. No way! That won't happen at all…but if either of us take the question and get it wrong…we fail and can't ever take part in the Chuunin Exams ever again. This really stinks, why can't they just give us a NORMAL test?!)

Naruto gritted his teeth and was not happy, while Hinata looked worriedly at her crush and hoped that Naruto would be all right, she hoped that she would still be around to see Naruto become the Hokage, he wanted to be.

Ibiki then looked at all the candidate Genin and spoke.

"All right then…are you ready for the tenth question? Those of you who don't want to take the tenth question will raise you're hand, when you do, you're number will be recorded and you are free to leave the room…no one among the Chuunin sentinels here will stop you."

Naruto was really not liking this situation.

(Any suggestions Holy Talon?)

(("I'm afraid not Master Naruto…it's you're move."))

(I guess, but I don't know if the tenth question is easy or not, If I get it wrong, then I am a Genin for life…and with the way things are going…No, I can't skip that question either even if I wanted to, if I do, then the whole team's going down, I can't let Sasuke and Sakura-chan down after all this and what we had been through…I can't and I won't…I have to decide…my team and my future as a Genin hangs on this decision.)

Sakura was also deep in thought and great worry.

(Well, there's no way that he can get me to raise my hand, I won't give up and lose this chance…but Naruto…this is serious….more so than the previous questions, he doesn't have a chance in this. Go ahead Naruto…raise you're hand, I know that it would really be a blow to you're pride and you're dreams…but you don't have to worry about me and Sasuke-kun. There's always the second Chuunin Exams, just think about yourself for now.)

The pressure of the rules was more than some Genin were willing to take as there were those who began to raise their hands, one of the Genin in question was right next to Naruto as he dropped his pencil and raised his hand. That was then followed by the raising of hands by other Genin and their numbers along with the numbers of their team mates were called out as they all left the room. Only 78 teams were left at that and it was making things even harder for the rest who were still there in the room.

Sakura looked at Naruto as the blonde ninja was still and silent…totally unlike the loudmouth blonde that she knew back then in the Academy and now.

(Come on Naruto…raise you're hand…why don't you do that?)

It was then that Sakura recalled the times Naruto had said that his dream was to be Hokage…and what raising his hand means to him,

(Naruto…)

----------

Flashback 1

"Someday I'm going to be Hokage and then you'll look up to me! My name is Naruto Uzumaki and I will become Hokage so remember my name!"

----------

Flashback 2

" AHHHHH Shut up! I'm willing to do anything to become Hokage someday and I don't care what it takes be Hokage!"

----------

Flashback 3

"I want to be the best and most respected Hokage, then the whole village will stop treating me like I'm nobody and treat me like I'm somebody of importance! That is my dream!!!"

----------

Back to the present…

Sakura recalled all those times and she couldn't help but feel great sadness and respect for the team-mate that she looked down upon, and how serious this was for him.

(Hokage, Hokage…he wants to be Hokage so he can be respected… Naruto…you have a serious one track mind…if he raised his hand, not only will it be a blow to his pride…but it will kill him to have the dream of being Hokage taken from him like this and be denied that dream for all his life. I…I can't let him be like this…he doesn't have to…I guess I will do it…don't worry, you guys can dot his next year, and I'll be ready for it.)

Unknown to her, Naruto already made up his mind.

(I am not going to back down from this…Holy Talon; can I count on you if I make this choice?)

(("You do not need to ask me that Master Naruto…whatever decision you make or what path you choose, I will be by your side to whatever end awaits you. All my power and skill are yours to command in what you seek to accomplish."))

Naruto smiled a bit and raised his hand…getting the attention of Hinata, Sakura, and Sasuke, and all of them were very worried about this as he held up his hand.

----------

Back with the Jonin…

"How did Ibiki become head of the ANBU Interrogation and Torture teams?"

"Ibiki is a master of interrogation, because he has a deep understanding of how a person's mind works, he knows just where to push and prod that he uncovers you're inner weaknesses. In fact, he's so good at it he only resorts to physical torture if it needs to be done, and he doesn't have to at times, he messes up you're head so much, you end up torturing yourself."

Asuma said to Kurenai as Kakashi looked on.

----------

Back in room 301…

Naruto held up his hand and everyone was looking…that is until he dropped his hand on the table with a bang and stood up and glared defiantly at Ibiki, unmindful of the commotion he was causing and the looks begin given to him.

"Don't you dare think you can underestimate me! I don't quit and I don't run, I don't give a damn if I'll be a Genin for the rest of my natural life! I won't be intimidated or scared by either you, the Chuunin sentinels looking like hawks or the tenth question you've got in that head of yours! I don't care how tough you act or really are! I will be Hokage someday and I will never take those words back! Ever!"

Sasuke and Sakura were stunned at that and just about every other Genin team from the other villages were surprised at that.

As Naruto sat down, Hinata blushed once more as she saw the truth in Naruto's face and how much he had changed.

(Naruto-kun…you've become so brave and so strong! I won't give up either! I will take the tenth question as well…no matter what happens!)

Shino looked at Naruto and gave a slight grunt...but he nodded a bit at how much Naruto had changed since he had last seen him.

(He has changed…)

Kiba had to admit that Naruto was different from before. Akamaru also agreed with his master as he had never seen Naruto this fired up.

(He's certainly got guts this time around, a hell of a lot more than he did back in the Academy.)

Ino also nodded as she looked at Naruto.

(He's really different, not just in looks too…he's going to be interesting.)

Shikamaru sighed a bit.

(Man…he's still as loud as ever, despite the fact he's gotten a great deal of courage to go with the looks and moves, at least that hasn't changed too much or I'd never recognize him.)

Chouji smirked a bit.

(This is getting to be fun…)

Dosu also noted that and had to grin a little behind his face wrappings.

(The brat's got backbone to go with the moves…I'm going to enjoy taking him out when I get the chance.)

Temari was smiling at that with a slight blush.

(That blonde hottie really has got the guts to say those things…I'm really going to like him!)

Kankurou grumbled but he had to admit that Naruto was more than looks and moves as well. Gaara didn't show too much emotion, but he was actually glad that the blonde was still going at it. It would disappoint him if he backed out this early before they got to fight one another.

Tenten smiled a bit at that.

(He's really on fire now…I can't wait to see him in action in the Exams!)

Lee was impressed and smiled at Naruto's bravery and strength of will.

(He has the fire of youth in him, and it's really in full power!!! I can't wait to see him in action!)

Neji looked at Naruto and had to admit, he was different.

(Hmmm…this Naruto Uzumaki is interesting, he needs to be watched.)

Sasuke smiled at that and laughed mentally to himself.

(He's really stubborn and might have no idea what he is saying and what he's about to get into. But then again, he is who he is, Naruto the most unpredictable ninja the Academy's ever had, and he's got the guts and courage to go with it…I hate to say it…but this is fun to watch.)

Sakura couldn't help but smile at her team-mate's actions.

(Way to go…you crazy good looking fool. I guess I will have to be nicer to you now, since you've really changed a good deal since the first time I saw you Naruto-kun.)

Ibiki looked on and then spoke directly to Naruto.

"This decision will not just affect you now as a Genin, but you're future as a ninja for all time, and that of your team-mates as well. If there is a chance for you to save your skin, now is your chance."

Naruto replied right back at Ibiki.

"No way…I won't back down from this and I won't take back my words. I am a ninja to the very end, I will keep my word and that is my way of the ninja."

The other Genin were also acting differently, their faces once filled with tension, worry, and more were now different, it showed courage, determination, strength and focus…and Ibiki and the rest of the Chuunin sentinels saw that as well…all 78 Genin teams were now fired up and ready, no one raised their hands…they were all going to stay and take the question.

Ibiki was not showing emotions as a Special Jonin and head of the Interrogation and Torture Team of the ANBU…but he was impressed…very impressed.

(Remarkable…his outburst has given the rest of the teams the backbone and will to keep on moving. He's inspired them to stay and fight, all 78 of them, they are a lot more than I expected. But none of them are wavering or backing down, not like the others who have left. And all because of that blonde kid with the sword on his back. I think that's it.)

Ibiki turned to face the other Chuunin sentinels and they too were impressed and gave their nods. Ibiki nodded and knew that the time had come to tell them the true purpose of the written Exams and the tenth question.

"Well…I admire you're determination and will, if nothing else, for those of you who are still remaining, there is only one thing left to do. And that is for me to tell you that you all have passed the first stage of the Chuunin Exams."

That got a reaction from all the Genin teams, they were stunned by this. Naruto was as well. Sakura however was the very first to voice out their collective surprise.

"Whoa! What just happened? What do you mean we passed the Exam? Where's the tenth question you were going to ask us?!"

Ibiki was enjoying this and laughed a bit and then explained.

"There never was a tenth question…at least not a written one, you see, the decision to stay…you're decision IS the answer to the tenth question."

"So you're saying that all the questions we've answered in the written test were all for nothing?!"

Temari said with surprise.

"Hardly, the questions in the written exam were designed to test your abilities to gather information, accurate information that could help you and you're team in dire conditions. That is the reason why the rules were made that way, and the rules as well were made so that you had to cheat. In real life, the conditions of the battle-zone demand that in order for you to get the advantage you must have all the information that you can get."

That was enough for Temari as she relaxed her glare at Ibiki and spoke.

"Oh, that makes sense I guess."

"Now allow me to clarify a few points, the first one being the reason why you are all graded as a team. The reason for the scoring as a team was to make you aware of the fact that in order to survive you had to work as one team and that you're individual decisions would affect you're entire squad."

Naruto sighed and relaxed a bit that things were now over. Sakura thought the very same thing, and so did Sasuke. Hinata laughed silently and smiled at how relaxed Naruto was now…she liked…no, loved it when he was in a genuine happy mood.

"The first nine questions were made to be successively difficult, and in fact, you may have realized that they were made too difficult for any Genin to solve normally… the only way you would have gained the correct answers, was to cheat. Of course you would have to know the ones who truly had the answers since you needed someone to cheat from. That was why we had placed two Chuunin who were disguised as Genin who were already familiar with the correct answers, to serve as the ones you had to copy the answers from."

The two disguised Chuunin smiled and raised their hands, and Naruto gave a look of genuine surprise to see that one of the said Chuunin was right in front of him. However he decided to just relax for now.

"Those who were caught at it failed, because it is better not to cheat, than to cheat badly. Information is vital in any battle, and how well you can gather that information can determine whether a mission can be a successful victory or a disastrous defeat."

Ibiki then removed his own forehead protector/bandana and to the shock, horror and disgust of most of the Genin, including Naruto, they spotted horrible wounds on Ibiki's head. There were jagged scars, puncture wounds, burn marks, lacerations and more.

(Whoa…how the heck did he get that many injuries?!)

(("It comes with the dangers of missions Master Naruto…all warriors, even Dragon Champions carry great wounds that are a testament to their struggles."))

"And make no mistake of this…there will be times you have to risk you're very life to get the information."

Sasuke looked over the number of injuries and had to admit they were something else entirely.

(Man, that guy's head is a freaking mess…scars, puncture marks, burns…What he must have endured.)

Hinata gasped while Naruto shook his head, and only Gaara remained calm and relaxed on the whole thing.

Ibiki placed back his forehead protector/bandana and then spoke once more.

"Of course, you need to consider the source of information you are using, intelligence from the enemy is not necessarily accurate, always bare this in mind. Disinformation, or rather the feeding of false information is far worse than no information at all, it can lead to a massive loss of ninja and fellow team members…or in the worse case scenario…the destruction of an entire village. That is the reason why I placed you all in a position to be forced into gathering accurate intelligence. Cheat in order to survive, and that is the reason why those who were not able to handle it and do it properly were weeded out from the Exams, leaving only you all."

Temari had to admit that the logic in the tests was flawless and she got the idea on why the tests were so hard, the questions very hard, and the rules near impossible.

"Okay, but I still cannot understand the purpose of the tenth question thing."

"You're not supposed to…the tenth question was the point of the whole exam itself. Surely you could see that."

"Okay…but explain to us anyway."

Naruto then smiled at that and spoke.

"You wanted to test us as a team, and the tenth question was the root of the whole thing. The reason for the tenth question is that you wanted to determine how we would react in a no win situation, if we didn't take the question, we would be safe, but we would fail as a team, and if we took it but got it wrong…we would never be Chuunin. We were to show how we deal with a no win situation and how we would accomplish the mission despite the odds."

Ibiki smiled as he could see that Naruto was really getting the idea…and to the amazement of everyone else, and Sasuke gave a slight look at Naruto as Ibiki motioned for his blonde team-mate to continue on with what he was saying.

"Which is the exact thing that Chuunin face every day of their lives in missions…you wanted to see which of us were willing to risk everything, even our very lives to accomplish the mission even if we know next to nothing on how many enemies we had to fight, how well armed they are, if it was a trap and they are expecting us, or all of the above. The other option is for us to pass out on the missions, and live to fight another day, and avoid death today…but we can't do that if we want to be Chuunin. "

"There will be missions that have risks that are considered to be near suicidal and the risk of death is very high, but we must never think about it, we must think only of our goal, and achieving it through courage, determination, skill and will…because these are the traits required of a Chuunin squad leader. All because we hold the future of our village and fellow ninja in our hands and thinking only of our own safety will ensure that not only will we lose the chance, but we will make our village suffer, along with our team. Chuunin have to be strong not just in body, but in will, determination, and courage to see things through, despite the odds before them…if we didn't show that we were willing to risk our very lives for the goal, for our village, and for our honor…then we don't deserve to be Chuunin at all, much less be called ninja, and the same thing could be said for those who take the safer route, who lose their determination in the face of danger, those who risk the lives of other for the sake of their own lives, and those who would save their own necks by sacrificing their honor…they also don't deserve to be Chuunin…at least as long as you're the proctor…am I right Ibiki-sensei?"

Ibiki smiled warmly at the blonde ninja and Naruto smiled back, while the others were looking at the two.

The Genin were all impressed, Sakura was awed by this, Sasuke admitted that Naruto's words made sense, Hinata was proud of her crush's words, Ino was surprised, Shikamaru was surprised at how much Naruto had changed, Chouji was shaking his head. Kiba and Akamaru were stunned at how much Naruto had changed, Shino nodded as he saw Naruto's logic. Gaara was emotionless, but had his eye-brows raised, Kankurou grumbled at how Naruto had shown another side of himself, Temari was impressed with the blonde ninja, Tenten smirked, Neji placed his hands on the desk and linked his fingers together as he looked at Naruto, and Lee was impressed of Naruto's words.

"You are correct Naruto Uzumaki, everything you said was correct and you are right on saying that those who were not ready to take risks will never be Chuunin on my watch. For the rest of you, including you Naruto, you all have answered correctly the ten questions I have placed before you, therefore you have truly earned the right to be part of the second part of the Chuunin Exams, you have passed the first gate, and I hereby declare that this stage of the Chuunin Selection Exam to be finished, there is nothing left for me to do, than to wish you all good luck."

Naruto got up and cheered out loud.

"ALL RIGHT!!!! WE GET TO REACH THE NEXT STAGE!!!!!"

The other Genin looked on at Naruto while Ibiki smiled at Naruto.

(He's a real funny one, this blonde kid, I wonder how he will do in the next stage…and how he will deal with…)

Ibiki then looked to the left and felt something was coming…and sure enough, something was coming as a massive sphere came crashing right through the window and sent glass shattering all over the place. Ibiki held his ground, unconcerned as he already knew just who was showing up.

The ball turned out to be a large cloth bundle and hands appeared, throwing kunai out and the weapons hit the roof, and someone appeared out of the cloth. Ibiki who was behind the tarp sighed as he knew that while the entrance was grand, as her style liked…she jumped the gun yet again.

(Ah, typical of her…jumping the gun as usual.)

"Is this part of the test that I don't know about?!"

Naruto was stunned as he looked at what the heck was happening before him. It was then that he heard a female voice with a lot of energy in it's tone…reminding him of himself for some reason.

"Heads up boys and girls, this is hardly the time for you to be celebrating…"

The new arrival was certainly a woman who had her black/blue hair in a short tail on the back of her head, wore a short style trench-coat which was in a light tan color, she had a forehead protector on her, an orange mini-skirt, had on shin and foot guards on her legs, and strange pendant…but those were not what were really striking about the new arrival, the fact was that she was wearing a fishnet body suit that covered her form, with her breasts being the most prominent, and the body suit's lower leggings were only a few inches up her knees. The outfit was enough to make most normal men look at her with surprise…and more.

Even Naruto was a bit surprised at this.

(Who the heck is she?!)

"I'll be you're next proctor, Anko Mitarashi."

The woman was attractive, there was no doubts about that, though her brown eyes had an odd quality in them.

"Ready for the second part of you're test?"

Anko then raised her fist up and gave a shout.

"Good, then follow me!"

The Genin were stunned by all this, while Naruto couldn't help but stare at Anko…he had no idea who this woman was, but she was certainly something else entirely. He did not doubt that she was attractive, though her personality was certainly off.

Ibiki moved aside and gave a grumble at Anko.

"You're early again Anko. You were not supposed to show up at this point and time, but you jumped the gun yet again."

Anko gave a sour look and was a bit embarrassed as she realized her blunder.

Sakura was not pleased with the antics as she looked at Anko.

(Great, we a screaming nutcase for the second half of the Chuunin Selection Exams…she reminds me of Naruto before all the changes.)

Anko looked at all the Genin teams with a measure of surprise, though she was not showing it, rather, she was showing a slightly disgusted expression.

"How many are there this year? Ibiki, you let all of these guys pass? You're test must have been too easy. Are you getting soft or something?"

"Or it could be we have a strong crop of candidates this year Anko…namely the blonde one before you, he has more guts than the rest of them for taking my special question."

"Oh, someone actually answered the tenth question…which one is it?"

"The one there with the sword on his back…Naruto Uzumaki."

Anko directed her attention to the blonde ninja in question and took on his appearance…and smiled a bit at what she saw. The blonde's looks were very interesting, he looked far older with the handsome face he had, she liked the looks of the silver highlights in his hair that added a nice mix to the blonde color, the eyes were interesting with the mix of blue and silver…and he was tall as well, and she could see the muscles underneath the clothes since the clothes hugged his frame. The sword looked nice, though it didn't resemble any sword she knew of. Anko grinned at Naruto as she took it all in, and mentally licked her lips.

(Well now, here's one good looking kid…I am really curious just how good he is when we go to the second part of the Exams. He certainly has a look that's different from the others I've seen…give him a few years…man I want to be around to see that, shame he has to go to that place for the second part of the Exam…don't die there kid…I've got QUITE a few ideas and tricks I want to try out on you.)

Naruto was getting a bit freaked out by the intense look Anko was giving him, though not entirely. Anko smiled as she stopped her inspection of the blonde ninja.

"He's okay, but the rest of them don't look like much…trust me, by the time I'm done with them, more than half of them will be out."

Sakura gasped at that and wondered that maybe she had misjudged Anko.

"What?! More than half of us will be gone?! Is she serious?!"

Anko then carried on.

"This is actually going to be interesting, all right you maggots, you've had easy for today…but tomorrow…things are going to be VERY different under my watch…I'll be informing you're squad leaders where to meet me tomorrow, first thing in the morning…don't be late."

----------

Later…

Naruto sighed as he and the others left room 301 and the Academy, along with the rest of the Genin teams, he was relaxed and was in the mood for a party and he then turned to face Sakura and Sasuke with his usual grin.

"Hey guys…we can cool our heels for today, you in the mood to get some ramen? My treat!"

Sasuke snorted and gave an unconcerned look.

"No thanks, you're better off getting ready for the next part tomorrow dobe…I'll see you guys tomorrow."

Naruto sighed as Sasuke walked away and shook his head.

"Geez, he's no fun…how about it Sakura-chan? You want to grab a bite to eat….my treat!"

Sakura sighed at that, she did promise to be nicer to Naruto and going out with him would be good, though she wished that Sasuke was with them.

"All right Naruto…for today, but I get to order my meal all right?"

"Sure! I'm paying so whatever you want, I'll pay for it!"

Sakura sighed and smiled, not blaming Naruto for his good spirits as the two of them walked on to the ramen stand…and then, Naruto noted that he was being followed, and he quickly turned to see none other than Hinata Hyuuga following him.

"Oh Hinata, what's up?"

Hinata blushed a bit as she stepped out of the back of the wall of the building she was hiding behind. Naruto somehow sensed her despite her best efforts to hide herself, and since she was found she decided to speak to her crush as she twiddled her fingers.

"I…I…I wanted to say congratulations…for…passing the…exam, N-Naruto-kun."

Naruto smiled back and replied.

"Thanks for the congratulations Hinata…oh yeah, I want to thank you for doing what you did for me before, though I am happy you were not caught by the Chuunin sentinels, I didn't want you to get into trouble."

Sakura was surprised by that.

"What does that mean, what exactly was Hinata trying to do?"

Naruto then filled her in and Hinata shyly confirmed Naruto's words to Sakura and she was surprised a bit at Hinata's actions. Though she knew that the Hyuuga heiress had a king sized crush on her blonde teammate. She knew that and was willing to bet that the others knew that as well…though what Hinata did was certainly bold to say the least.

Naruto then had an idea.

"Hey Hinata, do you have anything to do today?"

The Hyuuga girl blushed bright red and Sakura looked at her team-mate warily, wondering just what he was up to.

"N-n-nothing today…why do you ask?"

"I was going to treat out my team-mates but Sasuke bailed on the last minute, since you passed the exams like us, how about I treat you out for some ramen for passing the exams too? It's the least I could do for what you did for me back there, it's not much and might not match what you were willing to do for me…but it's the least I can manage with what money I have, is that okay with you?"

Hinata couldn't believe her luck…

(N-N-N-Naruto-kun…is treating me…out for ramen…he's…he's never done that before….I…I…I want to go with him.)

"S-s-sure, I-I-I-I would like a lot…N-Naruto-kun."

Naruto grinned widely at that.

"Great! Come on then, the day's getting shorter!"

The three went off as the rest of the Genin moved on, with the Sand Siblings heading for their lodgings, while the others were off to tell their parents the good news. Hinata blushed as she walked alongside her long-time crush while Sakura g\joined in, wondering how Naruto had grown and she hoped that things were going to be all right for the next stage of the Exams.

----------

In Room 301…

Ibiki smiled as he looked at one exam paper in particular as he was checking and grading the Exam papers of the Genin. The exam paper he was looking at was none other than that of a certain blonde ninja with a sword.

(Interesting, not only was he able to answer the questions well…but he knew the true purpose of the tenth question…I have a feeling this one kid, Naruto will be something soon in the Chuunin Selection Exams' finals…at the rate he's going, he's going to really make an impression on the village…considering his secret. I am actually looking forward to see what else he can do.)

----------

In another part of Konoha the next day…

"Where the heck are we?" Naruto asked as he and the rest of the Genin teams looked to find themselves before a massive forest with gates and metal walls on them all, the place looked very old and it appeared that the place was restricted with all the chains and warnings on them. There were massive trees all over the place, some of the trunks being as wide as houses and towers, along with the trees as well On the side were several Chuunin sentinels, and naturally in front of the gathered Genin was Anko herself.

Anko smiled and gave the introductions.

"This is the site for the second half of the Chuunin Selection Exams, this is known as the 44th Battle Training Zone, but for us Chuunin and Jonin, it goes by another name…the Forest of Death."

Naruto looked on but was a bit worried at the name.

"Forest of Death huh?"

----------

Unknown to everyone…

"So the village of Konoha is having the Chuunin Exams…that brings back some old memories for me in my own youth."

"It does?"

"Yes… however we have more pressing matters to take care of. You know the plan, since he hasn't seen you without the mask off back then on the bridge…you should have an easy time on things. Remember, wait for the time of the main tournament to begin…then tell me where he is."

"I understand."

"Oh, before I forget."

"Yes?"

"Be careful…Haku. Something of great importance will be taking place soon…I can feel it in the air."

"I will be fine sir."

Zabuza nodded as Haku left the area where they had set up base-camp to infiltrate Konoha. The missing nin and former member of the Mist Seven Swordsmen checked his head cleaving sword and noted at the new repairs and reinforcement on the blade. He smiled as he placed it back on his back and spoke to himself.

"Soon Kakashi, you and that blonde boy will finally get what's coming to you…I, Zabuza the Demon of the Mist swear it."

----------

To be continued…

-----------

Author's notes:

This was one long chapter and I apologize for that, the internet's been really messed up for the past few days so I wasn't able to update everything for a while….so forgive the delays. As you can see, I didn't forget Haku and Zabuza, and the two of them are going to be a problem once they get into the action, but you can bet I won't make them total villains in the story.

Naruto is about to enter the Forest of Death, and you can bet ten to one, things are going to get very hectic as a certain snake bastard is going to show up in the mix in a very short while. And we are about to see one hell of a sword fight…

That's right, we are going to see which sword has the best powers in the next chapter…so be ready to place you're bets.

On the next chapter…swords will clash…which is better, the Kusanagi of Orochimaru…or the Holy Talon of Naruto?

Find out soon!


	7. Swords Clash Kusanagi VS Holy Talon P1

Naruto – The Twin Swords

Disclaimer: I don't own anything Naruto, or the characters involved in the series.

Chapter 7

Part 1

Swords Clash… Kusanagi VS Holy Talon

( ): Thoughts

((" ")): Holy Talon's voice

----------

'_Words are useful, but only for politicians, diplomats, and pacifists…I am none of those things. I am a warrior and a Dragon Champion who faces you're kind to stop you're madness and desires for power…words are not for you or me….'_

'_Whatever you wish to say, say it with you're swords…and I shall answer with mine!'_

Words of a Holy Dragon Champion before attacking an army of Chaos Dragon followers and warriors…

----------

The outer area of the Forest of Death…

Naruto looked on at the massive battle-ground and had to admit the place was certainly far from peaceful. There were giant centipedes all over the place and sure enough he spotted a bird that landed there…and was soon eaten by a massive snake. The other Genin also saw that and they were far from comfortable.

"Man…this forest is really starting to creep me out."

Sakura said while Sasuke looked on.

(("The place certainly deserves it's name…I can feel the aura of death all over the place Master Naruto…it reminds me of the many battle-grounds I've been in when I was still in my world, and the numbers of people from the races who died there…this is not a place for the unwary."))

Naruto didn't reply and Anko took the time to speak.

"Well, this is the Forest of Death, and soon enough, you're going to find out why."

Naruto however, snorted and replied.

"I am not going to let that scare me…no way have I come this far to be scared of whatever's inside that place. I nearly got cut in half by Zabuza's sword and I'm still alive, so I can handle whatever's in there!"

Anko gave a smile at that.

(So what I heard as a rumor was true…he's the one who fought Zabuza, I guess those traders who came in here were not pulling my leg. So we have a tough guy here eh?)

"Oh…really now? You're a tough guy aren't you?"

Naruto stood there as Anko took out a kunai and threw it right at him, the weapon his Naruto on the cheek and struck the ground and hit the clothes of one of the other Genin, this one had the forehead protector of the Hidden Grass Village.

Anko then appeared behind Naruto and spoke in her playful tone, though a bit darker and more seductive.

"You're a real tough guy huh? Well then, are you tough enough to handle this? You're not afraid huh? Tough guys like you usually end up donating their blood to this forest, unwilling or not."

Anko then took her hands on Naruto's blood, but Naruto didn't panic and merely turned and glared…making Anko curious…she got her answer as the blonde ninja faded and turned into a log…surprising her a bit.

(A replacement jutsu?)

"Then I guess the forest will have to wait, because I'm not in the mood to donate my blood to it for any reason, and no way am I planning to die today, or any day for that matter…and if you wanted to find out if I'm a tough guy, you could have asked."

Anko looked and found herself with Holy Talon's released blade right below her chin, and Naruto held Holy Talon in his left hand in a reverse grip. Anko then noted that her kunai had indeed hit Naruto as he had the same cut on his face when she struck him with the kunai and it was still bleeding a bit. She smiled a bit at that and gave Naruto a smile.

"Well…it seems Ibiki was right about you…you are different."

Naruto grinned slightly and removed the Holy Talon and then moved it behind him and took the weapon in his right hand and then with a quick move, placed back the sword into his sheath. He fingered the gash on his cheek and shook his head as he looked at Anko who smiled back right at him. Anko then turned around with a new kunai in her hand and both she and Naruto saw the Grass Genin using his tongue like a second hand…much to the surprise of the others…and their looks of being scared by the whole event.

Anko gave a smile at the Grass Genin and she spoke to the person.

"You know…it's considered very bad manners to just sneak up on a person like that."

The Grass Genin smiled back and replied, despite the fact his tongue was very much out of the mouth and by normal terms the person would not be able to talk, but the Grass Genin did and with no apparent difficulty.

"I apologize…I was just returning you're kunai back to you."

"Why thank you."

Naruto looked on in shock and wondered just who the new one was. Holy Talon however glowed faintly as it sensed the aura of the person behind Anko. It was an aura of an evil and corrupt being…more than human at least….the evil the sword felt was near the level of a high ranking Chaos Dragon worshipper…this man or whatever he was…he was a threat.

(("Master Naruto…that one behind the female ninja named Anko, I can sense pure evil coming from him. We should be very cautious…I have a feeling it won't be long before we might end up fighting him. He might be after something"))

(Could he be after you?)

(("Possibly…but I doubt he's aware my…reaction to being held by someone of his nature. In either case…we will need to be careful."))

As soon as things settled down a bit, though Sakura was really surprised by everything, Anko then described the rules and their objectives and when they found out that they were to be given consent forms just in case they were to die in the Forest of Death, they were even more concerned. They had to get one of two different scrolls, one was the Heaven Scroll, and the other was the Earth Scroll…they had at least five days to do it, and anything goes…meaning that they would have to fight the other half of the teams to get the scroll to complement their own…meaning that they would have to get the scroll anyway they could, and if they lost a team-mate or had an recoverable team-mate then they were out of the Chuunin Exam and if they were to open the scrolls while not in the tower, then they were going to be kicked out of the Chuunin Exams. Ino was surprised that they would have to survive there for five days and naturally Chouji was stunned on what they could find to eat. Anko then explained that this test is about how reliable you are to the team in your own fashion and to show to you're team-mates that they can rely on you when things get very difficult, as soon as Anko was finished her speaking of the objectives and of the rules, she then gave the consent forms to Naruto to pass along, and as the teams moved about with the consent forms in hand, she decided to grab Naruto for a bit and drag him away, Naruto was about to reach for Holy Talon when Anko spoke to him.

"Ah…no need for that today kid, I only want to talk to you."

Naruto was not entirely convinced at that as he recalled how she had thrown the kunai at him.

Anko could see that and merely smiled even more.

"Don't be like that, after all, you said you were tough right? You can handle a simple cut like that one can't you?"

"I'm fine…so what is it you want to talk about?"

"I am very curious about that weapon of yours…it seems, I don't know….different. You mind letting me hold that sword of yours?"

Naruto was surprised and looked right at Anko and was wondering how this was going to turn out and took out the sword and let her hold it.

Anko held the sword and then to her shock, the sword suddenly seemed to weigh like a mountain and was sent crashing to the ground with a loud clang and startled her and some of the other teams, including the nearby Grass Genin team. As Anko recovered from the shock of the sudden change, the female Jonin grabbed the sword once more and tried to lift it….but the sword didn't even move a millimeter of the ground while the Jonin was using her full strength. Anko kept it up for a few minutes and then gave up and looked at Naruto.

"This sword's really stubborn, how are you even able to carry it in that sheath on you're back, let alone use it?"

Naruto grinned and picked up the sword and Anko saw that the sword was easily lifted by the blonde teen and she smiled at that.

(So he's really strong, I should have known with all those muscles in the right places he has…he's definitely tasty and the blood he has tastes…nice, a mix of hot and slight cold, but it's sweet, unlike anything I've tried before. Heheheh, I wonder how else he tastes… I'll enjoy this day a lot)

"Okay then kid, that's enough fooling around for you and me, better get ready and meet up with you're team, the time's running out."

Naruto nodded and went back to his group, Sasuke was busy figuring out all the details and getting an understanding of what was awaiting them, while Ino and Sakura were in the middle of another argument, while Chouji and Shikamaru watched, still trying to figure out the two former friends in their childhood days. However in this case, Ino was not happy with Sakura now being with two hot guys, while Sakura, despite still being unsure on how she should act with Naruto now, decided to use Ino's jealousy to her advantage and tease her rival once more.

Hinata was busy reading her own consent form and was in her own frame of thoughts when Naruto walked over to her.

"Hey Hinata, what are you doing there?"

The Hyuuga heiress looked and blushed at her crush as she faced him.

"I…I was…just…thinking about…um…"

Naruto shook his head and wondered if he should ask Hinata what seemed to be bothering her, but decided against it as Hinata then spotted the cut on his cheek from Anko's attack before and she reached for a pack of healing ointment…as soon as she found it she was about to offer it to Naruto, but Naruto spotted that his team was now getting ready to get the scrolls. To ensure that the scrolls were not seen along with the team that had a particular scroll, the stalls were covered by shutters.

Naruto spoke to Hinata as she was about to give him the ointment.

"Sorry Hinata, but it's time to begin, I wish you good luck and be safe, okay?"

Hinata wordlessly nodded as Naruto left and looked at the container of healing ointment she had, she made sure to pack more than one if she and the others needed it, and she knew she could always spare one for her crush…but it seemed that she would have to wait for a better time to give it to her crush.

(I'll just hold onto this until we meet again, Naruto-kun…and be careful.)

As the various teams were each handed the scrolls of either Earth or Heaven, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura were then handed the Earth Scroll. The other teams were also ready, Kiba was very much ready as he gloated about them being the best in survival training, while Shino was silent the whole time, Kiba then told Hinata to be strong, which the shy girl replied back as best she could, Ino was ready as she didn't plan to lose to Sakura just yet, while Shikamaru commented that they should try taking the scroll they need from any of the weaker teams except Naruto, Chouji wasn't very concerned with such matters as he was busy checking the rations he had been able to have with him, Tenten was smiling as she got her weapon scrolls ready, lee promised his idol and squad Leader Gai that he would make him proud, while Neji was calm and ready to get things started. Dosu, Zaku, and Kin were also ready to do what they came to do, they had an objective to accomplish and they were more than ready to do it, Temari, Kankurou, and Gaara were ready as well, though Kankurou was not happy with not only working with those younger than him, but being close to his mentally unstable brother, Temari kept the peace as best she could between Gaara and Kankurou and knew that things were going to be long. Kabuto was also with his two team-mates as well and they were more than ready for fight.

The Grass ninja, including the one with the very flexible tongue then spoke to her two comrades that they would only need to focus on one team in particular.

"They are the ones we should take out first, they shouldn't be any trouble…even with that blonde with the sword."

"I agree there…they will be easy for us to deal with."

"Their scroll is the only one we need to concern ourselves with at the very moment, wait until we have a clean shot at them."

As soon as Anko saw that the time was right on the dot for the second half of the Chuunin Exams to begin, she gave the order to have the chains removed and their padlocks opened and then she shouted for the teams to begin the second half of the Chuunin Exams. The teams moved into the Forrest of Death and since there were large numbers of gates that were around the walls that surrounded the Forrest. The other teams rushed in, while Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura moved in on their own pace.

The second half of the Chuunin Selection Exams were now underway as Anko looked at the Forrest and wondered how things were going on in there.

---------

Kiba, Shino, and Hinata were already making their traps as fast as they possibly could so as to trap any of the Genin teams, once they were done they decided to lure in their first catch of the day. Before they did so, Hinata used her Byakugan to do the scanning and find their targets, once she saw a few heading their way, they went quickly to work in setting up a trap… and they didn't have to wait very long as nearby, a Rain Genin team was getting ready to ambush the trio…despite the fact that they were already walking right into one themselves.

As Anko heard the screams she smiled at that and made her enjoyment known at the proceedings, it was not that he loved needless death, but only when she knew that they were now aware of how serious a ninja had to be when facing the enemy to accomplish a mission.

"Well now…it seems the fun's started after all."

----------

Naruto and his group were moving about and when they head the screaming, Sakura was getting worried.

"This place is really freaking me out, I just we can find a team with the Heaven scroll and then find out where the Tower is, the sooner we're out of here, the better off we'll be."

Sasuke said nothing, but Naruto was wary…Holy Talon wasn't kidding as even he could sense the aura of death in this place, but that was not going to frighten him, oh no….he was here and now, no sense trying to back away from this. He then sensed something weird following them.

"Guys…we're being watched."

Sasuke and Sakura took out their kunai and sure enough, several kunai came right at them…but amazingly enough, they were aimed at Naruto, the blonde blocked the incoming weapons with Holy Talon, but it was then that there were several explosive tags on the kunai, the group had to scramble in different directions, and Naruto accidentally found himself falling into an underground cavern…while Sasuke and Sakura were in another part.

Sasuke shook his head clear and then spotted a Grass ninja facing them…the very same one that had handed Anko her kunai. The two Genin got ready to fight with their kunai, but the Grass ninja seemed unconcerned and smiled at Sasuke.

"Hello Sasuke-kun, I had been wondering when I'd meet you face to face."

"Who the heck are you?"

"Wouldn't you like to know…I will tell you my name when I think you are ready, but before that. I would like to see just how strong you really are…especially when I do this!"

The Grass ninja swallowed his scroll and then looked right at the two Genin with a very sadistic smile.

Sasuke and Sakura were suddenly thrown into a strange state of mind and then…

----------

In the cavern…

Naruto got up and tried to find his way out of the cavern, Holy Talon then glowed simple shade of soft green light to illuminate the cavern. Naruto knew that now was no time to relax, for all he knew, his companions would already be under attack by whoever found them. He knew Sasuke could handle himself well enough, it was Sakura that concerned him the most right now since he knew that she was not that skilled in other ninja skills, including Taijutsu. He had to find a way out and fast.

(("Master! We're not alone!"))

Sure enough, Naruto turned and managed to avoid the mouth of the largest snake he had ever seen in his entire life! It was even bigger than the one he had seen before outside the Forest of Death.

"You've got to be kidding me!!!"

The snake continued to pursue Naruto as he tried to keep away from winding up like the bird before. Holy Talon scanned the snake and realized something.

(("Master Naruto…that snake was summoned here, it's not a real snake!"))

(What?!)

(("I can sense another presence…but it's…no, that aura I sense is that of the same person we saw before…"))

(The one with the weird tongue?)

(("Yes…he's with Sasuke and Sakura…they are in danger!"))

Naruto turned and managed to slash the snake's lip with Holy Talon, drawing blood from it and forcing the snake to back away from him, though only for a moment. It was then that Naruto decided to kill this thing before things got really out of hand.

He attacked the snake and it opened it's mouth and was about to swallow him, but he allowed it to do so as he ran up and jammed his sword right through the roof of it's mouth. The Holy Talon sliced through the creature like it was merely made of paper and the creature faded away into a large explosion of smoke. He wasted no time and managed to locate a rise of ground with earth and stone that allowed him to leave the cavern, though his explorations and battle with the summoned snake had sent him too far away to reach them in time.

He rushed back to Sasuke and Sakura and managed to spot them, but they were being pursued by the same Grass ninja he had seen before and this time he was riding yet another massive snake. Naruto didn't waste any time and rushed in.

The Grass ninja stopped his snake summon as Naruto then pointed Holy Talon at him, the weapon was then released, but instead of falling to the ground as most normal swords did, Holy Talon remained afloat and then Naruto made some gestures and the blade spun and was soon turned into a spinning blade of death that Naruto sent right at the Grass ninja, the weapon was evaded, but the weapon sliced through several trees with no problem and then with the keenness of a boomerang, the weapon returned to Naruto and he caught it at the handle and faced his new foe.

----------

Several ninjas were busy doing routine examinations, but they then discovered something very sickening near the Forest of Death and called the nearest senior Jonin on sight as they examined the bodies of what appeared to be three individuals.

----------

In the Forest of Death…

Naruto took a deep breath as he stood with Holy Talon in a two handed grip and was in a defensive posture before the Grass Ninja who smiled warmly at him and his team in a VERY creepy fashion that was beginning to make him sick for some reason. This guy was now on top of the largest snake summon he had ever seen…even bigger than either natural ones he had see, or the one that tried to make a meal out of him in the cavern earlier. The Grass ninja then spoke to them.

"I must admit Naruto-kun, you certainly are different from what I've heard…does that have something to do with that beautiful sword you recovered from Wave Country?"

"What do you want from us you snake summoning freak? I know for a fact that if you were here for our scroll, you would have already gotten it and left…but you're still here, so what is it you want?"

The Grass ninja laughed and replied.

"My, my, such language…if you want to know why I am here…then it's very simple…I want Sasuke-kun…and you're precious Holy Talon."

Naruto roared in anger at that and lashed out with an energy attack with a swipe of Holy Talon as the sword glowed briefly and the energy was released.

"Over my rotting body are you getting either my team-mate or Holy Talon you freak!! DRAGON WAVE!!!"

The energy attack struck forward and the Grass ninja merely moved aside on his snake summon, but he looked as a nearby tree, about the width of the tower in the middle of the Forrest of Death was hit by the wave and was blown cleanly into splinters as the wave didn't dissipate like the one Naruto had used before. The Grass ninja raised his eye-brows at that and then attacked with his snake summon, while he spoke to Sasuke and Sakura.

"I shall be with you two shortly…I wish to see just what else you're comrade is capable of."

With that, Naruto was being pursued by the snake summon and the destruction was getting way out of hand. Naruto leaped, flipped and evaded the snake as the thing was smashing through the place like a boulder running down the side of a mountain in a rock slide. Naruto managed to flip backwards as the snake smashed into a tree with mouth wide open and fangs aimed right at him. The blonde ninja then dived downward, with Holy Talon in a reverse grip and intending to stab the guy right on the top. However the Grass ninja moved aside as the blonde ninja drove the sword right into the skull of the snake summon.

The snake trashed about wildly and Naruto was forced to hang on for dear life on Holy Talon and when the snake reached it's death throes, it tossed Naruto aside and the blonde ninja landed feet first and skidded a bit back his team mates. He got up and then summoned the same silver-green flame that he used to heal Sasuke before in Wave Country and was able to rejuvenate himself back into the fight. He then spared a quick glance to Sakura and Sasuke and was not liking what he saw in their eyes.

"Run Naruto! There's no way we could take this guy head on!"

Naruto was stunned at the utter fear Sasuke had in his eyes and voice…and he was getting annoyed.

"Since when have I ever run from a fight Sasuke?! Stop spouting nonsense and get you're act together and start getting ready to fight!!!"

"You idiot! That's no normal Genin from Hidden Grass we're fighting!!! He's not in our league…you can't possibly beat him…we should just give him the scroll…it will be…"

SMACK!!!

Naruto looked as he punched Sasuke in the cheek and knocked the Uchiha back to the ground. The Uchiha was stunned by that blow and looked at Naruto, who growled back at Sasuke.

"Who the heck are you?! The Sasuke I know would never act like this and give up now…I don't give up and neither does he…and what makes you think that bastard's going to let us walk away alive once he has our scroll?! For all we know, he could very well kill us the minute he gets it!"

"You shouldn't bother with Sasuke-kun for the time being Naruto-kun…you should deal with me."

Naruto turned and got into his defensive posture as the Grass ninja came out once more from the rubble and dust the dying snake summon had sent out. To the surprise of Sasuke and Naruto the man opened his mouth and a snake once more appeared out from that snake came a glowing blade with a cyan color and the blade was long and soon came out with a hand guard and handle that were in reptile like design. The guy took the sword into his hands and then got to face Naruto.

"I want to see how good you really are Naruto-kun…come on."

"You arrogant bastard…I don't know what you did with Sasuke and Sakura-chan while you sent that damned snake at me before to eat me…but I am going to make sure you regret every second of it."

Naruto suddenly glowed a haze of light and the Holy Talon glowed with pure golden flame and the jewel like eye in the hand guard opened once more and Naruto's own eyes glowed brightly with a mix of sapphire blue and shining silver light and when that happened, Naruto unleashed a massive wave of pure chakra and mystical energy all over the place like a shock-wave.

The Grass ninja was smiling widely at the amounts of power coming out from Naruto's Holy Talon, and despite the fact that he was nervously twitching at the power, he was ecstatic as well as he sensed the power.

(Such power…such raw, untamed power…it's beautiful!!!!! I must have it!!!!! I will have both the Sharingan of Sasuke-kun and the power of Holy Talon!!! With both…I shall be truly unstoppable!!!!)

The intense chakra energy that Naruto was unleashing along with the mystic essences of Holy Talon got the attention of just about every Genin Team in the area as they felt the tsunami of power coming from where Naruto's team and the Grass Genin were fighting.

----------

Gai's team…

Neji and his team of Tenten and Lee were suddenly stopped in their tracks as they felt the chakra waves moving through the Forrest. Both Tenten and Lee were nearly knocked down by it and when Neji used his Byakugan to try and locate the source of the chakra…he had to shut off his Byakugan because the sheer power was enough to nearly blind him.

"Where is that coming from?! I've never felt that much chakra before in my whole life?!"

"I agree…even I can feel it….it makes my skin tingle and my muscles twitch, Neji, can you find the source?"

"I can't…the sheer power of that chakra wave nearly blinded my Byakugan…but we can sense it at least…it's there on that side of the Forrest, we had better get moving and find out what it was."

The three senior Genin made their way to where the source was.

----------

Kurenai's team…

"You sense that?"

Hinata said as she covered her eyes as she tried to recover from nearly being blinded when she accidentally looked at the direction of the charka explosion. She had been using her Byakugan to seek out any Genin teams that could be after them, and when she saw the chakra wave with her Byakugan she was stunned and thankfully was able to deactivate her Byakugan since the immense chakra wave would have blinded her considerably.

"Yes…whatever source that chakra is coming from…it is massive."

Shino replied as his Destruction bugs were telling him how disturbed they were when they were able to sense the massive waves of chakra that came spilling out towards them. He then decided to send out a few of his bugs to try and locate the source of the immense chakra.

"We'd better check it out…but we have to be careful, I don't know what that source is…but it must be very powerful have that much energy in it."

Shino and Hinata nodded as they all made a beeline to where the massive amount of chakra had just suddenly came from.

----------

Asuma's team…

"Did you guys feel that?"

Ino asked as she, Chouji, and Shikamaru were busy trying to locate a new scroll for them to add to their scroll to complete and then make their way to the tower, they had a bit of a problem when Chouji decided to eat and they had to avoid another Genin team that came at their direction. But they were also looking for a good target when they sensed the sudden chakra explosion.

Shikamaru nodded and Chouji did as well, though the pleasantly plump member of Asuma's team was still munching away, only this time, he was eating several slices of cake.

(Author's notes: How that guy's able to stuff cakes, chips, and whatever food he has into a pouch that size….I'll never figure it out.)

Ino then went on her way to check it out…whatever it was that she sensed, it got her attention big time. Shikamaru shouted for her to wait up as he went after her and Chouji followed along as well, for once, putting aside his food to follow his team-mates.

----------

Kabuto sensed the chakra explosion and decided to head over there and take a look, he had a feeling things were about to get very fiery in that side of the woods.

----------

Gaara. Kankurou, and Temari also sensed it, just as Temari managed to calm both her brothers after Gaara dispatched the three Waterfall Genin that tried to kill Gaara and take the scroll from them. Gaara was the first to sense it and quickly ignored Temari's pleading as he went ahead to find out that source of chakra and energy, leaving Temari and Kankurou little choice but to follow him.

----------

Dosu, Zaku, and Kin also sensed the chakra wave and headed in that very same direction.

----------

Back outside…

Anko was not happy as she was informed of the discovery of the three bodies, all brutally murdered, while death was not surprising to the Special Jonin, it was the manner of their deaths that concerned her. Their faces appeared to have been…melted right off of them. That sounded very familiar to her for some reason, though why she didn't know just yet.

As soon as she and the other Chuunin examined the bodies, they discovered that they were Chuunin Exam registrants from Hidden Grass, and when they saw just who the dead people were it all came back to Anko just who was in the Forest of Death.

(It's him…damn it!)

"He's here in the Forest of Death with the Genin…we don't have time, I want two squads of ANBU called in and ready to move into the Forest of Death and several of you inform Lord Hokage of this!!!"

She turned around and opened one of the gates while saying to the Chuunin that she was going to deal with the Grass ninja. It was at that point that she too felt the chakra explosion and she picked up the pace as she needed to know just what the hell was going on.

----------

Back in the battle-ground…

Naruto's massive chakra release was finished as he was now back to his normal self but his eyes were different as they were still glowing in the silver white and sapphire blue shade and the golden flame of Holy Talon faded as the sword was now free from the golden flame but the jewel-eye was still open as Naruto then raised the sword, placed his feet apart and held the sword to his side. The Grass ninja pulled the sword off the ground and smiled warmly and then flicked the sword in a salute.

The other Genin teams who were able to arrive there watched as the two looked at one another more and then the Grass ninja then charged at high speed, nearly fading from sight, stunning the others and then he appeared on Naruto's left with his glowing sword about to take Naruto's head off with a slash…Sakura screamed out towards Naruto seeing the danger her team-mate was in.

"NARUTO!!! LOOK OUT!!!"

Naruto then moved as fast as she had ever seen him move and blocked the attack and with the same speed that gave him the ability to match his foe's pace, moved and lashed out with a kick and slash combination that forced his attacker back, he took the fight to the Grass ninja with a forward leap and with both hands on his sword and over his head spun his sword around him, forcing the ninja to move back and as Naruto completed the first 360 spin, he moved to the right with the sword in a single hand grip, the Grass ninja blocked the attack with his own sword as Naruto used his left hand to stop moving on the ground and then got to his feet.

As soon as he was on his feet, Naruto unleashed several powerful and swift strikes with Holy Talon, a few slashes and then thrusts, the Grass ninja then blocked and retaliated with his own sword strikes, that were also in slashes and thrusts, which Naruto managed to bloc, dodge, and parry, but the Grass ninja was far from finished as he forced Naruto back and then opened his mouth and fired out a sword from his stomach, forcing Naruto move aside as the weapon sailed past him, but he watched as it became a snake and then it slithered back towards it's master and slithered into the Grass ninja's leg. That made Naruto sick and more angry as the Grass ninja charged with his sword and they were now trading blows with one another.

The sword the Grass ninja wielded was strong…very strong, but the Grass ninja was now being a bit careful as there appeared to cracks on the sword despite the glowing blade. The blonde ninja wasn't letting up as he attacked with a leaping slash to the neck that forced his foe back.

Naruto was using one of the sword fighter essences that Holy Talon stored inside of itself, and though it was not a high level essence, the spirit of the sword fighter was a formidable one as Naruto went back to his defensive posture. The Grass ninja also placed his sword in a defensive position and both looked at one another…Naruto gritted his teeth and glared darkly at his foe…while the Grass ninja smiled back.

The blonde ninja's concern was not just to beating this snake summoning ninja, but to protect his team-mates, recalling Haku's advice to protect those dear to him with all that he had. He hoped to meet Haku again someday and they could become friends…but he had never seen him since that day they met in the forest in wave Country.

He put that aside as he spared a glance towards Sasuke and Sakura, the two were now all right, but Sasuke was still out of it though his leg was no longer bleeding as Sakura managed to tend to it. He could see that Sakura had at least recovered her wits while still shaken, but his other team-mate was another matter entirely.

(What the hell did that bastard do to them?!)

He had no time to figure it out as the Grass ninja attacked once more and he was forced to block the attack, the two then locked their swords and tried to push one another back, Naruto knew that he could hold it off, but it would be only resulting in a draw. He forced the ninja back and lunged right at him with a powerful slash, the Grass ninja used a replacement jutsu on him as he struck down a tree with one swipe…Holy Talon tore through the tree with a clean slice and little sound, Naruto turned around and the tree fell down behind him as he then spoke in the same archaic tongue as before…catching the Grass ninja off guard and that was enough as he brought the sword on a diagonal slash though he was far from his foe.

The Grass ninja was about to laugh and taunt him when a tongue of white flame lashed out from the sword in the shape of a Dragon's head with it's mouth open. The white flame moved like a snake striking at a foe and the snake summoning ninja was smiling at the power this unexpected attack had. The Dragon made of white flame smashed into a mess of trees, covering them in white flame when he was able to evade it, though barely as a part of his clothes were burned completely to cinders by the white flame. The trees were immediately burned and quickly reduced into ash. The snake ninja w\then attacked, but before h closed in, he unleashed several more snakes from his left hand that he aimed outward and the snakes then opened their own mouths and blades came out of them. Naruto moved aside and with one powerful slash…cut the snakes and then the man's arm off at the elbow. Naruto rolled away to the ground to avoid the slash that went overhead. He rolled to his feet and was now in the same posture he had used back in Room 301 against Dosu and his team.

The Grass ninja smiled and to the shock of Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura, the man used snakes once more and somehow grew back his slashed arm.

(("This man's tough, I've seen regeneration techniques before in the many battles I have been in…and while that one's new…there's no doubt he is gifted with the skill of regeneration."))

(Can we beat him?)

(("Yes we can Master Naruto, despite that ability, regeneration has limits, I have no doubt after tasting my edge, our foe has an idea what can happen if I struck him in a vital spot. Even that sword of his…while powerful in it's own right, will not stand up to me for too long."))

It was true as despite his calm and amused face, the Grass ninja was impressed as it seemed to take a bit longer for him to heal and regenerate his wound and grow back a new arm. And the Holy Talon was proving to be a deadly weapon as he saw through the glow of his sword and saw the damages as they were now more serious.

(My sword, the Kusanagi is a legendary weapon…nothing can ever break it and it can slice many things…yet Holy Talon is able to not only withstand the cutting power of my sword…but it can damage it as well and show no damage on it's own…not even a scratch or nick…Naruto-kun…that weapon WILL be mine…even if I have to pry it loose from you're cold and dead hands!!!)

"You had enough yet Naruto-kun?"

"Never, you sick demented freak of a ninja!"

"Brave words indeed, perhaps you should know who I am before we continue…"

"I don't need to know you're name you bastard…the only thing I want to know is what have you done to my team-mates!"

"All right then…I merely used a Genjutsu to play on their fears…and as you can see…the trick worked nicely, though they have broken free, they are still affected by it."

Naruto gritted his teeth and tightened his grip on Holy Talon.

"I'll make you pay for that…"

"Then come and get me Naruto-kun."

The two ninja then fought once more with slashes and thrusts while the other Genin teams the two fight, Sasuke was still locked in fear while Sakura tried her best to snap him out of it. No matter how skilled Naruto was with Holy Talon, Sakura was still afraid for him, as despite his ability, the Grass ninja was no fool. They had to help him somehow, but she knew she couldn't go at it alone and tried her best to snap Sasuke out of his stupor.

Naruto blocked another slash to his face and moved in close as the two ninja were now back to back with one another, Naruto used his left arm to block any attack with the left arm of the ninja, while he used his right to prevent an attack with the right arm as well. The Grass ninja was enjoying this fight as he too tried to force Naruto back and keep him from making a strike…the two then moved away as Naruto rolled forward and then turned to fire several shuriken at the Grass ninja, the ninja sliced the shuriken with his sword and then fired out another band of snakes that launched forward and blades extended out from their mouths…and this timer there were hundreds of them.

Naruto placed his left hand on the blade and focused his chakra into Holy Talon and with then fired a slash that glowed dark blue and out of the light came several glowing blades that smashed into the wave of incoming snake summons.

"DRAGON FANGS!!!!"

The glowing blades struck the snake wave with explosive force and destroyed them, sending the snakes flying and being destroyed by the force. The Grass ninja was not disturbed by that and then tossed his sword right at Naruto, and forced him to flip backwards to avoid it, however, he was about to attack when Sakura shouted a warning.

"NARUTO!!! IT'S COMING BACK!!!!"

Naruto looked and saw the Kusanagi flying back at him and he was able to block the attack quickly, but the Grass ninja moved at that time and landed a kick to Naruto's side and then used a nerve strike to force Naruto to release Holy Talon. The blonde ninja was knocked aside as Holy Talon was now embedded into the ground.

The Grass ninja laughed deeply and then smiled at Naruto.

"Most impressive Naruto-kun…you are truly stronger than I thought you to be…but now you're sword, you're precious Holy Talon belongs to me. I am Orochimaru by the way…you may not want to know my name, but I want you to know it either way."

The Genin teams gasped at that, they all heard about Orochimaru, the traitorous S-ranked ninja of their village. He had done horrible deeds while still in the village for which he was banished and was no longer welcomed in Konoha, but so skilled and powerful was he that no one today could hope to match up with him…yet Naruto was able to match him in kenjutsu, despite being caught off-guard.

As Orochimaru reached for Holy Talon after placing Kusanagi aside he eagerly reached for the handle to claim Naruto's sword, confident he could carry the weapon.

He had no idea just what fate awaited those who dared to hold the Holy Talon when they were of evil natures and hearts.

----------

Kakashi and the other Jonin were busy moving in the Hokage Tower when they spotted several Chuunin moving into the Hokage's private chambers. A few moments later, the Hokage came out with a look of utter seriousness and then called forth the Captain of the ANBU.

The ANBU leader listened and nodded as he and his subordinates moved to accomplish the Hokage's orders. Kakashi knew that things were not looking good and sure enough the Hokage looked out to a nearby window and gave a long sigh. The silver haired former ANBU walked over to the Hokage and asked.

"What's going on Lord Hokage?"

"An old enemy is back here in Konoha Kakashi…someone I thought I'd never see or hear from again."

"What?"

"It's Orochimaru…he has infiltrated Konoha…and is in the Forest of Death as we speak."

Kakashi's exposed eye widened at the revelation as he also knew just how powerful Orochimaru was as a legendary ninja and once had been a Hokage candidate but his desire and lust for power made him a poor choice, along with the horrible experiments he had done as well. But what would he be doing back here after so long…that is until Kakashi made a quick guess.

"He must be after the Genin!!!"

----------

Back in the Forest of Death…

The other Genin watched as Orochimaru got ready to hold Holy Talon. They were not liking this as things looked bad for Naruto and his group, Hinata was gasping and tried her best to not scream out, lest she would alert Orochimaru to her presence, the same could be said for the rest of the Rookie 9 since they knew that Orochimaru could easily slaughter them if he was so inclined to do so, the same could be said for Lee, Neji, and Tenten as they also knew just who Orochimaru was.

The Sand Siblings had actually arrived earlier and watched the fight from start to this point while the other Genin teams including the Rookie 9 had arrived at around half way of the fight. Gaara was as usual emotionless on the outside…but on the inside, he was very much impressed with the battle, and to think he would have missed it if he had followed Temari's advice and Kankurou's to the Tower. He had already acquired the other scroll by disposing of the weak Waterfall ninja that tried to fight him and he was about to hunt another team until Kankurou stopped him and got into a fight with his elder brother, only the advice of his elder sister stopped him.

Temari did not like the sight of this, and while she was feeling the urge to get involved, for some reason, she controlled herself as she might not be of much help in a fight like this. Kankurou wonder how this was going to turn out.

Naruto managed to recover himself, he countered the nerve strike the way Holy Talon had taught him and therefore, got some feeling back into his arm and looked at Orochimaru as the former Konoha ninja and traitor reached out to grasp Holy Talon.

As soon as Orochimaru touched the sword and gripped it in his hands, the still open eye glowed deep white and gold…and the entire sword was covered in gold and white flame the was seemingly alive and consumed the hand he had on him, and the flames spread rapidly, consuming Orochimaru's arm and then it spread rapidly through his body, consuming his right side with frightening speed and power.

The S-class ninja had no choice but to move away before the fires consumed him. As he did so, the flames continued to literally cook him as he managed to move away from the sword. The flames died as soon as he was able to escape, and unlike before when he was smiling, he now looked at his wounds in shock…the flesh appeared to be still burning and turning into glowing blue ash…and he looked at the Holy Talon as the jewel like eye in the hand guard seemed to GLARE right at him.

It was then that for the first time Holy Talon spoke to another apart from it's master, though it was still through telepathy. And unlike it's friendly, joking, slightly sarcastic, advisory, and trusting tone to Naruto…the voice that came to Orochimaru's mind was filled with absolute hatred, wrath, and power.

(("YOU DARE TOUCH ME?!?!?!? YOU ARROGANT WHELP!!!!!"))

Orochimaru's regenerative abilities began to kick in as his arm began to regenerate, but to his shock…at a very slow pace…the flesh of his body that had been saved showed deep signs of extreme burns and the smell was sickening…even for him. He looked at the surrounding and spoke.

"Where are you? Show yourself!"

(("I AM RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU, FOOLISH WRETCH!!!!"))

Orochimaru looked at his eyes widened as the Holy Talon was still bathed in flame and the voice he heard was indeed coming from the burning weapon. The snake summoning ninja watched as his wounds were now recovering at a much faster pace though not the same as the wounds he suffered from Holy Talon's defensive enchantments really weakened his healing gifts.

"How can a sword like you be alive?!"

(("I AM MORE THAN A MERE WEAPON FOOL!!!! AND YOU THINK I WILL SERVE ONE AS CORRUPT, EVIL, AND CONTEMPTOUS AS YOU?! NEVER!!! I SERVE ONLY MY CHOSEN WIELDER AND MASTER. AND THAT IS NARUTO UZUMAKI! I CHOSE HIM AND ONLY HE CAN USE ME IN BATTLE…YOU ARE A FOOLISH WHELP WHO THINKS HE DESERVES POWER…YOU ARE NOTHING TO ME…BUT ANOTHER FOE TO SLAY…YOU'RE KIND ARE NOTHING BUT EVIL STAINS THAT WILL BE DESTROYED, AND YOU THINK YOU ARE IMMORTAL?! I HARDLY THINK SO…TASTE MY FLAME AND MY EDGE AGAIN FOOL, AND WE SHALL SEE HOW IMMORTAL YOU REALLY ARE!!!"))

Naruto laughed and to Orochimaru's shock and that of the other Genin, including Sound and the sand Siblings the blonde ninja reached out with his right hand into the flames and held Holy Talon, the flames began to die down rapidly and when they did…Naruto was not harmed at all…even his clothes were not burned. The blonde ninja then spoke to Orochimaru…

"Hate to disappoint you snake bastard…but Holy Talon does NOT seem to like you and he won't obey you in the slightest…if you think you can take Holy Talon from me, then try it…with both hands this time."

Orochimaru managed to smile despite his pain as his wounds took longer to heal, and as soon as he recovered, he glared at Naruto and at Sakura and Sasuke.

"You are truly interesting Naruto-kun, and you also Sasuke-kun though I have yet to see you in action…but if I can't have Holy Talon…I can always go for the next best thing."

With that, Orochimaru unleashed several massive snakes from his left arm at Naruto, who quickly cut them, but they were just to distract him as Orochimaru then recalled Kusanagi and sent it right at Naruto, who was still distracted. The sword flew right at Naruto and he was too distracted with the new snakes to notice…the weapon was aimed right at his stomach…where the Kyuubi Seal was.

"NARUTO!!!!"

Naruto turned and spotted Kusanagi aimed at him…and there was no time.

(DAMN IT!!!)

SLISH!!!!

----------

The Genin Teams, with the exception of Gaara, and Sound looked on in shock and horror…

Naruto was also in shock and so was Sasuke…and for good reason…

Sakura was in front of Naruto…with Kusanagi buried in her stomach. She had rushed and got in front of the blonde ninja and pushed him aside and she took the strike of the Kusanagi, she wanted to help her comrades and saw that Naruto was about to be hit by the sword so she did what she could to save her team-mate.

The pink haired Kunoichi could only look at where the sword had pierced her in shock as blood began to flow out of her mouth. Naruto looked at her with wide eyes and intense fear and horror at what he had seen.

As she fell to the ground in shock…Naruto felt his anger reach new heights as he looked at his team-mate with the Kusanagi in her stomach and protruding out of her back.

"SAKURA-CHAN!!!!!!"

Orochimaru looked on, amused at what happened as Naruto got up and removed the weapon with his hands and tossed the sword aside. The blonde ninja was in a panic as he tried to help his team-mate. Sasuke at that moment recovered fully after another mental battle and saw what happened to Sakura. Sasuke got angry and then took out a kunai from his pouch and charged right at Orochimaru, much to the growing amusement of the S-ranked ninja. The Uchiha began using a variety of moves that were developed by his clan and managed to keep Orochimaru back and forcing him to be on the defensive. He even used the Fire Element jutsu to further even up the odds though Orochimaru was able to evade them despite his wounded and still recovering state.

All that didn't matter to Naruto at the moment as he cradled Sakura's head in his hands, the pink haired Kunoichi opened her eyes and smiled at Naruto despite the blood coming from her mouth. Naruto was in tears at this.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I…please don't die like this."

Sakura spoke despite the pain she felt at the moment.

"I…I'll be fine…I think the blade missed my vital parts. Hey, at least I'm not the damsel in distress this time…I wanted to help you and Sasuke-kun."

"By getting yourself killed?!"

"No…by saving you…so you could save us."

Naruto then reached out for Holy Talon. The sword then spoke to it's master.

(("She can be saved Master Naruto…we have to hurry while she still has strength left!!!"))

Naruto didn't hesitate as he summoned the silver-green flame as before…but the colors were even darker now and more pronounced as he placed Holy Talon on Sakura's stomach, and like before, the flame covered Sakura, but didn't harm her in the slightest as her body was now being mended, the Holy Talon's magic detected poison in her blood, but forced it out as the mystical healing flames sealed her internal wounds. Naruto looked at her while doing this and pleaded to her.

"DON'T DIE HERE SAKURA!!!!"

The flames faded and then Naruto listened to Sakura's heart-beat as best he could…and found it stable. Sakura opened her eyes a bit and smiled at Naruto as he smiled back and she closed her eyes.

(Holy Talon…is she…?)

(("She'll live…but she's really drained of her strength right now. She needs to rest soon and regain her strength."))

Naruto nodded…relieved that Sakura was going to make it…he then turned to face Orochimaru as the ninja moved away from Sasuke. And with a roar, Naruto charged and was now alongside Sasuke as the two of them faced off with Orochimaru. Sasuke looked at Naruto and spoke…

"I'm no longer under the Genjutsu's effects Naruto, I wished it would have been sooner…let's deal with this guy."

"Right then Sasuke…for Sakura's sake and our own...let's take this bastard down."

Naruto and Sasuke nodded at one another and they then glared at Orochimaru who looked back as the two of them with a taunting smile each spoke in turn.

"You tried to break my will and make me insane with fear…"

"…and you nearly killed Sakura-chan to get to me."

Naruto and Sasuke then charged at Orochimaru with their weapons in hand…Sasuke with his kunai, and Naruto with his Holy Talon.

"YOU ARE A DEAD MAN!!!!!"

----------

To be continued…

----------

Author's notes:

Well that wraps this part for now, we will see how Sasuke and Naruto fare now that they were going to double team Orochimaru.

I hope that this scene with Sakura being stabbed by Kusanagi doesn't get me into trouble with anyone, but it was a scene I knew I had to add in to add more mood to the story. And will the other Genin come in to help them?

That will be answered in the second part so we shall see my fellow readers!

For those of you who are wondering if Naruto and Haku are still friends, then the answer is still yes, it's just that since Zabuza pulled out early from the battle in Wave Country that Naruto does not know that Haku is the one who wore the mask. However, they will not be part of the Invasion and therefore, they will only be here to observe and not fight.

When they do appear, they will be at their best, and you can bet things will be different this time around. So don't expect them to be villains forever in this story…I have NOT forgotten how things turned out for the two of them back at Wave Country.


	8. Swords Clash Kusanagi VS Holy Talon P2

Naruto – The Twin Swords

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of it's media, characters, and all…I'm just a guy with too much imagination in his head and too much free time on his hands.

Chapter 7

Part 2

Swords Clash Kusanagi VS Holy Talon

( ): Thoughts

((" ")): Holy Talon's voice

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'_Hatred…is like a ravenous snake that chases it's own tail, it captures it and feasts heartily…unaware that it is consuming itself in the process. Or like a deadly disease that gives strength…but also consumes the body within.'_

'_Hatred gives power…but demands a very high price…never give into you're hatred and let it rule you for the rest of your life…for along the way… you may very well become the very thing you hate.'_

The words of a priest administering aid to his people…

----------

In the Forest of Death…

Naruto and Sasuke wasted little time in their combined attacks on Orochimaru, Sasuke threw several shuriken at Orochimaru, forcing the ninja to back away as he summed Kusanagi back to his side, and just in time to block Naruto's series of slashes that came for both his head and neck. If the S-ranked ninja didn't block in time, either strike could have seriously wounded him. But as he blocked, Naruto then leaped over him and as he landed, attacked Orochimaru with several more slashes and thrusts, forcing him back and just in time for Sasuke to attack him, the Uchiha managed to avoid the attacks from Orochimaru and land a few blows as well, forcing the ninja to leap to the trees.

Both Sasuke and Naruto fired several shuriken at his direction, which he managed to avoid well, showing his skills as a ninja to the pair, but Sasuke and Naruto were far from deterred as they leaped up after him. Sasuke summoned his Demon Wind Shuriken and tossed it right at the snake summoning ninja and then Naruto used his favored jutsu.

"KAGE BUSHIN JUTSU!!!"

Several Shadow Clones were now alongside the original Naruto and they also used the same move Naruto used before when he faced Orochimaru for the first time. The clones of Holy Talon also glowed a bit as they and the original were released by their holders and with the same gestures as before…the swords spun and were like glowing spinning circles of death and were unleashed at Orochimaru's direction.

The flying weapons came right at Orochimaru at high speed, forcing him to move from tree to tree, but when he got to one branch, the Holy Talon cut the branch off and allowed the Demon Wind Shuriken to come back to Sasuke and cut Orochimaru on the right side of his stomach, the snake ninja didn't show any pain but smiled as both Sasuke, Naruto, and his clones moved in to attack.

Sasuke launched several more shuriken at Orochimaru which he blocked with Kusanagi and evaded, but that gave Naruto the opening he needed to close the gap and slash Orochimaru on the chest, the snake ninja evaded the strike, but only barely as his front was cut and despite his smile…he was burned by the contact of Holy Talon's cutting edge on his chest. Sasuke then threw another kunai that Orochimaru deflected but Sasuke then closed in and then attacked with several powerful punches and kicks that managed to hit Orochimaru.

(They certainly work well as a team…I can't have Sasuke relying on them…he has great potential…but lacks…a certain degree of ruthlessness…and Naruto and that pink haired girl is preventing him from fully getting it…I will have to deal with that soon enough. But that will be for another time…I will need to see just what else they are capable of.)

The snake ninja then used Kusanagi along with several snakes from his left hand to attack both Naruto and Sasuke, the snakes this time fired out several large swords and some of them released swords in their mouths, this forces the two ninja back. Naruto then realized that if they tried to pursue Orochimaru, then they would leave Sakura undefended.

"Sasuke, we have to pull back!"

Sasuke looked at Naruto with surprised eyes, the blonde was by far giving Orochimaru a hard time, but now he wanted to pull back?!

"What are you talking about?! We have him right where we want him?!"

"That's what he wants…and we're leaving Sakura defenseless here! We need to make him come to us, not go to him!"

Sasuke growled angrily, but he had to admit that Naruto's logic was understandable…but he was not happy with the idea of backing down and moved back and so did Naruto, and Orochimaru didn't like that as they were denying him the chance to deal with them piecemeal. He had planned to take Naruto out of the equation, but not by killing him, he planned to deal with Naruto's gifts first and render him powerless to fight back. He then decided to focus his attacks on Sasuke and try to open a weak point in Naruto's defenses. And the best way was to goad Sasuke into forgetting his defenses.

"Such a shame Sasuke-kun…and here I was hoping that you would be as skilled or more so than the OTHER Uchiha that I knew…it seems you don't have what it takes to kill him after all."

The moment Sasuke heard that, his anger grew to mammoth proportions as he focused all of his attention to Orochimaru.

"You know HIM?!"

"Really now…of course I do…"

"WHERE IS HE?!?!?! TELL ME WHERE HE IS!!!!"

Orochimaru smiled warmly at that, goading Sasuke on.

(Wonderful, this will work well to my advantage!)

"If you want those answers from me Sasuke-kun…then fight me…let me see if you truly have what it takes to kill that one person who I KNOW you want to kill so badly."

"Sasuke….don't!"

"Shut up Naruto…you…you WILL tell where he is…if you don't…I'll KILL YOU!!!"

"Let me see if you really can Sasuke-kun!"

"Don't listen to him….!"

Sasuke ignored Naruto and charged right at Orochimaru, much to Naruto's shock and surprise, the Uchiha wasted no time and attacked Orochimaru with the innate ferocity that resembled a man possessed by demons. Naruto was torn in his duty…one was to aid Sakura and protect her from attack…the other was to his team-mate Sasuke so to make sure that they defeated Orochimaru. The blonde wanted to help Sasuke, but he had to protect Sakura as well, he decided to do what he can by supporting Sasuke and hope that it would work to their favor.

Sasuke wasted no time as he took out three kunai in each hand and fired them at Orochimaru, forcing the ninja to block with Kusanagi and the then traded blows with Sasuke as kicks and punches were sent flying. Naruto could only watch and wait for an opening since if he used his more powerful attacks, there was a big chance Sasuke would be caught in the aftermath of his attack and Orochimaru could attack them both, Orochimaru then blocked a series of kicks from Sasuke and that gave Naruto the opening he needed as he attacked as well…charging with another powerful lunge, aiming to slice off Orochimaru's head….however the ninja was not going to give up. He placed Kusanagi aside and the made several seals and unleashed a wind element attack.

"DAITOPPA!!!!"

The wind element attack proved to catch the two Genin off guard as the two of them were knocked back at a considerable distance…Naruto skidded to the ground while Sasuke flipped back to his feet…the unexpected attack stopped their offensive and that allowed Orochimaru some breathing room, he then smiled and directed a smaller version of the previous attack and included the element of fire…creating a very large sized fireball.

Naruto spotted it and knew that it was intending to kill them and Sakura and quickly jammed Holy Talon into the ground and chanted in the same archaic language and then released the spell.

"DRAGON SCALE DEFENSE!!!!!"

Energy began to form around the three Genin in the shape of hexagonal scales, like that of a Dragon's own scale pattern, the glowing shield surrounded them and the fireball exploded around the glowing red shield and covered them with fire…Orochimaru looked on and clapped as the flame faded to show that the energy shield was still active and protecting the three Genin.

(Impressive… this is the first technique I have seen that relies on no hand signs…but I doubt Naruto can keep this up. Time to add on the pressure and get Sasuke…he is powerful…but he must be taught to discard them all…and his hatred will be the key.)

"What are you doing there Sasuke-kun? Cowering in the dirt because you're so weak?"

"DAMN YOU!!!!"

Naruto barely got the shield down as Sasuke once more charged and this time, had several Windmill Shuriken in his hands as he tossed them at Orochimaru. Orochimaru evaded them but was a bit surprised to find himself suddenly surrounded by metal wire that tied him down quickly and effectively. Sasuke smiled at that and then began his own hand seals and unleashed a Uchiha clan favored strike.

"RYUUKA NO JUTSU!!!!"

Sasuke unleashed a powerful torrent of flame from his mouth and used a guide wire to cover Orochimaru in flames…the ninja shouted out and was covered in the fire as Sasuke landed back as the flames consumed the tree…

The other Genin watched the fight as it escalated to that level and many wondered if there was a chance Orochimaru was finally dead. However they were proven wrong as Orochimaru erupted out from the tree and forced Sasuke back as he had to avoid being skewered by the Kusanagi. That was when Orochimaru attacked with his own set of punches and kicks to Sasuke, who was able to block most of the attacks, but not a powerful kick that sent him flying back and hitting a tree.

"SASUKE!!!!"

Naruto leaped in and attacked as well, using several of his techniques with Holy Talon, Orochimaru avoided a powerful thrust that would have skewered him at the throat if he didn't move away as fast as he did. The two once more faced on another as Naruto held Holy Talon once more in the same position as before and got ready to face Orochimaru…but he knew that at this rate, he might not be able to defend both Sasuke and Sakura in their current states. He put that out for now as he charged right at Orochimaru as they crossed swords once more.

Orochimaru was able to get his sword ready though it's strength was waning in front of the power of Holy Talon, but he was not going to give up just yet as he traded several blows with Naruto. The blonde ninja evaded a stab with a side step, he struck the Kusanagi down and leaped at Orochimaru with his sword in the air….aiming right at Orochimaru's neck in flight, the snake ninja bend backwards, evading the blade of Holy Talon as Naruto landed and attacked with a powerful rising slash that Orochimaru blocked with Kusanagi, the snake ninja moved back with powerful yet graceful speed and then unleashed a special brand of attacks…consisting of stabs moving at high speed…making the glowing Kusanagi blade look like a blitz of light.

Naruto managed to evade few and then began to spin his sword using his right hand and moved the sword around his body to cover his body zones, the method of defense was able to frustrate a good portion of the attacks with his sword…the attacks lasted for a few minutes as the stabs were answered with spinning defense. Orochimaru then backed away but not before firing a powerful slash that cut Naruto on the upper right arm…wounding the blonde ninja and forcing him to release Holy Talon, Orochimaru then attacked, intending to deal with the blonde ninja permanently…but Naruto caught Holy Talon with his left hand and in a reverse grip slammed the Holy Talon right into Orochimaru's right arm…cutting it clean off.

As Orochimaru moved back, this was the opportunity Naruto waited for…despite the pain in his right arm and his growing exhaustion, the blonde was not done as summoned more clones to his side…there were at least twelve Kage Bushin that now surrounded Orochimaru, and they quickly attacked.

The first two clones were dispatched by Orochimaru in hand to hand combat…and so were three others, but the remaining seven were able to get close enough to stab Orochimaru with their swords to hold him steady as Naruto held the Holy Talon on both hands and charged with the blade glowing.

"RISING DRAGON FLIGHT!!!!"

The clones disappeared as Naruto unleashed a barrage of powerful punches, kicks, and slashes that were moving at high speed, Orochimaru could only block as best he could, but one such kick broke through his defenses and sent the snake ninja flying into the air. Naruto then leaped upward and then slashes at Orochimaru several times with smaller versions of the Dragon Wave. The waves exploded on Orochimaru and sent him flying even further until he broke the tree cover of the Forest of Death and when the smoke faded…the snake ninja looked up to see Naruto with Holy Talon in both hands and the sword glowing and he spun his body once more with the sword facing the side…making Naruto look like a top with a blade on the side…In a span of a few moments, Naruto gathered enough force in his spin and the energy around Holy Talon glowed pure gold in light and Naruto then spun for the last time as he and Orochimaru met half way with his flying and Naruto falling.

The blonde ninja then sent the sword slamming into Orochimaru with amazing force as the impact…while blocked by a snake summon…released a shockwave that shook the trees to their roots.

"WHIRLING HAMMER STRIKE!!!!!"

The Holy Dragon Sword sliced through the snake summon easily and sliced through Orochimaru's remaining arm and sliced him at the side. The energy acted like a massive hammer as the snake ninja was send slamming down hard into the ground with amazing force…the ninja hit the branches…but the force of the technique Naruto used had sent him smashing through the branches with intense force…as limbs from trees were broken off and as soon as Orochimaru hit the ground, it was a powerful explosion of pure force that sent dust right out of the ground in a large cloud. Naruto landed on the ground, but he was getting weary and he had to worry about the energy he used up…namely in his body. He then decided to look through the dust cloud to make sure that Orochimaru was dead. Holy Talon was concerned for it's wielder and voiced that very same concern to him.

(("Master Naruto…we need to heal you're wounds!"))

(I know…but I have to make sure he's dead.)

(("Master! Look out!"))

Naruto had enough time to react to that warning as the Kusanagi came right at him once more and then Orochimaru appeared…regenerated and smiling and then did a few hand seals and Naruto found himself unable to move to defend himself or attack.

"What the?!"

Orochimaru smiled at the look of surprise and turned aside to show his decimated body before…with massive gaping wounds and burns all over it.

"Very impressive Naruto-kun…you were strong enough to actually force me into discarding a part of my body…and I haven't resorted to that in quite a while. You are impressive…if you weren't protected by that sword…and you're resident which I have no doubt is still in there. I would have considered branding you as well as Sasuke-kun. Before you were not my concern…but now…you are different…you are a threat to me…and my plans for Sasuke-kun. I know this isn't temporary…but for now…I get to pay you back for those wounds."

With that, Orochimaru began to savagely beat Naruto with punches and kicks and he then used his tongue to hold Naruto as he sent the boy slamming into several trees with considerable force…if it hadn't been for his newly enhanced physical traits, Naruto would have been grievously injured as he was slammed around by Orochimaru. The snake ninja however knew that while he was enjoying the payback…the battle had taken a considerable deal out of him and he knew that he still had Sasuke to deal with. As soon as he tossed Naruto aside, and the special jutsu he used to stun the blonde was still in effect.

Naruto however was not giving up as it was never his way and it was never in his blood to surrender to any foe…no matter how powerful they truly were. Holy Talon then glowed light gold and in a moment as Orochimaru was about to attack with Kusanagi as he was fallen on the ground, as soon as the light faded from Holy Talon, Naruto got to his feet and then with several strikes, stopped Orochimaru's attack on him and forced the snake bastard back and with one powerful strike, with all of his energy at this moment as he was still badly injured, he struck the middle of Kusanagi with a power blow with Holy Talon within one hand..

"SWORD BREAKER!!!!"

The technique was well named as Holy Talon smashed on Kusanagi…and broke the weapon cleanly in half…Naruto grinned at the look of surprise on Orochimaru's face as he moved back and got into position once more to defend himself, but he had used up a lot of his physical strength in the fight for the time being since while he had received training it was only five days worth…and he was not yet ready to tackle full fledged foes like Orochimaru…Holy Talon took note of that and knew that as soon as Naruto had gained enough training, he could give more essences to his master.

Orochimaru smiled at that and attacked, but made a motion hidden behind his back as the broken edge of Kusanagi flew at the same time of his attack, Naruto blocked the first strike from Orochimaru but got cut on the back by the broken part, Naruto bit back the pain of the unexpected attack and then forced Orochimaru back as he turned and used the same move as before and crushed the flying part of the sword that struck him from behind. He then faced Orochimaru and smirked.

"Nice try snake face…but you're luck's run out."

Orochimaru smiled and replied…

"Not entirely Naruto-kun…"

The snake ninja then fired out another snaked from his mouth to distract Naruto and as Naruto struck with his sword and sliced the newly released snake into two halves…Orochimaru rushed in and then attacked with a powerful attack to the nerve center, managed to stun Naruto and force him to fall to his knees, the strike wasn't powerful, but it was enough to cut Naruto's strength in half as the blonde ninja fell back with a thud, he got up however and was holding onto Holy Talon tightly. However the attacks had drained him as Orochimaru moved in and kicked him aside as Naruto was now near a rock and needed to recover as he was slowly reaching exhaustion.

Holy Talon knew that and decided to summon as much energy as it could spare for it's master…since Naruto was still a novice in terms of being a Dragon Champion, it could not unlock all of it's power to aid it's master until he was strong enough to handle it. The sword summoned the green and silver flames and it surrounded Naruto once more and began to heal his injuries and recover his stamina, but with the number of injuries it was a bit longer than before.

----------

Sasuke recovered in time to see Naruto being wounded and was now too exhausted and wounded to continue fighting as he was kicked aside by Orochimaru…though he recovered and held his ground…this allowed Sasuke to make his move as he charged into the battle, planning to deal with Orochimaru and get some answers on where his true target was.

Orochimaru looked at his sword and was impressed that his Kusanagi was broken in half…the glowing blade could be rebuilt, but it was still a bit troubling that the Holy Talon was able to destroy the Kusanagi despite the Kusunagi's legendary status. Such a weapon would be useful and even if it would not respond to him, there would be other ways…

However, he was not going to get much of a chance as Sasuke came at him once more at full fury, but with Naruto a bit out of the fight it was easier as the Snake ninja placed aside his sword and then blocked several more attacks from the skilled Uchiha survivor and Sasuke was not letting up as he fired several massive fireballs at Orochimaru and the snake ninja was hit by several of them and when Sasuke recovered, he was suddenly attacked by Orochimaru and forced away…

Naruto was about to move in, but Orochimaru noted that and fired another massive wave of snakes that all activated their hidden weapons in their mouths, forcing Naruto to use another technique to stop them. With another powerful slash, the blonde ninja unleashed a powerful blast of fire at the incoming wave of snakes.

"DRAGON FIRE!!!!"

With Naruto distracted, Orochimaru made his move and quickly stopped Sasuke with his tongue and used his latest gift on the young Uchiha as Sasuke was unable to attack at him being in close range….Sasuke had no time to react as Orochimaru bit him right on the area between the neck and shoulder. The Uchiha felt immense pain as the bit occurred and he felt strange sensations in his body occur and he was released by Orochimaru as he tried to control the massive burning sensations that he was feeling.

Naruto burned through the snakes and saw what was happening and he rushed over to Sasuke and despite the still remaining effects of pain from his still present injuries as he had decided to ignore the advice of Holy Talon to let it fully heal his body. As he made it over to Sasuke he caught his team-mate and looked at Orochimaru with intense anger.

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO SASUKE?!"

"I gave him my calling card…a symbol of power…soon he will come to me for power…the power he desires to defeat the man he seeks. He will come to me…and nothing will stop him…not even you Naruto-kun."

"Damn you, you bastard…I won't let you have you're way!"

Naruto charged right at Orochimaru and unleashed several more slashes, thrusts and stabs at Orochimaru and Orochimaru was forced to rely on his speed and agility to avoid the attacks being thrown at him by Naruto and used snakes in the form of swords to slow down and distract Naruto, Naruto however was in the grip on another technique as his eyes glowed once more and the Holy Talon began to glow deep blue…and then Orochimaru stopped and that was when Naruto attacked as he charged and struck out at Orochimaru…

"RAGING DRAGON!!!!!"

Naruto began to move at high speed, seemingly fading in a burst of light, only to appear once more in an angel around Naruto…the trick was the same as Kage Bushin, but Naruto was actually using a short range teleportation spell that gave him the ability to move rapidly…however, it was only a short range spell and was not able to teleport him at vast distances…However it was enough to give him an edge since the spell relied on his use of Holy Talon's mystical energy reserves instead of hand seals. That fact became evident to Orochimaru as his attacks with snakes were unable to hit Naruto in any angle and then Naruto closed the gap and unleashed a massive barrage of slashes and thrusts that totally caught Orochimaru off guard and the snake summoning ninja was barely able to evade the attacks as the blows cut and pierced his body as he tried to evade Naruto…Naruto pressed the attack, intending to cut Orochimaru to shreds and the snake ninja knew that despite his smile, his body was already suffering from multiple wounds and he knew that the best chance to win now was not to try attacking Naruto head on…but to outwit him. The power being given to Naruto was not that of the Kyuubi, but of a totally different and unknown nature…and therefore, until he knew more…he could not afford to continue fighting with the blonde ninja and the living sword he was carrying.

The attacks that Naruto used were not just fast and powerful, but could also released powerful and unseen wind currents that were razor sharp as well as Orochimaru's clothes were showing large tears and went sans there were already wounds on his skin and flesh. Only then he used his snakes that he was able to escape as Naruto unleashed a powerful glowing slash that was like a massive crescent that sliced through the trees and boulders behind Orochimaru. The snake ninja smiled at the power he witness and was a bit saddened that he would not get the chance to see it.

"I will be leaving Naruto-kun, you have been very intriguing…far more than I suspected or thought possible."

"Come back here and fight me coward!!!!"

"Soon Naruto-kun…soon we will fight and no matter what…you will die…and Sasuke-kun shall be mine!"

"I'll never let you take him!!!"

"Foolish…he will come to me of his own free will…now I bid you farewell."

With that, Orochimaru took his leave…Naruto managed to recover his stamina but he was tired…very tired and walked over to see that Sasuke had somehow slipped into a coma, but was alive. Holy Talon confirmed that as the blonde ninja ran the living sword over Sasuke's body.

(What the heck did that bastard do to him?)

(("I am not sure…but I sense something evil flowing in his veins…whatever it is, it resembles some form of toxin that is now melding with his body."))

(Can you remove it?)

(("I'm not sure…this is unlike what I know back in my world…and removing it would mean removing his only blood, it's fused entirely with him."))

(Damn!!! Is there any other way?)

(("Unknown for now…but I can tell you that it's not natural…only when I find the source and study it can I create a counter Master Naruto…but we have to recover…you're body is beat up and you've exhausted yourself considerably."))

With that, Naruto helped Sasuke to his feet and took his team-mate to where Sakura was, she was still asleep, but was recovering well, he placed Sasuke down and then sat down himself, cradling Holy Talon, trying his best to recover his strength, but Naruto was wounded badly and as the other Genin teams began to move out, Naruto then fell asleep, his exhaustion winning over his desire to remain awake and protect them from danger. It was then that things were about to get even more hairy for Kakashi's team. But not all the Genin teams were leaving the scene after witnessing the battle before them.

----------

"Lee! What are you doing?!"

Neji asked heatedly as the green jumpsuit wearing Genin leaped down and headed off towards the stricken trio of ninja. Tenten looked at their team-mate with some surprise and wondered just what he was getting himself into.

They had intended to move on and possibly avoid contact with the snake ninja when Lee took off and now they had to stay behind and try to reason with their wayward team-mate…but they were getting nowhere fast as Lee moved away.

They were not the only ones with problems however as Kiba, Akamaru, and Shino followed Hinata who made her way towards Naruto and his team, and she was holding the healing ointment as well. Hinata didn't respond to Kiba's pleas to wait up for them as she focused her attention on helping Naruto.

Gaara and his siblings decided to move on, though Temari was worried and hoped that the blonde ninja was not going to be counted out in the test, she was in the mood to see more of the guy in action…there was something different about the way he moved and fought that was attractive…along with his looks…but for now…they had to move on.

Orochimaru moved on and encountered the Sound Trio, Zaku looked at his master with some worry.

"Are you all right Orochimaru-sama?"

"I am fine, now then if you are ready…deal with that group in any way you wish."

"Yes Orochimaru-sama."

The three ninja left…unaware of the fact that they had looked at the battle with Naruto and the wave of snakes and they were blinded by the explosion…thus they had no idea of the bite that Orochimaru had given Sasuke…the only thing they saw was Sasuke being knocked out and Naruto using another powerful attack technique that seemed to drain him even further.

As they left to accomplish their mission, Orochimaru left the scene and smiled at the soon to occur outcome..Sasuke was a strong person and soon, with the gift he gave him, the Uchiha will be stronger than before

----------

Anko made her way deeper into the Forest trying to find the source of the massive sounds of battle that she had heard before…however, it was then that she spotted movement nearby and when she saw who it was, she growled and changed direction and when into an interception course.

----------

Rock Lee made his way to Sakura was looked her over carefully, and he was relieved that she was all right, but in her wounded and recovering state, she was vulnerable to attack from the other teams. The pink haired Kunoichi was now recovering her full strength and was able to open her eyes and get up…she looked in surprise to Rock Lee.

"What the heck are… wait…where's Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun!"

"They are over there…they fought Orochimaru with all that they had…and forced him away…but they are very exhausted…and can't fight anymore."

Sakura turned and found her two team-mates on the ground in utter exhaustion. She then looked at Lee with a wary eye.

"Are you…?"

Lee shook his head.

"No…we both have the same scroll on our teams so there is no need for me to take yours…but after that display you gave, I was so impressed, and I swear I will protect you Sakura!"

"My…what a pleasant look this is."

Lee and Sakura turned as they spotted the Sound trio before them, Dosu gave a laugh and spoke.

"It seems Orochimaru-sama was right that when they were exhausted, they would be easy prey…I was ordered to kill Sasuke only…but that was before, now I am to kill not only him, but that blonde kid as well. And then you…"

Lee stood up and went to his combat stance.

"I will not let any of you lay a hand on any member of this team, namely Sakura."

Kin snorted at that was not pleased with Lee's words

"Why should you care? They aren't you're team-mates and you are alone after all."

"I do not care…if you think I will let you harm Sakura or her team-mates while they are in this state, then you are wrong. I made a promise to protect her and her team-mates and I am not going to change my mind…you want them, get past me first."

Lee said with his nice guy pose…in the very same way that Gai used to do…complete with glinting teeth.

Zaku snorted and replied as he got his hidden trump card ready to finish Lee off so they could get to killing both Sasuke and Naruto. At first he had been worried about the massive amounts of power Naruto wielded with Holy Talon, along with the exceptional combat skills and techniques wielded by Sasuke in combat, but with the two of them out of power, chakra, and stamina, they were easy pickings for the team.

He fired out several powerful bursts of pressurized air at Lee, but the agile and highly skilled Genin moved away from the attacks and attacked them as all three Sound ninja made their move and converged on Lee…but they were going to get into a serious fight as Lee began showing them his skill in extreme Taijutsu as the three Sound Genin attacked him and he unleashed a powerful spinning kick that sent the three Genin flying and they were forced to rely on their skills instead of their close combat skills.

Lee knew that he was at a serious disadvantage since it was against three foes and he recalled what had happened to Kabuto when the bandaged one named Dosu attacked him with that arm with the unknown device on it…he realized that it was now time for him to use THAT jutsu.

Lee recalled that in the past he had been the only one of his team to master the jutsu known as Lotus, taught to him by Gai-sensei. Once he did so, he was told that it was a forbidden jutsu and used only under the most dire situations or to protect someone you cared for.

The lesson of Lotus also pointed out to him that since the body had eight gates that regulated chakra flow. The Lotus required the user to open these gates in order to acquire more chakra than possible normally, and it had to be done personally. The increased chakra increased speed, strength, power, and the ability to inflict greater moves than normally possible…however it had a deadly side effect…the body could only handle so much power before it would suffer and break down, and the chakra gates themselves would be damaged badly and if the gates are not closed in time, it would severely cripple the ninja using the Lotus. And since humans could only use a full 20 of their chakra, using a full 100 would destroy them

That was why he was forbidden to using the jutsu by Gai unless the situation truly called for it. And considering his situation with three ninjas to face…he would have to fight his hardest to protect Sakura. And as soon as he singled out Dosu…knowing of the man's fighting skills and his unique ability, he would be a serious threat.

Lee attacked Dosu and following the same method as before when he faced Sasuke he released his bandages and unlike before…he was able to complete the jutsu of the Initial Lotus, or the first stage of Lotus…while it was weak it was certainly lethal in it's own right and as he brought himself and Dosu down he intended to finish this fight quickly.

However Lee spotted Zaku who had created a powerful gust of air and this saves Dosu…it was then that Dosu moved in and attacked with a punch, which Lee blocked, but as Dosu leaped back, and he tried to follow him…lee felt his body suddenly lose control and his ears began to bleed….Lee falls to his knees and Sakura recognized the move.

"That's the one you used to hit Kabuto-san with!!!"

Dosu smiled…

"Correct, my attack is not merely physical, it's pure sound, the device on my arm acts as a sound amplifier and is chakra imbued…the normal human ear can only hear sounds up to the range of 150 decibels…any higher and that will result in loss of balance and bleeding in the ears…quite effective actually."

Zaku however was not going to be outdone by his friend and also joined in.

"As for me, my arms have special air vents that allow me to create heavy, pressurized air and supersonic currents of air as well…so I can create cushions and powerful currents that can cut through objects like a blade."

The Sound Genin then continued their attacks, with Dosu leading the strike at Sakura so they could deal with both Naruto and Sasuke. But Rock Lee was not giving up and blocked them with a Whirlwind kick, Dosu blocks it and strikes with a much higher sound wave from the amplifier on his hand…taking Lee down and leaving Sakura vulnerable.

The pink haired teen however was not going to give up and took out her kunai willing to fight to protect her team-mates…she was not going to let anything happen to them…and Lee, she owed him and she saw him for a brave, kind hearted, and strong. She threw her kunai at Dosu, but the Sound Genin blocked them away, Zaku blacks another attack and Kin grabs Sakura by the hair and smiled at her victim.

"Growing long hair…you're not going to be of much help to anyone…hey Zaku…kill her precious team-mates before her...start with the dark haired one first…I have a plan for the blonde one."

"Right then, this won't take very long…"

Sakura began to cry and think about how weak she was compared to both Naruto and Sasuke.

(I am so useless…I can only do small things for them…they always protected me….and I did nothing…)

However she realized that this was a chance to truly prove that she was a Kunoichi…not a damsel in distress…she saved Naruto's life when she took the Kusanagi in the stomach and how Naruto saved her with the power of Holy Talon, and he had exhausted himself to help Sasuke force Orochimaru back. And she then recalled the words that Naruto said about her being the smartest of the group…and how Naruto had fought his best to protect her and Sasuke.

(Naruto-kun said I was the smartest and he liked better if I was myself…I'm not being myself, I'm being a coward…he and Sasuke-kun have protected me…and Lee-san protected me…and they…they are now needing my help…I will NOT be the weak one!!!!)

Sakura managed to reach into herself as she grabbed a handful of dirt in hand and one kunai in the other. Kin expected the kunai to be aimed at her but she was blinded by the dust in Sakura's hand. Sakura then pulled forward and sliced off her own hair, releasing herself from Kin's grip. However, she was far from done as she got to her feet and recalling the Taijutsu she learned as a student in the Academy, she grabbed Kin by the front of her dress and tossed her over as she leaned forward and tossed the Sound Kunoichi over and she slammed right into Zaku…causing the Sound Genin to focus their attention on her once more.

Sakura got to her feet and fired several of her kunai right as Dosu who snorted and blocked them as she closed the gap…he then punched Sakura, but instead of following the same situation of Lee did, the Sound Genin found himself hitting Zaku instead of Sakura as the pink haired Kunoichi exploded in a puff of smoke.

(A replacement jutsu?!)

Dosu had no time to react as Sakura appeared and kicked him right in the back, forcing him to collide with Zaku who was still uneasy from the unexpected attack of his partner's sonic amplifier. Sakura then faced off with Kin who was far from happy with what had happened to her and she then clashed with Sakura' the two traded punches and kicks for a moment and then Kin fired several kunai at Sakura and the pink haired Kunoichi dodged them…however, that was Kin showed her own skill as the bells began to ring…and Sakura suffered the same effects as she lost her accuracy in throwing the kunai as her kunai flew in all directions. Kin charged with her own kunai intent on finishing Sakura off herself for the dirt in the eyes…But Sakura recovered in time and blocked her attack with her arms, but her sense of balance was also gone as Kin managed to knock her aside and attack again, hitting Sakura with a cut on the left arm. Sakura however was not giving up as she moved away from Kin's next strike and moved back to Sasuke and Naruto and managed to tackle Zaku who was about to attack her fallen team-mates…she bit him right on the arm, making him scream out in pain and he swore as he tried to beat her away and she was getting a lot of injuries but held in defiantly and Zaku was force away from them as she kicked him hard in the gut and forced him back from her team-mates…but this allows Dosu to close the gap and fire out a punch that Sakura blocked…but she too suffers from the sonic amplifier effect as she fell to her knees and had bleeding in her ears, but not before she throw a kunai right at Dosu that forced him to move away.

Sakura fell to her knees trying her best to bite back the pain she was feeling as she focused on defending her comrades, but her wounds were really getting to her as she fell to her knee as she tried to get up once more.

In was then that several kunai hit the ground between the Sound Genin and Sakura…and sure enough, there came the throwers…Ino and Shikamaru of Team Asuma, and Chouji in tow. But they were not alone as well.

----------

Ino and her team arrived on the scene quickly after seeing Lee down and badly hurt and when Sakura had been fighting her best. She might be rivals with Sakura, but she and Sakura had a lot of history together…before they officially competed for Sasuke, they had been best friends in their younger days when she had helped Sakura get some self esteem when she was picked on because of her forehead, and now things were not looking good for her former friend. She still didn't know what to do with her reactions to Naruto's sudden changes, but for now she was not going to let things go unheeded.

It was also when Hinata and her own team were there, also protecting the others, including Naruto and Sasuke. Ino was surprised to see that Hinata was there and so were Kiba and Shino. They were a specialized tracking team, with Hinata's Byakugan, Kiba and Akamaru's nose and Shino's destruction Bugs…they were not pure fighters despite the skills Kiba and Shino had, and Hinata's own use of the Hyuuga fighting style though she had yet to see the shy girl use the style herself. However it seemed that for now, they were the ones who were going to do the fighting as Hinata and her group were busy tending to Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura.

Hinata gave a very worried look and began to use her healing ointment on her crush…she forced back her normal reactions to Naruto and tried not to think about how his muscles felt underneath her hands as she applied the healing ointment on his wounds and bruises.

(Please Naruto-kun…be all right!)

As soon as she was done with that, she went over to tend to Sakura, who was still bleeding from some of the gashes she suffered from Dosu, Zaku, and Kin when they were able to fight back on the pink haired kunoichi's onslaught earlier. Sakura was surprised to see her rival Ino and her team show up…and then Hinata and her team appeared as well.

She then looked at Hinata and asked.

"Hinata-san, what are you…?"

"I-I-I wanted to h-help you…we already have our own scroll so we…we're not here to fight you Sakura-san…we just want to help."

(More like you want to help Naruto-kun.)

She couldn't find fault in Hinata helping Naruto…after all, the girl had a king sized crush on the blonde boy. But now with all that has happened, she couldn't help but feel a bit…envious at how Hinata looked as she went back to tending to Naruto as she resisted her urge to faint. She was still trying to get used to Naruto's changes and as such, she was wondering what and how to act in the presence of her team-mates.

Hinata placed another amount of healing ointment and prayed that she would not faint as she treated Naruto of his wounds, while Kiba and Shino protected her and made sure to keep an eye on the Sound Trio before they tried anything to stop their team-mate.

Chouji however was not in the mood to fight and would have left, forcing Shikamaru to hold him by his scarf…however, it was then that Zaku made the mistake of calling Chouji fat. The moment that word entered Chouji's ears, he turned about and gave a death glare at Zaku…Shikamaru knew that if there was one thing Chouji despised…it was that word…

"What did you just call me?!"

Zaku snorted and replied smugly.

"Let me repeat then…you are a fat coward."

Chouji roared out loud and shouted back at Zaku…

"I AM NOT FAT YOU BASTARD!!! I AM BIG BONED!!!!!"

Chouji then released steam out of his nose as Shikamaru and Kiba shook their head as they thought at the very same time.

(Chouji HATES the word fat…so much so the word's considered taboo for anyone to say while near him!!)

"HURRAY FOR BIG BONED PEOPLE!!!!"

Sakura was confused and silent, while Hinata was as well.

Chouji shouted to both Ino and Shikamaru and he gave a battle ready look.

"LET'S CRUSH THEM HERE AND NOW!!!!"

Ino and Shikamaru were ready to fight and it didn't take long for them to make their move….Chouji started rolling the ball literally as he leaped up into the air and then summoned his chakra and used his family's signature jutsu The Baika No Jutsu. Chouji quickly became a massive sphere and in a moment his head, arms, and legs went into the ball and he roared out like a tank, and it was aptly named as Chouji shouted.

"MEAT TANK!!!!"

Zaku tried to stop and finish Chouji off, but discovered quickly that his Air Cutter technique was worthless since the speed and rotation of the Meat Tank technique Chouji was using rendered his Air Cutter worthless. Chouji leaped up and was about to crush Zaku as Dosu tried to interfere, but was quickly restrained by Shikamaru with the Shadow Binding Technique and then Ino used her Mind Transfer Jutsu to take over Kin's body, just as Zaku called out to her to help them, but Ino controlled Kin and threatened them that if they didn't hand over the scroll, then she would kill Kin…however Dosu and Zaku were not moved as Zaku fired a powerful blast at Kin and knocked her back to a tree…making Ino bleed in the mouth, and Chouji was hit and felt dizzy as hell, forcing him to stop using his Meat Tank when he deflected most of the blast from Kin despite her being forced back into a tree. Shikamaru then saw his jutsu fade as they were told by Zaku and Dosu that they were after Sasuke and Naruto only, not the exam. They were also ready to kill Kin to kill Ino as well, and Shikamaru knew they had lost this fight.

It was then that the Sound duo noted the other team who were looking ready for a fight….or at least two of them were as Hinata was tending to Naruto.

The two remaining Sound Genin were ready to fight, as Kiba, Akamaru, and Shino got ready while Hinata tried to gather her courage and fight. Lee's other team-mates, Neji and Tenten then showed up and Neji commented that Lee must have messed up to be in that state when Tenten spotted him on the ground.

Neji called them a second rate team for attacking Ino's group and Zaku dared him to come down and prove his words and that they were all cockroaches. Neji replied that Lee was part of their team, and they went overboard with him and he activated the Byakugan and that got the attention of everyone, including Hinata. But as Dosu tried to goad Neji into fighting…the Hyuuga then noted a pair of charka signatures coming to life and replied.

"Looks like I don't need to."

Dosu was confused…but only for a moment and his eyes widened as Naruto was now on his feet and cracking his neck and knuckles, the blonde ninja stretched his arms a bit and yawned.

"Ah, that felt good…what the?! Ino, Shikamaru, Chouji, Hinata, Kiba, Shino, Lee?! What are you all doing here?! And what did…Sakura-chan?! What happened to you?! Who did this to you?!"

Zaku replied.

"I did that…though the hair cutting bit was her own move."

Naruto gave Zaku a dark glare and with a smack of his foot on the ground, Holy Talon flew and landed into his open right hand quickly and expertly as he roared.

"You bastard! I'm going to make you pay for that!!!"

But it was then that Holy Talon gave Naruto a warning.

(("Master Naruto!!! You're team-mate Sasuke…something's happened to him!!!"))

Naruto turned and spotted Sasuke on his feet but he was covered in a dark swirl of purple chakra that seemed evil…completely evil of some sort. This was not looking good, the chakra felt the same as Orochimaru's…but mingled with Sasuke's own chakra, he then spotted a seal forming on the place where Sasuke was bitten.

(What is that seal?! Is that what that snake bastard placed on Sasuke?!)

Inside his own mind, Sasuke was tortured by his younger self…talking about his lack of power to stop the massacre of his clan, and in the end, the younger version of him tore his face to reveal Orochimaru's face and eye…telling him that if you want power you must get it…no matter what the source.

Sakura was happy at first to see Sasuke on his feet, but her joy faded as she saw the sudden changes that Sasuke had just gone through the others including Ino were frightened by what they were witnessing in front of them at this very moment, it was then that Sasuke spoke to Sakura.

"Sakura…who did this to you?"

Naruto didn't like this…there was something different about his team-mate, the voice was the same…but with an eerie tone to it, almost like Orochimaru's. Sasuke repeated the question and more forcefully at Sakura as he answered that Orochimaru gave him the power to be an avenger to avenge his clan…and it was time to see this power in action, and when he asked again, Zaku replied.

"I did that…so what are you going to do about it?"

Sasuke smiled…and replied as the chakra faded and revealed flame like patterns all over his face and arm.

"I'm going to make you pay dearly for that."

Dosu knew what was happening and was in absolute fear…Naruto's revival was enough make him very cautious, but this was even worse.

(My God! He has the Cursed Seal…and he's alive…that chakra…we can't beat that much power!!! We have to pull back now!!! What the hell is going on here?! Why did Orochimaru-sama give Sasuke the Cursed Seal when he wanted us to kill him?!)

Zaku snorted and despite Dosu's warnings, got ready to attack. Shikamaru quickly called Ino to return to her body before she was mistaken for the enemy, and Chouji to retreat now. Chouji asked his team-mate what was going on as Ino was back in her own body…Shikamaru had no idea. Kiba sensed that things were about to get really out of hand and called his team to back away, and they did so as only Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke were left to face both Dosu and Zaku, while Neji and his team looked on.

The markings on Sasuke's body began to spread more and glowed like fire and that made Dosu even more frightened as the glow faded and black flame markings were all over Sasuke's face, and the Sound Genin sensed the massive energy Sasuke was releasing, and while not the same as Naruto's when he sensed it…it was not weak in the least.

(This is too much for us…we need to back away now!!!!)

Zaku however was not budging.

"Dosu! Don't be afraid of those two guys! They're already half dead after their battle with Orochimaru-sama so we can take them!"

"No Zaku!!! Don't engage them!!!! You don't understand what's happening!!!!"

Zaku paid no attention to that as he unleashed his jutsu.

"MAXIMUM AIR CUTTER!!!!"

Naruto quickly responded and jammed Holy Talon into the ground and chanted the spell.

"DRAGON SCALE DEFENSE!!!!!"

The impact of Zaku's attack tore up the place and everyone braced for impact, and as soon as the winds died, Zaku was smiling and commented that they were all gone…but to his shock, his Maximum Air Cutter was nullified by Naruto's Dragon Scale Defense spell as the spherical shield of energy was intact and those inside were safe, namely Rock Lee, Sakura, Naruto, and even Hinata, Kiba, and Shino. The shield faded and Naruto was in his defensive position once more.

"I don't believe it!!! How could they be…"

"Believe it fool…"

Zaku then was hit by Sasuke's back hand…the speed given by the Cursed Seal allowed Sasuke the chance to evade Zaku's attack and he knew that Naruto's Dragon Scale Defense spell would shield the others as he took to the attack. Zaku was sent flying and smashing into the ground next to Dosu…Sasuke then made the hand seals and unleashed another fire technique of his clan.

"KATON HOUSEKNA!!!"

Sasuke unleashed several fireballs at Zaku and when Zaku angrily shouted and used his air vents to turn off the fire, he was stunned that there were shuriken in the flame that he couldn't stop with his air attacks. Dosu gave him a warning, but it was too late as Sasuke moved in and grabbed Zaku's arms from behind and forced him to his knees.

The other teams watched in shock, as this was not the same Sasuke that they knew before, and so did Sakura as she saw just what Sasuke intended to do…Naruto saw likewise and shouted.

"Stop it Sasuke! You're not yourself!!!"

"Quiet Naruto…I noticed that you're very proud of you're arms…let me see if I can fix that."

"No…don't!!!"

Sasuke didn't care as he pulled and dislocated Zaku's arms…making the Genin scream in pain and fade into unconsciousness from the shock. He then turned his attention to Dosu and gave a smile devoid of any emotion except the desire for blood.

"You're friend was disappointing…I hope you can entertain me more than he did…"

----------

Naruto realized quickly that this was what Orochimaru had done to Sasuke and he didn't like it…what that seal was doing to his team-mate was making him a mindless killing machine and if something or someone didn't stop him here and now, there was going to be a serious mess to clean up…as he looked at Sasuke making his way to Dosu who was petrified in fear as he had already brutally dislocated Zaku's arms. Holy Talon noted that as well and spoke quickly.

(("That seal's turning him into a berserker!!! Master Naruto, we have to suppress it now in some way before he is totally under it's influence!!!!"))

Sakura also looked at her crush and wondered just what he was doing, but she knew she had to stop him fast, she got up and ran towards Sasuke and so did Naruto. Sakura hugged Sasuke and begged him to stop this before he lost himself…while Naruto grabbed him by the shoulder and stopped him.

"Don't do this Sasuke…this is what Orochimaru wants…he wants you to use that seal so he can control you! Stop it right now!!!"

Sasuke listened Sakura's pleading and then looked at Naruto's serious expression and in that moment he understood the situation as the markings began to recede from his face, arms and body and he fell down to the ground in shock as he looked at his hand.

"What…what happened to me?"

Sakura and the others looked on in worry as the other Genin teams of Konoha waited for the outcome…Dosu realized that there was no way they could defeat the group before them…they had seen the power Naruto and Holy Talon possessed, and coupled that with Sasuke's skills, his Sharingan and his newly acquired cursed seal…his team's attempt of assassination was doomed to death…so he did the next best thing.

"Sasuke-kun…we cannot hope to beat you and you're team-mates, so we will make a deal…our scroll for our safe passage."

With that, Dosu offered the three Genin the Heaven Scroll to compliment their Earth scroll, the two ninja looked on, while Naruto was not entirely convinced as he pointed Holy Talon at them.

"You're just leaving? Why?"

Dosu looked at Naruto and knew that blonde ninja deserved an answer..after all, he had shattered Orochimaru's Kusanagi in half…and that was a feat in itself.

"We might be asking for much…but we need to confirm something. But we will say this…the next time we face each other in the Chuunin exams…we will not run or hide."

As Dosu left with Kin and Zaku with him, Sakura cried out.

"Wait! Why is Orochimaru after Sasuke-kun?! Why him?!"

Dosu turned and replied honestly to Sakura's question.

"I don't know…we were only ordered to kill Sasuke-kun."

Sakura was not happy, and Dosu himself had his own thoughts.

(You ordered us to kill Sasuke-kun…but you then give him a Cursed Seal…what are you planning Orochimaru-sama?)

As Dosu left, Ino and her group came out of hiding and so did Hinata and her group, hoping to check on the conditions of both Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and Lee. While Neji commented to himself.

(Both Naruto and Sasuke have powerful chakra…very powerful…either way both of them are deadly rivals if the Chuunin exams are finished.)

Naruto looked at Sasuke who still had the Sharingan active and he put two and two together after recalling what he had seen his Jonin sensei Kakashi be able to do with his Sharingan.

"Sakura-chan…Sasuke…I know why Orochimaru came after us. And I know what he wants from you Sasuke."

"What is it Naruto-kun?"

"What does that guy want from me?"

Naruto looked gravely at his two team-mates and replied.

"He wants the Sharingan…you're Sharingan Sasuke."

That stunned both Sakura and Sasuke as they looked at one another as Naruto looked on into the forest…knowing that Orochimaru was not the kind to give up…but neither was he…no way was he going to let Orochimaru have his way with anything while he was alive!

----------

To be continued…

----------

Author's Notes:

The fight is over and now the result is in…Holy Talon wins and Kusanagi has been split in half and Orochimaru has been give a serious beat down…though Naruto is exhausted by the fight and is out for the time being and Orochimaru has infected Sasuke with the Cursed Seal.

Don't worry, he'll recover soon enough and be back on his feet, after all, it's only been the first day of them being in the Forest of Death.

I guess you're all wondering why Naruto is out and exhausted and why he didn't win hands down with the fight with Orochimaru, well, it's very simple. If I made Naruto too powerful, then there's no fun in it afterwards. I mean, think about it, if the hero's got too much power, then he always wins, the thrill's gone because you know he always wins. And while I want to have the good guys win, I don't like it if they always seem to win without effort. I want to root for them and cheer that they overcome the obstacles with all they have and beat the enemy with effort.

Remember, Naruto had to hustle and train in order to be where he's at in the series…and in this story…he is a new Dragon Champion and despite all that power given to him by Holy Talon, Lord Faldren and Holy Talon had admitted that for him to unlock his full mastery of the powers given to him…he has to train long and hard to master them, since in the terms of Dragon Champions…he's still pretty green. I will describe the past Dragon Champions and just how skilled they were compared to Naruto in the later chapters so we can see how much Naruto needs to train to be at their level to live up to their reputation.

Son Goku of Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z might have been a Saiyan with amazing physical and martial power and he could become Super Saiyan…but even he had to train long and hard to become the Super Saiyan and hero he is now. Superman might have had a lot of powers, but he had to spend years in the Fortress of Solitude to master them and use them well. Batman trained nearly his entire life to be the genius detective and crime fighter he is now…these guys had a LOT of potential, but they still trained to fully master their powers…and I want Naruto to do the very same thing with Holy Talon as well…since the higher level powers are not yet available to Naruto at the very moment.

If he gets ALL the power right off the bat and doesn't have to work for it, then where's the fun in that?

Of course the Kyuubi is still around…I certainly didn't state that he's gone…and if you're wondering what happened to him…then you'll find out soon enough.

Here's a little something for you all…think of this as a preview of sorts…

……..

Naruto looked at the items before him and looked at the four beings before him and shook his head. He then directed his attention to the leader.

"No way…how come I have to wear this stuff?!"

"Listen laddie…"

"My name's not laddie, it's Naruto Uzumaki!"

"Whatever…listen, them clothes you're wearin' at the moment are all right and all fer everyday things…but you're goin into a very good tournament. And you should at least look LIKE a Dragon Champion…them clothes ain't going to do at all fer such a great occasion."

"My brother's right lad…and you'd look good too…nothing gets them lovely ladies hot an bothered with a good looking strapping young man in good working protection like that. Plus you'd give great honor to the name of Dragon Champion if you look the part."

"But these look so heavy!"

The other two spoke and the first was a woman.

"Do not worry about weight Dragon Champion, the metal that makes them up will not weigh you down."

The other stranger then spoke.

"My sister is correct, the metal is as light as cloth…but is as hard as Dragon scales…only very powerful weapons, spells, and attacks can break through them…they will truly serve you well."

Naruto sighed and decided not to argue…after all he had seen, having some protection would be a good idea.

……..

What is the preview about…well, we shall see soon won't we? On to the rest of the trip through the Forest of Death and into the preliminaries!!!

Things are going to be interesting for the time being and just so you all know, Anko will be fine as she is still in the story, as to what happened to her when she chased Orochimaru? We'll find out soon enough!!


	9. A break in the Chuunin Exams

Naruto – The Twin Swords

Disclaimer: I hereby state that I do not own Naruto and all affiliated materials to the series.

Chapter 9

A Break in the Exams

( ): Thoughts

((" ")): Holy Talon's voice

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In the Forest of Death…

"Hold still for a second will you?"

"Sorry about that Ino…but you really want to be doing this?"

Ino looked at Sakura and spoke.

"Listen Sakura…you could at least look a bit more presentable you know."

The blonde girl was helping fix up Sakura with her hands as the other Genin checked out the area, Naruto was currently looking about, with Holy Talon in his hands. Hinata was still there, along with Kiba, Akamaru, and Shino. As soon as he walked back, he sat down and spoke to Sakura and the others…but mainly to Hinata.

"Hinata, can I talk to you?"

The shy Hyuuga girl looked at her crush and nodded slowly while blushing and twiddling her fingers.

"Y-Y-Yes…what about N-N-Naruto-kun?"

Naruto smiled and sat next to her…making the blushing girl even more aware of her crush being this close to her…and she tried her best not to suddenly faint. Naruto noted that and wondered just when he would be able to find out what was it that made Hinata like him so much, but put that aside for the moment as he spoke to her.

"I wanted to thank you for the healing ointment you used, I was right, you really are a kind girl."

Hinata felt like her blush was going to turn her entire body red as Naruto's thanks and praise filled her ears, she did her best not to blush too much but failed miserably as she nodded and spoke slowly.

"Y-Y-Your welcome….Naruto-kun."

Naruto then nodded and placed Holy Talon within the sheath and looked at Lee, it was when Tenten showed up to deal with Lee, he spotted the brown haired Kunoichi and called out to her.

"You're Tenten from Lee's group right?"

The brown haired Kunoichi stopped and found Naruto looking at her with those silver rimmed blue eyes of his and she couldn't help but be a bit flustered as Naruto looked at her and she then found herself looking at the blonde ninja, since despite the tears and dirt here and there, he still looked good. Tenten then replied to his earlier question as she managed to stop her staring at him.

"Yes…why do you ask?"

"Are you going to take care of you're team-mate? He was really banged up by the Sound Genin."

Tenten nodded and proceeded to help Rock Lee wake up…by shaking him and slapping him awake…much to Naruto's surprise and even Holy Talon's as the sword spoke.

(("THAT is the way she helps her team-mate? She looks more like she's injuring him even further than healing him!"))

Naruto had to agree…but it appeared to have worked as Rock Lee woke up a bit groggily and Tenten lectured him about how Sasuke and the others dealt with the Sound ninja, and how he should have been more careful…Sasuke was surprised that Lee, the one who had defeated his Sharingan previously had managed to be defeated by the Sound ninja, namely by Dosu, the leader of the three. Naruto on the other hand smiled and reached out with his hand and helped Lee to his feet.

"You did something great there Lee, thanks for helping protect us and Sakura-chan."

Lee nodded but looked a bit sad.

"I thank you for the praise Naruto-san…but I failed in my duty, I let them hurt Sakura and I was powerless to do anything…"

Naruto shook his head and Sakura got up and spoke to Lee.

"It doesn't matter Lee-san, you still gave it you're best and I thank you for being there."

Lee looked at Sakura in surprise and recalled how she had reacted when they had first met, and now, she was happy and thankful that he came to protect her, even if he didn't defeat the leader of the Sound Trio, and he smiled back and spoke to Sakura and Naruto.

"Thank you Naruto-san, and to you Sakura…I promise you both I will become stronger so I won't fail anyone I swear to protect again…I promise!"

Naruto nodded and so did Sakura…but Sasuke on the other hand, who was already recovering from the Cursed Seal still couldn't believe that lee was defeated and he then thought back on the things he saw… Lee's Taijutsu skills, Neji's Byakugan, Dosu's sound weapons, Gaara's sand manipulation abilities and his killer's heart, and finally Naruto's sword skills, his skills in summoning and more. He wanted to fight them all…he was an avenger, nothing more….he didn't care what he had to do to be stronger, the rank of Chuunin didn't mean squat to him, but only to be stronger so he could finally accomplish his dream. And No matter what source of power…he would have it…

However, he then looked at Holy Talon on Naruto's back…after seeing what the sword was capable of accomplishing and how it would react to those who it did not chose, he wanted that level of power…but he recalled what that Dragon Lord had said that Holy Talon would obey only Naruto and he felt even more frustrated at that.

(The dobe gets such a powerful weapon that's even capable of overpowering Orochimaru…and even breaking his sword with enough force! I must have something like it to truly be powerful…apart from this seal…I must have the only thing that can rival…)

His train of thought was broken by Naruto calling his name.

"Hey Sasuke!"

The Uchiha clan survivor turned and spotted Naruto walking over to him and he spoke to his team-mate.

"What is it now?"

"We need to keep moving to the Tower, we have both scrolls so let's not waste anymore time here. We're rest if you feel any more pain from that seal."

Sasuke gave a snort and got up on his feet and was a bit unsteady making Naruto worried as he tried to help his team-mate, but Sasuke responded by walking away angrily and then spoke to Naruto.

"I'm fine…don't worry about me."

Naruto looked at Sasuke and gave a deep thought on what had happened and Holy Talon spoke to it's master, it sensed something troubling about Sasuke and it didn't like what the mind of the boy was formulating, it had a feeling that something had been implanted directly in the mind of it's master's team-mate.

(("Master Naruto…I sense something in you're team-mate Sasuke…something darker and more evil…it seems he's having thoughts on a matter that is something that is too dangerous…even for him."))

(He must be thinking about what happened…I guess that means we keep an eye on him until we can make sure that Orochimaru doesn't claim him.)

Naruto put that out of his mind as the others began to leave the area to continue their own missions to find their scrolls and to reach the tower before the time limit was reached. Ino gave Sakura a good fixing up and Shikamaru led the rest of the group to locate their own scroll…while Hinata decided to leave a few extra containers of healing ointment to Sakura as she and the others left the area to head for the tower. As Naruto and his group got things together, Naruto felt his stomach growl…making Sasuke and Sakura sweat-drop as the sound was like that of a beast. Naruto looked and gave a sheepish expression to his team-mates as they moved on, hoping to find something to eat along the way.

As the days moved on, the Genin Teams began to be taken out one by one, either by other teams, or by other factors, such as teams opening their scrolls and paying the price, being killed by the predators in the Forest, eating poisonous plants and animals when they were hungry, or quitting ahead. Out of the 73 teams that remained from Ibiki's part in the Chuunin Exam, they were all being weeded out into smaller numbers by the various dangers, showing full well why the Forest of Death got it's namesake.

----------

In the Tower…

Anko rested while in the tower, holding her own Cursed Seal as it began to subside as she focused on controlling the pain that it was sending throughout her body. As the pain subsided enough for her to relax a bit, she recalled what had happened in the Forest of Death.

She had intercepted Orochimaru and was about to use a special jutsu that she had learned from him a long time ago…when she had been his apprentice before he abandoned her and left her on her own…and it was at that time that she knew that he was evil and worse. The jutsu was designed to kill both her and Orochimaru…a price she was willing to pay to stop her former sensei and a criminal of the highest rank to Konoha.

But Orochimaru bested her easily as he faded from the tree that he had used to recuperate from his many wounds, quickly appearing behind her and used the same paralysis jutsu like before, that he used on Naruto and rendered her unable to use the jutsu. He then further incapacitated her by using the cursed seal that he had placed on her many years ago. She demanded what he was doing here and why of all times he came back to Konoha.

The snake ninja smiled and replied that he came to gather outstanding ninja to his cause…and he gloated about his latest find in Sasuke Uchiha, but of his interest in one Naruto Uzumaki as well. That got Anko's attention right off the bat as she tried to fight the pain of the Cursed Seal, and Orochimaru explained his battle with Naruto and his failed attempt to take the sword…and the placing of the Cursed Seal on Sasuke, he took off with a warning to her that if she tried to stop the Chuunin Exams, then he would retaliate and send Konoha in flames.

As he left her, she was surrounded by tigers as the seal was still very much active at the moment, and she would have been killed but several ANBU came on the scene and drove the predators away from her. They spotted the seal and quickly realized just what was happening and she ordered them to take the Hokage to the Tower as she was now able to move, though still in pain from the Seal. When she was there and spoke to the other Chuunin, they were in heated discussion on whether they would cancel the Chuunin exams with the discovery that Orochimaru was in the area and no doubt had dangerous plans for Konoha's fate.

She however told them that they could not stop the Chuunin Exams due to too many factors, including Orochimaru…she didn't tell them about his plans, but the rest of the factors, including the presence of many feudal lords, representatives of our countries and more…if they were to cancel the Chuunin Exams, Konoha would look weak and vulnerable…something that they couldn't afford to have after the Great Shinobi Wars and the attack on Konoha where many were killed in battle, including the Yondaime, it was enough that some other country might very well launch an attack on them if they sensed weakness.

She was then told by another Chuunin instructor that a Genin team had just arrived, early…very early, already beating the previous record of four o\hours, that impressed Anko a great deal and she then looked at the battle that the Genin team had fought in, and recognized the fighter as none other than Gaara, the record showed how lethal a fighter Gaara was with his sand manipulation abilities and how his team had made it at so short a time. As she looked at the records and then to the team, she wondered how the others were doing.

She was also very curious on how someone like Naruto Uzumaki had managed to not only wound and injure her former sensei, but to also break his sword with his own…that was a feat that was totally unheard of as Orochimaru was also known to be highly skilled in Kenjutsu and a Genin like Naruto was the only one who managed to not only fight him on even terms but shattered and broke the man's sword with his own. Anko had to admit that it made Naruto Uzumaki a FAR more interesting person than she gave him credit for…and with that thought in mind she was hoping to see just how far he could go…and if he would make it out of the Forest of Death alive…she had some plans that required him to be around.

But for now, she had to wait and offer her report to the Hokage…and also to nurse herself back to fighting condition on the chance Orochimaru would come back again and cause another major disturbance and threat to Konoha.

----------

As teams were assembling into the Tower, Kiba and his group were relieved to have made it into the tower and were able to escape unharmed, and they made sure to keep to themselves for the time being and be given time to rest after all they had been doing. They were not the only ones as the Sound Genin were in the area, Neji's team as well, Ino, Shikamaru, and Chouji were there as well, along with the Sand Siblings as well, and amazingly enough two other Konoha ninja that were supposedly in Kabuto's team, but the ninja himself was not yet around.

Hinata looked out a window and hoped that Naruto and the others would make it soon, they only had a short amount of time left to make it there into the tower…she then recalled how Sasuke was and wondered if they were slowing down because of what happened before. The young Kunoichi hoped that her crush would come back to her all right…she then shook her head and blushed brightly as she began to drift back on how wonderfully strong, hard, warm and wonderful his muscles felt under hand hands when she was placing her healing ointment on him, she couldn't help herself in her imaginings and hoped that Naruto would come to the Tower alive and safe.

(Please Naruto-kun…be all right.)

She wasn't the only one to not notice the absence of Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke…

Ino hoped that the others would make it back to the Tower safe and alive, as she still wanted to see just how much Naruto had changed…he was certainly looking good and rather…interesting. She wondered just how did he change into such a hunky good looking guy in merely a few weeks since she had last saw him, and despite the fact that he was still the same loud-mouth as before…seeing him not only fight against someone like Orochimaru and not only survive but break the sword that guy had and nearly come close to killing Orochimaru had made her see him in a totally new light…and his new looks helped as well.

Tenten wanted to see just what other skills Naruto had with that sword, it had been quite an eye opener for her to see the blonde ninja use such unique and powerful moves as if he had been training with them for almost his entire life, she wanted to see if he had any more tricks to use…not to mention he was certainly a good looking on…she wanted to see how Neji would match up with him.

Temari hoped that the blonde ninja with the sword was safe and was already on his way there….she had a plan in mind so see how talented he was in other fields…Gaara wouldn't care and while Kankurou might disapprove…she was more than capable in dealing with that herself…but for now all she could do was wait.

----------

Three days later…

Naruto managed to find himself several fresh rabbits and had taken the time to skin them with a kunai before heading to where the others were. They had separated from the other Konoha teams and were now on their way to the two, it was at least two days more ahead, or a day and a half if they pushed it…but they weren't as they were taking risky chances, they knew for a fact that Orochimaru might still be about and might attack them if they were not prepared…not to mention that both Sakura and Naruto were still concerned about the Cursed Seal on Sasuke's neck.

Sasuke was getting water after he used his Blazing Fireball jutsu to start a fire under Sakura's request after getting some fish. Sakura and her team-mate however noted that the seal reacted when Sasuke used his chakra and his Sharingan, that he had used to spot any possible attacks such as Genjutsu, this further enforced Sakura's worry for Sasuke, and Naruto's growing wariness and concern…along with Holy Talon…the Cursed Seal began to remind the living sword of the many cursed creatures and spells that had something similar to the one that it had faced many times in it's long service to the previous Dragon Champions. There was something going on with that seal and they had to be careful.

Naruto then looked at the scrolls which were on the ground next to the fire and wondered just what was in them and Holy Talon was quickly able to sense it's master's intention to peek and recalled some rather…unwise decisions made by Champions concerning scrolls.

(("Master Naruto, I would advise you not to touch those scrolls."))

(Why?)

(("Let's just say that being curious with scrolls can be hazardous…I recall several occasions that some Champions of the past in my world opened scrolls without sensing for traps…and while some them were a bit humorous, the other occasions were not exactly one would consider pleasant."))

(So you're saying that there may be a trap in either scroll?)

(("Quite possibly…that trap must be active until they are opened inside of the Tower, I am not quite familiar with the types of techniques you're world uses, but I can tell that there would be a sort of trap involved to protect these scrolls from being opened prematurely…so it would be best not to take chances that are not needed."))

Naruto thought about it and nodded mentally at Holy Talon's suggestion and left the scrolls alone for now, and sat down and took the three rabbits they had and put them on spits to cook. As the food began to be cooked, Sakura turned and looked at Naruto who was deep in thought at the moment, trying to figure out how they were going to reach the tower and avoid being attacked by other teams or by that snake bastard. However, she was directing her gaze at other things on Naruto's face.

Naruto had indeed lost all traces of baby fat, and looked far older then them…nearly the age of a full grown man of early adulthood, he looked very handsome and his silver rimmed eyes looked so deep blue like the ocean and the sky…and she couldn't help herself as her imagination began to run away with her…she placed those thoughts aside for the moment and asked Naruto a question.

"Naruto-kun?"

"What is it Sakura-chan?"

"Are you sure that Orochimaru is really after Sasuke-kun and his Sharingan?"

Naruto nodded and replied.

"I don't know that much about Orochimaru…since I didn't study too much history…but he was adamant in getting Sasuke…and since you and I saw how the Sharingan works and what it can do…it would make sense that he would want it…since it could really be an aid to him…but I don't know how he plans to get it…but there is no way I will let him do what he wants."

Sakura nodded and she thought back on the time she had been stabbed by Orochimaru's sword and how Naruto had saved her, she smiled a bit at how he looked, she never thought he would look so vulnerable and sad like that…all because of her and she couldn't help but speak.

"I…I want to thank you Naruto-kun."

Naruto was a bit confused at that and asked.

"What do you mean by that Sakura-chan?"

"For saving my life…I didn't think you would do it for me…"

"Of course I would do it for you, I would do what I can for the people I consider my friends!"

"Even after how I act around you? And even how I treat you sometimes?"

"Yeah. You have my word I would give my life to save you in a heart beat…and I would do that for you and those who are important to me."

Sakura began to see how much heart Naruto had and for once she was seeing a side of Naruto which actually made him look beyond cool, but better. Maybe she should be a bit nicer to Naruto more so she could see this other side of him more. Thought she still liked Sasuke, Naruto was becoming a lot more interesting to her despite the fact that she still was not sure about how she should act about him..

"Thank you Naruto-kun."

Naruto grinned and replied.

"You're welcome Sakura-chan…now let's eat something, I'm hungry!"

Sakura smiled as she and Naruto took off a bit of the meat from the fish and one of the rabbits to eat.

It was then that Holy Talon sensed something inside of Sakura's body…but it was not harmful in the least, yet it knew that it's master had to be informed of the situation…since it could actually benefit Sakura well…with the right time, experience, and training.

(("Master Naruto…there is something I would like to mention to you."))

(What is it Holy Talon?)

(("It seems that when we healed you're friend of that horrendous wound that the sword of that man Orochimaru had placed on her when she saved you…we used too much energy and she has somehow absorbed it into herself."))

(What do you mean by that?)

(("What I am saying is that your team-mate Sakura has somehow gained a small but potent portion of Dragon Magic into her blood…that is a rare occurrence."))

(Is it harmful to Sakura-chan?!)

(("No…the Dragon Magic she had absorbed is used for healing, and is not dangerous in nature, Dragon Magic or Mystic Fire to some of the more rustic people in Dagren comes in many forms and has many uses, the Dragon Magic she has in her body is used for healing and restoration and as such is not dangerous to those who are not evil…but it can heal and mend wounds of many natures…and as I can sense…that small portion is beginning to meld into her body. There have been occasions of this in my world so it doesn't surprise me that she had gained that…though how it will work to her advantage is yet to be seen. She won't have the same physical features as you do…but some subtle changes will be there in the near future…so she will look as she always had."))

(That's great, it would be really weird if she started looking different all of a sudden…So you mean Sakura-chan can use Dragon Magic the way you can?)

(("Not in the purest sense…but if she were to gain lessons in medical techniques, there will be portions of that magic that will merge with her healing techniques…making them stronger."))

(So if Sakura-chan was trained in medical jutsu…then that magic in her will make it more effective?)

(('That's the long and short of it…this might really help her out, considering her effective chakra control."))

(That's really awesome…I can't wait to see that in action…can I tell her about it?)

(("I recommend that you tell her at a much better time…you still have to get out of the Forest of Death after all."))

It was then that they turned and spotted none other than Kabuto who showed up on the scene and greeted them with the same sheepish expression as he had done before.

"Kabuto-san…what are you doing here?"

Kabuto greeted the two and smiled.

"Sorry about suddenly appearing like this…I was in the area and I…well I was kind of hungry and decided to investigate…I was thinking I was walking into a trap…but instead I find you guys…pretty good fortune to me. You mind?"

Naruto shook his head.

"Not at all, here, there's plenty of food here…but before we do that…"

Kabuto however, already knew what Naruto was about to say and revealed two scrolls, one was the Heaven scroll, and the other was the Earth Scroll. This was enough to show to both Naruto and Sakura that there was no need to attack Kabuto. And the glasses wearing Genin replied to their looks with a smile of his own.

"Don't worry, I have the scrolls so I don't need to try and take yours…besides, my team-mates are not far behind and I was planning to reach the Tower and wait for them there. You were lucky not to have opened that scroll you know."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well, each scroll is designed that if it was opened before you were in the Tower, you would be knocked out by a very powerful hypnosis jutsu along with you're team-mates in the Forest of Death…and if that happens, then you would be in real danger, especially if rival ninja suddenly showed up and attacked you while you are sleeping or were knocked out…or when hungry animals came and ate you…that's happened before so I am happy you guys resisted the temptation to open them. And it's good you've got both scrolls. But why are you all still here? Shouldn't you be pushing onwards to the Tower?"

Naruto looked at Sakura and she replied.

"We got sidetracked by someone named Orochimaru…do you know him?"

Kabuto gave a serious look.

"Orochimaru…yeah I have…he's one of the most notorious ninjas in the Bingo Book of Konoha."

"Bingo Book?"

Sakura sighed and explained what a Bingo Book was to her team-mate Naruto.

"A Bingo book is a term given to a book that contains all the data and pictures of missing ninja or criminals, that includes where they are from how old they arte, what are their skills, how many crimes have the committed along with what crime it is and how bad it is…every village in the five countries has one for all criminals from it's area."

"Oh…so it's like a list all known bad guys, enemies and traitors of a village…am I right?"

Kabuto and Sakura nodded at that.

"Sakura-san is correct Naruto-kun, every village has one, and that also includes enemy ninja as well, there are many ranks from the lowest such as D-rank, to the highest and most dangerous ones, the S-ranked, of course the Bingo book isn't limited to just villages…the Great Countries also have their own Bingo-books as well, I know for a fact that one Momoichi Zabuza was a missing-nin from the Village of the Hidden Mist, and he is listed not in the Bingo books of both his country and village, but ours and the other village's as well."

"I see…so what do you know about that guy Orochimaru?"

"Well, Naruto-kun…I am not entirely sure what I can tell you since Orochimaru is the most reviled member of the village. But what I do know is that long ago…Orochimaru was a ninja of Konoha and was also a student of the Third Hokage himself."

"That snake bastard was a student of the Old Man?! I didn't know that!"

"It's not surprising you don't Naruto-kun…Hokage-sama rarely talks about it. But he was a student of the Hokage years ago and was a legendary ninja, along with two others who are not here anymore. He was a very skilled ninja and very powerful…and would have been the Hokage when the Third stepped down from being Hokage…but he was now known to be dark and evil…he wanted power and the Third knew that and chose another to take the place of the Hokage…he was the Yondaime who fought and sealed away the 9-tailed Fox that attacked Konoha at least twelve years ago…"

Naruto nodded at that as he knew full well about his resident, but he then had a question that he decided he should ask Holy Talon later one…but he allowed Kabuto to continue.

"…Orochimaru didn't take too kindly to that and began to do horrible experiments, or continued them in secret until the Third found out about it and exposed Orochimaru…but he wasn't able to kill Orochimaru and then Orochimaru fled the scene, just as the Kyuubi attacked. The Yondaime was a far better choice since he truly cared about the village and was a kid hearted soul, and it was shame that he died in his attempt to stop the Kyuubi. As of now…no one knows where Orochimaru is or what he had been doing…but now you're saying that you fought with him Naruto-kun?"

"Yeah…I even managed to shatter the Kusanagi he had…though he nearly killed Sakura-chan and branded Sasuke with some sort of seal."

"That's not good…"

"By the way…if Orochimaru is such a skilled ninja…does that mean he's one of the Legendary Sannin?"

"That's correct Sakura-san…he is one of the Legendary three."

"Who are these Sannin anyway and who are Orochimaru's team-mates?"

Sakura then replied in answer to Naruto.

"Sannin is a term to three legendary ninja in the past years of Konoha and they were considered to be the very best and were all students of the Third Hokage. They were known for so many missions they undertook as a team and were highly skilled fighters in their own right. There were three of them, the first was naturally Orochimaru, who was known to be very talented and used snakes but evil to the core. The next was Jiraiya, I don't know that much about him, but he was known to be highly skilled ninja who used toads and was a close second to Orochimaru and was known as the Toad Sage. The last was someone named Tsunade…a very skilled Kunoichi and was known for her high level of skill in medical jutsu, her immense strength, her use of slug summons, and well…her high temper. She is supposed to be the daughter of one of the Hokage, though which one I have no idea."

"Wow…I was right say you were the smartest among us Sakura-chan! You really know a lot about the things I don't."

Sakura smiled at that and replied.

"Well, you would be too if you read those books more often."

"I guess…so how's the food Kabuto-san?"

The ninja replied as he took in the meat from the rabbits and smiled.

"Pretty good meat here…you really should learn how to cook more so you could make really nice food Naruto-kun…"

Kabuto stopped talking and quickly moved away as a kunai buried itself in the area where he was, both Sakura and Naruto reacted and took out their weapons, but stopped mid way as they spotted the thrower of the kunai to be none other than their own team-mate Sasuke Uchiha and not any of the other teams or that snake bastard. Naruto re-sheathed Holy Talon and looked at his team-mate with surprise.

"Sasuke?! What's gotten into you attacking Kabuto like that?!"

"How can we be sure he's not an enemy? For all we know, he might by lying about having both scrolls and came here to take us out?"

Kabuto replied as he showed his own scrolls.

"I already have my team's scrolls so there's no need for me to steal yours you know Sasuke-kun…besides I am not here to fight, I came here to grab a bite to eat and you're team-mates were kind enough to let me have a meal."

"I want to challenge you to a fight, right here and right now."

Sakura and Naruto looked at Sasuke if he had lost his mind. Kabuto already made it clear that he was not there to steal their scrolls from them so why the heck was he asking for one?

"Sasuke, knock it off already…there's no need for a fight, he's got his scrolls, and we've got ours…what's the point of having one too many?"

"Naruto-kun does have a point, we don't need too many scrolls right now and he is not here to fight us."

" Shut up…that's not the point Sakura!"

"Sasuke-kun."

"We need to make sure that he's not going to attack us…even if he does have the Heaven and Earth Scrolls, and so do we…how can we be sure he might very well take ours while he's at it? There might be too many scrolls, but he might get them to use as bargaining chips for other teams or if he gets into a bind during the fight…we have to win and we have to keep our chances of winning alive. So we cannot afford to be careless, even if he is a Genin from Konoha, the same as us…this a serious test here."

Kabuto grinned at that and replied.

"You're lying…you know…for all you're tough talk Sasuke, you don't have you're heart into attacking me."

"What makes you so sure about that?"

"For one thing, if you really believe that winning is everything, then why did you issue a challenge to me to get me ready for a fight? It would have been far more effective to catch me off guard and take my scrolls from me then…so I rather doubt that you're serious about attacking me. After all, stealth, surprise, trickery, and subtlety are ninja techniques after all."

(("He does have a point there…but that works both ways as well…I don't trust him Master Naruto."))

(What do you mean by that?)

(("I'm not really sure…something about Kabuto doesn't feel right…but it would be best to be on guard."))

Naruto took that in consideration as Kabuto spoke once more.

"But I actually admire you for it, in fact I'll help you make your way to the Tower…but we have to hurry and finish up…that cooking fire is no doubt attracting every predator in the forest…and no doubt…competition as well."

---------

Along the way, Kabuto warned the three ninja about the dangers and advantages of making it to the Tower, namely since the other teams would no doubt ambush them along the way to get the scrolls, along with the collectors, these guys collected scrolls for many reasons, including the one stated by Sasuke, or for more sinister purposes. But thankfully it seemed that they were going to have clean run to the Tower…and for good reason…

Since a considerable number of the Genin teams had seen Naruto's battle with Orochimaru and how much power Naruto had, they knew that attacking Naruto and his team was a bad idea…and this allowed Naruto's team to push on forward. Sasuke didn't quite trust Kabuto, and Holy Talon as well…but for now they both focused on the task at hand, and Sasuke was still feeling the pain in his neck when he used the Sharingan. Naruto then made an army of clones to act as decoys as he had one to look like him and the other three to resemble Sasuke, Sakura, and Kabuto…who were amazed at he was able to make that many and still keep up with them

As they made it to the Tower…Kabuto bid them farewell and good luck on the rest of the Exams…as soon as both teams entered the rooms they were supposed to go into however…

"So was the harvest any good today Kabuto?"

"Of course it was, I managed to learn a good deal about his abilities…and I have no doubts he has quite a lot more…plus that sword he has is quite a weapon…shame we can't use it…and as much as I hate to say it…you might be able to either…Orochimaru-sama…but I do have his information card, do you want it?"

"Of course…he is proving to quite an interesting one…and I must admit that you're skills as a spy are very valued…continue to do what you can and keep me posted Kabuto."

Orochimaru said as he took the card and vanished…leaving Kabuto and his team behind.

----------

Naruto smiled widely and greeted Iruka.

"We did it…we're past the second half of the Chuunin Exams!"

Iruka couldn't help but smile at Naruto's enthusiasm as the blonde was in great spirits, despite being surprised by Naruto's new look and clothing, he could still see that it was his student and somewhat little brother underneath the new clothes and appearance. He had arrived through summoning that both the Heaven and Earth Scrolls had, much to their surprise.

He told them about the meaning behind the writing on the walls and what a Chuunin is when in relation to the scrolls and the writing on the walls when they opened the scrolls and he thought back about what he had seen Naruto do with Holy Talon as a part of his arsenal, that and his own growing skills meant that Kakashi was right about his words, and of course he was now assured that Naruto and his team were more than ready for the Third and final Chuunin Exam segment.

"Naruto…be sure to do well and when you are done and become Chuunin like Sakura and Sasuke, I'll buy you as much ramen as I can."

"Now that's a done deal!!!!"

As Naruto and his team were about to move on as Iruka went back to the audience room, Anko and Kakashi made their appearance and then stopped Naruto.

"What's going on Kakashi-sensei?"

"The Hokage wished to speak with you for a moment Naruto-kun."

Kakashi then turned to Sasuke and Sakura and told them to move on as he and Anko escorted Naruto elsewhere. The blonde wondered just what was going on, but decided to place aside his questions for the moment. However Kakashi then filled him in about meeting the Council…stating that they knew Orochimaru was in the area…but he wanted to know from him what had happened…

And Naruto told him…along with what he suspected Orochimaru came to Konoha for.

----------

In the Tower's own Council Chamber…

Naruto had never been in this chamber before and for good reason, most if not all people of his rank were never allowed in here unless under special circumstances, and right now, this was making him a bit nervous. But he put that out of his mind as he was being escorted by both Anko and Kakashi, and several ANBU as well. As soon as the blonde ninja sat down in the chair before him…several more people came into the room, three of them he recognized quickly…the first was Ino's father Inochi, the other was Shikamaru's own father Shikaku, and Chouji's father, Chouza as well…the original Ino-Cho-Shika group as they were known…they had been friends and allies for years so it would make sense how Ino, Shikamaru, and Chouji knew each other and were close friends, despite their contrasting personalities. The rest of the Council comprised of a large number of senior ninja, including Hinata's father Hiashi, Ginji Haruno, who was Sakura's father and a skilled Jonin of his own right though he like his daughter had better chakra control and had a few signature jutsu. He had dark red hair and deep green eyes, the same kind of eye shade that he had with his daughter, along with the two eldest ninja who were former team-mates of the Hokage, Homura Mitokado and Koharu.

Sarutobi arrived and with a nod at Naruto and he sat down and spoke to the assembled groups before him.

"I called this special council meeting due to disturbing news that I have received and no doubt that you all have heard of as well….my former student, and the greatest traitor to our village, Orochimaru has returned."

The moment that came out of Sarutobi's mouth the rest of the council were not in the best of moods and they were all chatting with one another seriously, Inochi then spoke to the rest of the Council and to the Hokage.

"Pardon my intrusion Hokage-sama…but what is Naruto Uzumaki doing here?"

The council wanted to know that as well as some of them were not very trusting of Naruto, others hated him for his being the container of the Kyuubi, while others a bit more sympathetic and worried. Sarutobi knew that very well and decided to tell them the exact reason why he was allowing Naruto into the council chambers.

"Orochimaru went after one group in particular, that being Naruto's team, which comprises of Sakura Haruno, and Sasuke Uchiha as well as Naruto…Naruto defended both his team-mates by himself and forced Orochimaru to fight him one on one…and later on, both he and Sasuke were able to fight Orochimaru to a standstill and as amazing as it sounds…forced Orochimaru to retreat."

That got gasps and looks of shock and surprise from everyone, they all knew how skilled and how deadly Orochimaru was and even more so since he was more a monster than a man, the idea of two Genin such as Sasuke and Naruto fighting him to a standstill and then forcing the S-ranked criminal ninja to retreat was very much unheard of. They knew that Sasuke was talented so didn't have too much trouble with believing that, with Sasuke being an Uchiha, but Naruto was another matter, they all knew Naruto very well and his history…but to hear that he was able to fight Orochimaru in an even standing was something else entirely and they wondered if the Kyuubi was the one that gave him the power even up the odds with Orochimaru. Hiashi then spoke to Naruto.

"How were you able to fight Orochimaru to a standstill Naruto?"

Naruto smiled a bit and replied.

"Through kenjutsu…and I was able to break his Kusanagi in half."

THAT got a reaction as the Council member's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. They were all familiar with Orochimaru's sword, the Kusanagi, it was known to have the power to pierce or cut anything, and nothing they knew had the power to break the Kusanagi…to hear Naruto had not ONLY equaled Orochimaru in kenjutsu…but BROKE the Kusanagi in combat was totally unbelievable.

"How can we be sure he is telling the truth?"

Naruto sighed and took out Holy Talon and placed it on the ground.

"Because the sword I used to do just that is right here in front of you."

The Council then watched as Naruto placed the blade on the table before them and they found themselves looking at the Holy Dragon Sword…the weapon wielded by a breed of men and women of the races of beings under the stewardship of the Holy Dragons of another world…The Dragon Champions. It was unlike any weapon they had ever seen and in certainly didn't resemble any weapon design that they knew of and there seemed to be energy coming from it. Sarutobi coughed and caught their attention as he spoke.

"Before we question Naruto about what his sword is…we must at least know the events that led to Orochimaru's appearance and the battle between him and Kakashi's team…Naruto, can you tell us exactly what had happened there in the Forest of Death?"

Naruto nodded and began to tell them of the situation he and his group had found themselves in when they were through the gate and had been on their way looking for a team to ambush and also to locate the Tower that was in the middle of the Forest of Death, he filled them in when he had been separated by Orochimaru from the others and how the snake bastard had sent a summoned snake to try and make a meal out of him.

The council members had to admit that while some of them were not that friendly to Naruto, and there were some of them who outright hated him due to the Kyuubi inside of him…they had to agree with his description of the S-ranked ninja traitor. They were impressed that Naruto was able to slay that summon and then escape the cavern he was in and how he managed to stop Orochimaru from attacking his team-mates when he intercepted them.

The people in the Council room were stunned as Naruto recounted the titanic battle that went underway between him and Orochimaru as the S-ranked ninja and him engaged one another in kenjutsu with both Naruto's still unknown sword and Orochimaru's Kusanagi. The battle was explosive and it was a wonder that no one had been killed, neither him nor Orochimaru.

He then recounted how Sakura had been severely wounded…and Ginji was naturally concerned for his daughter and was relieved that she was alive and safe…rescued by Naruto's technique that so resembled a medical jutsu and Kakashi assured him that his daughter was all right ands he heard how Naruto defended her with all that he had…he smiled and looked at Naruto with a different look…like all the ninja, he was afraid of the Kyuubi, and was distrustful of Naruto…but hearing how his daughter was alive and safe and how fiercely Naruto defended her when she was recovering…made him think about the blonde ninja differently.

And he made that clear to everyone as he stood up and bowed before Naruto…surprising Naruto greatly, along with everyone else in the room.

"Thank you Naruto-kun for saving my Sakura…I owe you a debt I doubt I can repay."

"No need for that Ginji-san, I will protect those I care about no matter what it takes."

The discussion continued to the part where Naruto and Sasuke attacked Orochimaru and how Orochimaru had taunted Sasuke with the knowledge of that man…Naruto admitted that he had no idea who that person was, but he was sure that this person was of great interest to Sasuke for him to attack Orochimaru with nearly fanatical zeal…he then told them how Orochimaru had somehow implanted a seal on Sasuke when he distracted him, he then told them on how he had broken the Kusanagi, and what were Orochimaru's words concerning Sasuke… and he told them on what had happened to Sasuke when the seal became active.

The events he narrated naturally raised great concerns among the Council as the ramifications became clearer to them. They were familiar with the powers possessed by the Sharingan…after all, the Uchiha Clan was among the famous noble houses in Konoha before the clan were all killed by one of their own…the man who had then left and disappeared from their spies and informants.

The Council discussed the information and then Homura asked.

"Why would Orochimaru want to take Sasuke and give him the Cursed Seal?"

Kakashi then stepped forward and replied to the Council.

"Naruto told me that he was here and after Sasuke for only one thing…The Sharingan."

The Council then looked at Naruto and Inochi asked the blonde ninja.

"Are you absolutely sure that Orochimaru is here for the Sharingan?"

"I am."

Chouza then asked.

"What made you come to that conclusion?"

"Well…I've already heard about how the Sharingan can allow Sasuke to read and decipher a jutsu by looking at the chakra and hand signs of the person he is fighting, and this will allow him to copy it…just like Kakashi-sensei could copy Zabuza's previous jutsus before…so I thought it over and I realized that if Orochimaru had the Sharingan, he could very well learn and master ANY jutsu that he sees with it."

The ramifications of that struck the council hard as the pieces of Orochimaru's return came together. Shikaku nodded as he leaned forward.

"I have to agree with Naruto's thoughts…if Orochimaru has the Sharingan, then he could very well be able to copy any jutsu he desires…and he would be even more powerful than he was before he was banished."

Sarutobi knew that to be true, he knew how far his former protégé had fallen and how mad and drunk with power he was when he…when he saw the full extent of the depravity and brutality Orochimaru would go to accomplish his goals. He sighed and closed his eyes in thought on what they should do now. He then looked at the rest of the Council and then to Naruto…

"Does anyone else know about you're conclusion Naruto?"

"Myself…Kakashi-sensei, Sakura-chan, and Sasuke himself."

Ibiki arrived and spoke to them all.

"What should we do about Sasuke Uchiha now that he has the Cursed Seal

Anko then stepped forward as she full well how the Cursed Seal worked…after all…she had one of her own to prove it.

"We should remove him from the Chuunin exams and hand him over to the ANBU Black Ops, we have to find a way to contain that seal and keep it from claiming him."

Kakashi however spoke.

"You truly believe that he will just let us do that? He IS an Uchiha after all…they would never accept the situation before them and would rather die that give up."

Anko however was not happy with that answer and showed her anger at Kakashi's words.

"I don't care what he is and who he belongs to…if he remains in the Exams the way he is right now…he's a danger to everyone around him! Don't you get it Kakashi…I know what the Cursed Seal can do and you don't because you've never had it…as he gets stronger, so does the Cursed Seal as well…that thing is feeding of his chakra and sooner or later…his very mind. That is a forbidden jutsu at very well eats the one who carries it."

Anko gripped her shoulder where her own mark was and that was seen by everyone…including Naruto and Holy Talon.

(Don't tell me she has one like it too?)

(("I believe so…but she has great will be able to suppress it. She might be a bit dark…but she certainly is strong and not evil in the literal sense."))

"It's a miracle the boy isn't dead himself from that seal…by now he should be dead…Lord Hokage…we have to remove him from the Chuunin exams before it's too late to stop that seal."

"We must keep it that way…in that sense…the Chuunin Exams must continue…"

The Council looked him and even the two Jonin and ANBU, along with Naruto himself looked at what Sarutobi had in mind as he looked at them and replied.

"If we were to act on this information, Orochimaru would very well make his move, and considering the number of dignitaries that are here along with the possible arrival of the country leaders and the other Kages, he could very well have all the leverage he needs to crush us…I have no doubt that Orochimaru has allies already on the move to attacking Konoha…if we alert him…we could very well place all our villagers in the firing line, along with all the other civilians and more from the other countries. And if we were to take Sasuke off the exams, he would suspect us and who knows what might happen when he does…we must continue and play along for now…until we are ready to fight."

"But Lord Hokage…wouldn't we still be playing right into Orochimaru's hands? And what of Sasuke Uchiha?"

Anko asked with great concern.

"Not if we covertly speak to our forces and prepare them in advance…we must make sure that all our ninja forces are aware of the situation and be ready for any attack…in the mean time, our village's emergency plans that involve sudden and unexpected attack be implemented along with our shadowing of Orochimaru's activities here in Konoha. We need to prepare for the worst…but without alerting Orochimaru and his allies…so life will go on here in Konoha…but all must be ready to fight at a moment's notice. Kakashi…"

"Yes Lord Hokage?"

"I want you to ready that binding seal you have developed…it might not be enough to stop the Cursed Seal by itself…but you must do it in order for Sasuke not to be corrupted by that seal until we find a possible cure…no matter how thin that idea might be."

Anko relented and hoped that Sarutobi was doing the right thing.

The Council talked it over for a few more hours and Naruto tried to calm himself, but was failing as he was not used to staying put in one place for too long. Sarutobi noted that and so did Kakashi and the elder Hokage spoke to Naruto.

"You may return to the Chuunin Exams now Naruto…but you must make sure that you do not breathe a word of the Council's decisions for the time being until we are prepared to take the needed measures…and that goes for the rest of you…we must make sure that Orochimaru knows nothing of the plans we have set in motion."

Naruto nodded at that and swore on his life and way of the ninja that he would not breathe a word of it to anyone…even his team-mates. With that, Kakashi and Anko escorted him back with the rest of his team as he took Holy Talon back.

----------

Later…

The Genin assembled and were all there in the main hall of the Tower and before them was a stage and several number of Jonin along with the rest of the Chuunin Examiners and Anko…she looked and saw all the teams…at least 24 teams made it in all…and that was a great deal of surprise for her. One such team to make it was the Rain Genin Team, they were able to finally get the scrolls and were able to enter in time before the time ran out for them all.

(Out of 78 teams, only 24 made it eh? I thought the numbers would be far lower, but it seems that Ibiki wasn't kidding about this bunch being better than the rest before them.)

"You all did well for passing the second part of the Chuunin Exams and for that I congratulate you…but don't think that it's entirely over."

The teams looked at one another, Hinata was happy beyond belief that Naruto was alive and safe, Ino was happy that both Sasuke and Sakura had made it as well, along with Naruto, Tenten had to admit this was going to be an interesting fight. Temari was happy to see that Naruto was still around, while Gaara was also interested, the Sound Genin were there as well and Zaku swore to deal with Sasuke when the time came to finish him off.

Gai made some comments about Kakashi's team being lucky and how his team was going to win, but Kakashi paid no attention to that and only asked what was Gai talking about until he asked what Gai was saying and instead of silencing Gai, it made him even more ignited. Tenten admitted that at least in looks, Kakashi had the one up on their sensei…while Lee recalled what happened in the Forest of Death and his promise to Gai and Sakura…while Neji kept an eye on both Sasuke and Naruto.

The Hokage then stared to explain to them the history of the Chuunin exams and why it was made after Anko called them to attention. They learned that in order to truly show the strength of the ninja, the ninja started the Chuunin exams to both avoid destroying themselves and to showcase their strength, while fostering friendship and alliances as well. The Exams was in turn a war between allied nations as in the past these same allied nations fought one another, and the Chuunin exams were started to avoid wasting their military strength and places of designated combat were named and that was why Konoha is hosting the Chuunin Exams. Some asked why this was the case and why did they fight to the death. The Hokage explained that the only way for a ninja to truly show his or her power was in a fight to the death and only in a life or death battle can one truly push themselves to the limits of what they could accomplish. The battles also allowed dignitaries and leaders to witness the strength of the country's ninja and therefore…countries with strong ninja were given better jobs, while countries with weak ninja are not given better jobs, this also allows countries to show their military strength so they can pressure the other countries as well…these were the dreams of all the ninja who fought before them to become Chuunin themselves.

Naruto had to admit the reasons were pretty good…and then the new Proctor Gekkou Hayate spoke on something of great importance to them all.

The Chuunin Exams were going to host a preliminary exam, something that has not happened in over five years.

----------

To be continued…

----------

Author's notes:

That should do it for this part of the story of Naruto Dragon Champion…I apologize for delays due to some factors I have no control over and I hope that this will be enough for now. And it seems that some things are different this time around.

The Rain Genin were not fought by Naruto's team and Kabuto, so they are there in the exams as well, so expect an extra battle to kick off. And it seems that Sakura's somehow absorbed a portion of Holy Talon's healing Dragon Magic, and in simpler terms, Sakura now has a small but potent amount of Dragon Magic or Mystic Fire in her blood and is melding with her chakra.

How will that play out in the future? We'll just have to wait and see now won't we?

Time to see just what will happen in the Preliminary Exams!!!


	10. The Dragon Eye Awakens

Naruto – The Twin Swords

Disclaimer: I do not own anything and everything related to Naruto…if I did, then why am I still writing stories about it?

Chapter 10

The Dragon Eye Awakens

( ): Thoughts

((" ")) Holy Talon's Voice

(((" "))) : Shana's Voice

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"_How...how in the name of the Chaos Dragon Lords did you do that?!"_

_"That is my secret...now fall and trouble this world no more!!!"_

Words of Shana Leonora...Dragon Champion of one of her foes...

----------

In the main Tower Hall…

Naruto listened in as he waited for Gekkou Hayate to begin his words, though had to admit that the Chuunin proctor for this exam was certainly in the best of medical conditions at the moment, he wasn't the only one to thing so as well as Hinata, Ino, and Sakura noted the large amount of coughing that Hayate was doing, showing his sickened condition and they were surprised that he was able to do his work, considering his health.

However, Hayate was able to get his message across, that since this would be the very first time in over five years that they would have the Preliminaries in the Chuunin Exams…suffice to say, not everyone was the least bit happy that this had to happen, the only thing that really got their attention was the fact that the Preliminaries were already in effect and Hayate told them all that if anyone who was not feeling a full one hundred percent ready to take part in the Chuunin Exams' third stage were free to leave.

Naruto and Sasuke were not keen on leaving and so were the rest of the teams and their members, but Sakura had a far greater concern for her team-mate Sasuke as he gripped the area of his neck in pain as the Cursed Seal continued to make it's mark on his body…she was deeply worried that if Sasuke were to use his chakra and his Sharingan, the seal on him would grow stronger and stronger and take over him.

Naruto noted that as well and wondered on what he should do for the time being, he knew that he had made an oath to the Hokage, to the Council and to his own sensei not to say anything about their plans to let Orochimaru have his way while they were making their own moves. But it still made him worry about what the situation will turn into if Sasuke still tried to compete with that blasted seal on him. He could see the pain his team-mate was going through and that made him even more concerned as he looked on.

Sarutobi, Ibiki, Kakashi and Anko watched the situation and they each had their own thoughts on the matter.

The elderly Hokage wondered if he was making the wrong move, but focused himself on the here and now since if he tried to do something that could alert his former student of their plans, then things would be in even greater danger, for now, they had to play along that they were just becoming aware of the situation and keep Orochimaru in the dark about their covert plans. He didn't know where Orochimaru was right now…but there was no doubt that he would very well be watching…and he might be in the very same room as they all were. Naruto told them that Orochimaru had sent the Sound Genin as an assassination team for Sasuke…, so that would mean that he could be in league with Sound or had manipulated them to fight for him. He didn't have enough data to make a move and it was a very risky game he was playing…but it was the only option they had right now.

Anko hoped that the others would see reason and have Sasuke placed in isolation so they could keep the Cursed Seal under wraps…but she reigned in her thoughts and tried to think it over…the Council made it clear that even if they were successful in keeping him sealed up…Orochimaru would no doubt act quickly and would kill as many people as he wants to force them to show how he would react to them trying to deny him his gift…she had a feeling that there would be more involved with Orochimaru's return to Konoha, she knew enough about her former sensei that he always had other plans buried in his current ones.

Ibiki hated to admit it, but he knew how dangerous Orochimaru was…even when he was the leader of the ANBU Interrogation Squad…he was afraid of Orochimaru…even when he was still a child…the snake summoning boy with snake like eyes and pale white skin seemed more monster than human to the battle hardened Special Jonin and the horrible things that Orochimaru did for the sake of power and knowledge further reinforced his inner fear of Orochimaru. He knew that Orochimaru would not hesitate in any way to get what he wanted, and would any method…not only was he known as a highly skilled ninja, but also as a master manipulator. He had no doubts in his mind that Orochimaru would have plans to help him as well.

Kakashi understood Anko's anger and how she would look at Sasuke with worry and mistrust. He knew Anko had once been Orochimaru's student years ago when she was young, no doubt around Naruto's own age or younger. She had grown to hate and despise Orochimaru for his evil ways and while she did have something of a dark streak in her nature…she was not evil in the full sense and she had learned a number of useful jutsu. Like all others who knew her, he knew about Cursed Seal that she herself had, and while he told them the truth about Sasuke, he kept in mind that out the other children subjected by Orochimaru to the Cursed Seal before Sasuke was given that Cursed Seal…Anko was known to be only among the VERY few survivors of the Cursed Seal as many like her died in great pain from the Cursed Seal…so she would know how deadly it was. He wondered if he should be ready to make his move, but for now he knew that he had to keep the binding technique ready should the Cursed Seal become too much.

Sakura was about to raise her hand when Sasuke stopped her with a glare and spoke in a tone that demanded answers.

"What are you doing Sakura?!"

"Sasuke…you have to forfeit the matches for now!"

"Why the heck should I?!"

"Do you think I'm blind to how you're suffering from the effects of the Cursed Seal?! You can barely use either you're chakra or you're Sharingan without that thing coming to life and injuring you even further! You can't hope to survive any fight with that thing eating you from the inside…please…I am begging you as a friend and team-mate…to please forfeit not for our sake…but your own."

Sasuke however didn't listen as he thought back on his oath be stronger, to gain more power and more ability to finally accomplish his long dream of avenging his clan and killing the one responsible for the murder of all of his family by one of their own…his own…

He then thought about his dream…and what and who he was…he was no longer just a man…but an avenger…a being who sought power and would seek out that power…regardless of it's source, be it kind or evil. He wanted to show that he was strong and he wielded power…power to defeat all who faced him and the only way to gain it was to fight the strongest…and all of them were here, in this very Tower…he could not afford to back down from this…lee, Dosu, Gaara, Neji…and Naruto were here in this room…if he backed down now…he would never get another chance like this…and he was NOT going to be denied this chance.

----------

The three Genin however turned when someone spoke out.

"Okay…you got me, I'm out of this part."

Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke turned to see Kabuto raising his hand…and that made Sasuke very wary of the Leaf Genin who was now leaving the scene. Holy Talon thought likewise and wondered just what was Kabuto up to…from what it could sense, the Genin had more than enough chakra and physical strength to be in this match…why was he backing out?

Naruto was also curious and spoke.

"Hey Kabuto-san…why are you leaving?!"

Kabuto turned and smiled a bit and replied.

"I'm sorry Naruto…but I had a heck of a hard time getting the scroll from the other team I fought with…and they really drained me and even if we made it here now…I'm still somewhat beat up…but I know you can do well…I know I'll miss it…but…hey don't worry about me, do you're best all right."

Naruto looked sad but smiled and gave Kabuto a thumbs up signal.

"I will!"

Kabuto smiled back and gave the same reply as he left the area.

However…he didn't get away scot-free…

Sarutobi looked at the leaving form of Kabuto and recalled something, this was NOT the very first time he had seen this young man, and neither was this the first time he had seen the man leave the Chuunin Exams at THIS stage…at first, he had allowed it as there was truth to his claims…but now that this was the seventh time he had done this act, he was got suspicious.

He turned to Anko and Ibiki as well and they were able to find out just who he was…namely his name of Kabuto Yakushi and his times in the Academy and in the missions he had undertaken…and the times he had taken the Chuunin Exams…his grades were average and he was not really much of a special case, however Anko revealed that he was the child who was found among the enemy dead during a battle in Konoha's history years before…the Battle of Kikyou Pass by one of the Konoha Medic Squads, and was taken in. And that boy grew up here, learning medical jutsus and had a very unremarkable career, that boy was Kabuto himself.

As soon as Sarutobi got the details…he looked at Kabuto and thought to himself aloud.

"What sort of game is that young man playing with us?"

He wasn't the only one as, Kabuto was stopped by Yoroi…his fellow team mate…and spy of Orochimaru. The two exchanged a hushed conversation with Yoroi warning Kabuto about his playing games and keeping his loyalty to Orochimaru…to which Kabuto replied back that he doesn't have to worry and to which Yoroi replied that while he was Orochimaru's favorite, he was certainly going beyond his bounds, Kabuto replied that he knew about Yoroi's desire to take his place and now was his chance…with that Kabuto bid farewell to both Naruto and Sasuke.

(Sorry I couldn't stay and fight, but if I did, the old me would have come back…I will be watching though, I hope you do well Sasuke-kun…and you too Naruto-kun.)

(Besides…if I fought here and now…I would be revealed as a spy…and I wouldn't want that, the rest I leave to you and you're capable hands Orochimaru-sama.)

The Sound Jonin looked on but a thin smile appeared as Kabuto left the room, leaving the others to wonder on what they would do…however Sasuke made up his mind already…as Sakura tried to raise her hand once more, he stopped her and replied.

"Sakura…this is my path! I chose it for myself…you have no right to tell me what I should do!"

"I am you're team-mate and friend Sasuke-kun and I can't just stand by and let that thing eat you alive!"

"If you are truly my friend and team-mate Sakura…then let me fight! This Chuunin Exam is more than an exam for me! I don't care much about the title of Chuunin, I am an avenger, nothing more, I have something to do no matter what, and I can't have myself stopped by anyone…not even you. All the strongest ninja are here and now…if I don't fight them here and now, then how can I see how strong I have become? I have to become strong no matter what, I won't let anything stop me…and that is what I want…and you have no right to stop me."

Sakura looked on sadly unable to say anything as she tried her best to reason with her team-mate, Naruto however was far from happy with Sasuke's behavior towards Sakura, and he was not going to let Sasuke's attitude get the better of him, he had a feeling that his words were merely helping Orochimaru get a better grip on Sasuke.

"Sasuke-teme, you have to listen for once…stop acting so cool and focus on the truth, that damned seal's…"

Sasuke then turned and gave a challenging look to Naruto.

"Naruto…you ought to know that you're one of the people I want to fight."

That made Naruto glare back and wonder just what was going on in the mind of Sasuke…but they had no time to think about that as Hayate got the Chuunin exams underway. He then showed them the screen nearby that would take the names of the Genin present and pair them in one on one combat. Also since there were 23 of them, then it would be a series of eleven matches to start the preliminaries. It didn't take long for the first match to begin and much to Naruto and Sakura's dismay…

It was Sasuke Uchiha against Yoroi Akadou…

Sakura was stunned, while Sasuke smiled, Naruto gave a shake of his head, while Lee, Dosu, Neji, and Gaara decided to take a good long look at Sasuke and see just how he gets out of this one.

As soon as that was announced, the Genin and their Jonin sensei made their way to the upper terraces to watch the match and to stay away from the fight itself.

"I won't have this fight any other way."

Gekkou then spoke.

"All right, the names called forward please come forward."

The Chuunin Proctor then faced the men and asked them if they had any objections to the match-up between them and they replied that they had none, while Orochimaru in his Sound Jonin disguise smiled and watched on to see how this situation will play itself out.

Sasuke then spoke to Yoroi.

"You are going to be in for the fight of you're life with me."

"Heh…bring it on Sasuke Uchiha."

Yoroi said with a smile, which was naturally hidden by his veil as he looked at Sasuke…who looked back with a smirk. Naruto and Sakura looked on and wondered how things would turn out, while the others were looking with interest.

Sasuke kept his cool, but held his shoulder in pain as the Cursed Seal once more reacted with his chakra. Hayate saw this and then gave the announcement that those who were not called were to leave and head for the upper levels for the match grounds to be clear of bystanders.

As they got ready Kakashi came by and was greeted with great enthusiasm by Naruto and the Jonin spoke directly to Sasuke.

"You have to be careful not to use you're Sharingan, Sasuke… if that mark activates then you're life will be on a thin edge."

"So you know about the Seal?"

"Yes…and what it does to those who are infected with it, and just so you know… if this fight gets beyond your ability to handle, then I will stop the fight personally."

Sasuke turned and was outraged by Kakashi's words to him and it made him even more unhappy to know that there was some truth to Kakashi's words, if he used the Sharingan, he would be vulnerable when the Cursed Seal activated itself and allow his foe to beat him senseless. But he knew that it responded to his chakra quite often.

(If I use my chakra, it grows stronger and it's grip…and Orochimaru's grip on me grows stronger, I have to beat Yoroi without my Sharingan and my clan's jutsus are off limits as well…maybe I can make him laugh to death instead.)

Orochimaru however was going to enjoy this fight.

(You are going in for a good test Sasuke-kun, Yoroi's unique talents should be a real challenge…I want to see if you can overcome it.)

Sasuke sighed mentally and psyched himself up and got ready nevertheless. The other teams got ready to watch as Kakashi hoped that Sasuke didn't overdo it and get himself in a real mess. As soon as Gekkou gave the signal, both ninja went to work, as Yoroi threw some shuriken and Sasuke fired some kunai, but Sasuke was stunned to the ground when the Cursed Seal awakened…nearly leaving him open to attack as Yoroi closed the gap, Sasuke quickly used his remaining strength to moved out of the way of Yoroi's fist.

He then used the Kunai he had to get a grip on the floor and used his legs to kick Yoroi down to the ground and then with several restraining moves managed to knock Yoroi to the ground and opted to try and make Yoroi fall to submission.

"He got him!"

Naruto cheered, but Yoroi merely grinned and replied.

"Really now? Who's got who I wonder?"

His hand glowed once more as he activated his own chakra and then grabbed Sasuke and much to Sasuke's shock and disbelief…his chakra was being…taken from his body.

(What the hell is happening?!)

Yoroi then stuck hard, loosening Sasuke's grip and then forced his way through and much to the shock of everyone in the room, except Orochimaru who smiled sadistically as the spy from the Sound Village leaped back and as Sasuke managed to get off the floor, the ninja then used his glowing hand once more and began to drain Sasuke's chakra…making Sasuke lose his power.

Kakashi and the others looked on in surprise and disbelief as the Uchiha survivor was being placed in a deadly situation.

"My…my chakra…what the hell are you…doing to my chakra?!"

"What…you're just noticing it now?"

Yoroi replied as he laughed and continued his actions on the still weakened and disoriented Sasuke who couldn't muster enough strength to break free just yet. Holy Talon sensed it and realized that it had seen similar techniques such as those before and he understood just what it was.

(("Master Naruto!!!! He's using a technique similar to a Vampirism Spell! Either that, or he's got the same abilities as a Vampire or Soul Reaper!"))

(What?!)

(("I can't get into all the details, but it seems that foe of Sasuke Uchiha has traits similar to some beings in Dagern that absorb the life force or blood of others, in this case he seems to be gifted with the ability to drain another person's chakra!!!"))

Naruto realized that quickly and knew that if that was true, then Sasuke was in a disaster, without his chakra, he was in serious threat of being affected by the Cursed Seal.

Orochimaru noted and wondered how Sasuke would be able to handle this mess, Yoroi was indeed given such a unique talent, he could absorb the chakra of his foes with only a touch of his hand, quite a unique and deadly talent in the right hands and in the right circumstances, and this would make things even more difficult for Sasuke.

(As soon as Yoroi takes you're precious chakra Sasuke-kun…you will have no other choice but to rely on my little gift to you…and we shall see how you do. Release that forbidden power…it will save you after all…you have no choice in this matter.)

Sasuke managed to gather enough strength to kick Yoroi away from him, but he knew now that close combat with this guy was a serious mistake, if he got grabbed like that again…he was finished, but he was too weakened by the first two attacks that using either Kunai or shuriken were a bad idea, and even if he could do it, the Cursed Seal would hurt even more. Yoroi however was not going to stop as he lashed out at Sasuke and the Uchiha ninja tried to evade and managed to avoid some of the blows, but he got hit by the hand in the hair…however instead of being a miss, the chakra absorbing technique affected him quickly…forcing him to lose even more of his strength…but he had enough to tolerate Yoroi's taunts and get some distance.

"Sasuke-kun!!!!"

"Damn it! What the heck is wrong with you?!?! Think of something fast or you're history Sasuke!!!!"

Sasuke admitted that Naruto had a point and then he realized that he had one chance…part of it wasn't original, but heck…as things were at this moment…it was better than nothing. He waited and then made his move…managing to avoid Yoroi's next strike he then attacked with a move that everyone recognized…including a duo of ninjas with the same hair-style, the same suits, and the same bushy brows.

(Wait! That's my move!!)

Lee said as he saw Sasuke use the same kick that he had used on him before during that test fight. He couldn't believe that Sasuke was using that move as well.

(What the?)

Gai thought as Sasuke leaped after Yoroi. As soon as they were in mid air and Sasuke was behind Yoroi, he confessed something to the Hidden Sound Spy.

"All right…I'll admit I borrowed this move…but from this point on, the rest is my own creation."

With that, Yoroi only commented the first part of the move as Sasuke began to take his shot at taking out Yoroi…but before he could accomplish it, the Cursed Seal once more activated and he was bathed in pain as the flame patterns once more began to spread all over his body as he now felt it's presence begin to fill his body and mind.

(Damn it all…not now!!!)

"Sasuke-kun!!!!"

"Crap!!! Sasuke…you had better not lose here and now of all things!!! You said you and I will be fighting soon when the Preliminaries are over!!!! Don't you dare go back on your word to me now!!!"

Sasuke looked at saw Sakura with her eyes in tears and her face in worry and fear, while Naruto was seriously tense and not wanting him to just give up and lose now. He was not going to be beaten here, he had much to live up to and his two goals in life would be even further out of his reach if he lost here and now…

(Damn! I won't lose I will win and I will do it on my own power!!!!)

With that, he focused his will and strength of mind into it and managed to beat back the seal and force it to subside…much to the shock of the people who knew about it…namely Kakashi, Anko, Sarutobi and naturally Orochimaru himself as Sasuke used several attacks to take Yoroi out of the match and finished the attack with a powerful heel kick known as the Lion's Barrage.

The two ninja were out of it, but Sasuke was able to get off his back and was sitting down with exhaustion and Hayate declared Sasuke the winner and that was Kakashi's cue to make his move after trading some words with Gai…. as Yoroi was taken away by the medics for treatment and one of the medics tried to approach Sasuke, but Kakashi interceded. The Jonin told Sasuke that the Cursed Seal had to be contained and now was a good a time as any for it to be done. Sasuke naturally was not happy with the fact that he was going to be missing out on the rest of the competition, but Kakashi was not backing down and Sasuke had no choice as he was followed by Kakashi.

Orochimaru smiled and was excited at what he had seen while Anko and the others who were aware of the effects of the Cursed Seal were impressed that Sasuke was able to resist the call of the Cursed Seal to use it's power. Orochimaru however decided to leave the scene and see just what Kakashi was having in mind. However Dosu was not liking this…he had a feeling that there was to what was going on and he wondered what was going to happen next. However he decided to see just what would be the outcome of the other matches…he had nothing left to take care of at the moment and attacking Orochimaru was suicidal to say the least.

----------

Naruto looked at the two as they left the room, no doubt to have Kakashi give Sasuke the seal he was told to by the Hokage, and he had seen the Seal react once more during the fight between Sasuke and Yoroi. He didn't like what he saw and that made him even more cautious and wary of how the seal was affecting his team mate and rival. However, he had little time to think on this situation as he looked at the next number of match line-ups

And found his name to be chosen and he was going to fight none other than Oboro…who was one of the Rain Genin. The other Rain Genin were a bit worried, but they put those thoughts out of their minds as they knew that Oboro was armed with a special jutsu that he kept in reserve, they had used it before to get the advantage before in order to get the Chuunin Preliminaries and now it was time for it to be revealed.

Naruto realized that for this kind of battle he didn't need to take Holy Talon with him in order to win this fight, so he took of the sword while it was still in the sheath and then placed it on the wall, he the walked away but spoke to Sakura.

"Sakura-chan, I'll leave Holy Talon here for this fight…I'll be back for it later."

(Are you okay with that? I mean…)

(("It's quite all right Master Naruto, I can still speak to you and be there to you if you need my aid in a battle."))

As he made his way to the floor and faced Oboro, Hayate then gave them the signal to begin and Naruto quickly closed in the gap and lashed out with several powerful punches and kicks with Oboro who managed to block them and fire back his own kicks and punches as well. The two then grabbed each other's hands and tried to overpower each other. Naruto's gained height, form, muscle mass and tone gave him an edge in such a situation as he began to overpower Oboro, but the Rain Genin was not giving up yet as he managed to move away and fire several double bladed kunai at Naruto, that Naruto evaded by flipping backwards and then took out one of his own kunai.

Oboro then used his special variant of the Kage Bushin making Naruto look on in surprise for a moment and then in anticipation.

"So this is a Kage Bushin style fight huh, fine then, I'll just hit the ones and find you!"

"You're welcome to try!"

Naruto wasted no time and began to lash out at the clones, first with several thrown shuriken and then leaping into the fight to use his hands and feet. Back on the upper floors, the others watched and wondered how this fight was going to turn out as Naruto began to try and locate the real Oboro as his team-mates watched on, unconcerned for the moment as they knew that Naruto was about to walk right into a trap.

Holy Talon then moved and fell to the ground with a clang that got the attention of everyone on that side of the building as it apparently had slipped. Hinata and the others looked at it for a moment as the shy girl reach out and tried to hold the sword.

(I have to place it back for Naruto-kun…what?)

Hinata was in absolute surprise when she tried to lift the weapon and found it to be almost like trying to lift a massive boulder by herself…she had known that a weapon like this one would be heavy…but not THIS heavy….she could barely move it a millimeter of the ground.

(This thing is so heavy…and yet Naruto-kun can use this with no effort and carry it…how strong has Naruto-kun become?!)

Hinata tried again and that caught the attention of Kurenai and her other two team-mates.

"What's wrong Hinata?"

Hinata turned to see her sensei looking at her and she replied.

"I-I tried to lift Naruto-kun's sword when it fell…but I can't seem to even lift it…it seems so heavy Kurenai-sensei…"

"Let me try…"

Kiba moved in and tried to lift it as well, he was stunned to find that he couldn't lift it at all, and Akamaru smelled something from the sword, it wasn't bad or anything, rather it was a soothing form of feeling, but it seemed to warn him that lifting it was a bad idea.

Kiba groaned tried to lift the sword several more times but gave up after the last try.

"Wow…that is one HEAVY sword, and Naruto carries that around all the time…he must really be working out."

Shino himself tried to lift it…but had no such luck as lifting the weapon proved to be impossible. Kurenai herself tried to lift the sword and found that the weapon weighted almost like a massive boulder and she sighed as she gave up her attempts to lift the heavy weapon That attracted the attention of the other Leaf Genin as Sakura spoke.

"You guys had better leave that sword alone, only Naruto-kun seems to be able to lift and use that thing, I've tried lifting it before and so did Kakashi-sensei and we couldn't lift it either."

Lee reached for the sword and also tried to lift it…but to his utter surprise, despite his exceptional training and strength it seemed that he couldn't lift the weapon as well…let alone drag it with him…it was as if it was held in place by an invisible grip. Lee tried many times until he stopped.

"I can't even more it at all…it feels like trying to move an entire mountain…"

Gai stepped forward and spoke.

"Let me try Lee…"

Gai tried to lift the weapon or even drag it…but the weapon wasn't budging or moving even a millimeter…even Gai, who was the strongest of his team found it near to impossible to lift the sword, he tried several times and was forced to release the sword and commented.

"I am impressed…I have carried quite a number of heavy objects in my time…but this sword Naruto carries is different, it's like trying to move the mountain where the Hokage faces are…and he can use this sword with skill…this is interesting indeed….Lee…I guess this means we're both going to have to train hard to carry something like this!"

"Yes sir!"

Neji sighed and replied.

"Here we go again…"

Tenten herself tried to lift the sword, but even she found it near impossible to lift, and she tried several times and then spoke to Neji.

"Neji-kun…do you think that Naruto's got some sort of chakra system built into it to render it to be that heavy for us, but not for him?"

"Possibly…but how that thing was able to incinerate Orochimaru's arm and nearly consume him is another matter…I'm surprised none of us were reduced to ashes by it when we touched it."

The others nodded and the three Leaf Jonin were then told by their students what they had witnessed Naruto was able to do when he fought with Orochimaru and suffice to say, Kurenai, Asuma, and Gai were impressed indeed, they were among the few Jonin who were not aware of Naruto's gifts given to him by Holy Talon and they all looked at Naruto after they were told by their students and wondered what else would happen. The Hokage knew that with that happening, then the time would come for them, along with Kakashi and Iruka to someday know the truth of what happened at Wave Country and soon, if with Naruto's permission, they, along with Kakashi would be able to speak to Holy Talon's creator…Lord Faldren, the undisputed and revered leader of the Holy Dragons.

For now however, the fight between Naruto and Oboro was still underway…

----------

Elsewhere…

"I must have been out of my mind to have said that…"

Kakashi said to himself as he calmed himself a bit and looked over at Sasuke who was currently resting after the binding seal ritual that he had undergone. He was acting this way since he had been faced by Orochimaru who was shed his disguise and revealed himself still in his Sound Jonin outfit and the two traded words, while Kakashi defended Sasuke with his use of his Raikiri. During this time, Orochimaru revealed that he had known about the Wave Country mission, but only because he wanted to keep track of his prize…Sasuke.

He also revealed that he was the head and leader of the Sound Village and that sooner or later…Sasuke will be his, and then nothing would stop him. However he was interested with Naruto now…either as a test subject or as a target to be eliminated, and to have that sword either corrupted or destroyed.

Orochimaru left afterwards and Kakashi was able to get some help from a small band of ANBU that he sent to escort and protect Sasuke in the Hospital where he was to rest and recover until his body got used to the binding seal, before Sasuke fell unconscious, he had told him that the binding seal needed his will to keep the Cursed Seal from spreading.

As soon as that was over, he made his way to the ring to see just who was fighting, and sure enough, he spotted none other than Naruto taking on one of the Rain Genin. As soon as he rejoined Sakura, the Rain Genin made his move…

----------

Naruto punched another clone and was getting frustrated and was unaware that he was now right into a trap and the Rain Genin suddenly attacked as he appeared right out from under Naruto…

"Damn! You were hiding there the whole time!"

Oboro laughed and replied.

"Of course I was…I let you swing and attack all you wanted because you would then tire yourself out and lose your focus and energy…just enough for me to use this!!!"

The Rain Genin made several hand signs and his hands glowed in the same fashion Yoroi…Naruto tried to attack, but he was suddenly surrounded by dispersing clones and the mist were certainly enough to blind him and then he left two touches on his head…on the sides of his temples. Naruto got out of the smoke and found Oboro armed with a kunai and the blonde was finally in a slightly better mood as he took out his kunai and spoke.

"So you decided to show yourself…now it's an even fight!"

"Try me!"

"HERE I COME!!!"

Naruto charged at the seemingly calm Rain Genin and Naruto closed the gap and leaped up to sucker punch Oboro in the face…

"Now I got…what the?!"

Naruto suddenly saw that his eyes were beginning to lose color…everything he saw suddenly began to turn grey and he now found himself looking in black and white…quite literally, and then his vision began to get hazy and normally clear images began to fade and become like mist…and then everything was dark.

Oboro moved aside and Naruto struck nothing but the floor with his fist, and he was able to get back up and he looked about and began to strike wildly…making the others wonder what was wrong.

"Naruto-kun! What's wrong?! Why the heck are you hitting around…that foe of yours is next to you!!!"

Naruto struck in that direction, but missed entirely as Oboro kicked him in the stomach and then punched him in the face…Naruto recovered and tried to fight back, but Oboro was able to redirect Naruto's hand and made him strike his own leg with his own kunai…Naruto shouted in pain and Oboro got his distance.

Sakura and the other Genin watched in disbelief while Hinata was in fear of Naruto's life.

"Damn it! He did something to me!!!"

"What are you saying Naruto-kun?!"

"I can't see Sakura-chan!!! He somehow blinded me!!!"

Kakashi noted that and spoke to Sakura.

"He used some form of jutsu to strike at Naruto's head…my guess is that whatever jutsu that Rain Genin used on Naruto must have somehow rendered him unable to see anything…his eyes might be fine…but he can't see anything at all. He must have gotten Naruto to waste his energy and focus to lure him in and breach his defense…and struck him on the head."

"Oh no…! If Naruto-kun can't see…"

----------

Naruto tried to find Oboro and then he heard several footsteps and tried to kick in the direction but missed Oboro who then kicked him in the chest…making him stumble as he tried to regain his footing but Oboro wasted no time and lashed out with a kick to his head, Naruto was hit hard and when he recovered he then tried to block any attacks, but without his vision, he was unable to predict where the attacks would come from.

Oboro tossed several shuriken at Naruto and they hit him hard and then he tossed another kunai that got Naruto by the left shoulder. Naruto shouted and grasped the kunai on his shoulder and his leg…pulled them out and gasped.

"What the…why can't I see anything?!"

"You surprised? I call it my Vijon Hakudatsu Jutsu…it's a special technique I developed that allows me to send chakra into your eyes and that chakra will disrupt you're vision and soon you will be blinded."

"Damn you!!!"

Naruto charged and threw some kunai, but missed as Oboro leaped up and punched Naruto on the face and Naruto reeled as Oboro laughed.

"I actually wasn't planning to use it…but to be a Chuunin, I am willing to go all out to win, that is the goal after all…as long as I am alive and conscious, the chakra in your eyes will blind you and then when you regain you're sight, you've either surrendered…or you're dead. Another way is if I am unconscious or dead…but I doubt that's going to happen anytime soon. So what do you say…ready to give up, or should I just kill you instead?"

Naruto roared out in anger and replied.

" I will never surrender and give up to you…and I refuse to die!!!"

Naruto attacked once more, but Oboro played him like a simple child as he leaped aside and punched Naruto on the stomach and then leaped over him and wounded him in the back with a kunai.

"ARGH!!!"

The Leaf Genin looked on and Kakashi was worried.

(This is not good at all…even Sasuke's Sharingan or the Hyuuga Clan's Byakugan need functional eyes in order to work…without any vision at all…Naruto can't do anything to stop those attacks.)

(Naruto-kun!!!!)

Oboro further taunted Naruto as he threw several more shuriken at Naruto further wounding him.

"You are a foolish brat…even if you can hear me, you can't tell where I am…you're wasting your breath and you're energy…you can either give up now and save your life and I'll return your vision, or you can bleed to death here and now…either way…I win this round."

Naruto however bit back the pain and tried to attack, but Oboro knocked him back and he fell to the ground…covered in blood and his clothes torn and bloody. Naruto however was not giving up as he got to his feet. Oboro snorted and got ready to attack…

"Fine then… I might as well finish you off now!!!"

The Genin watched as Naruto stood as Oboro closed in and was about to deliver the fatal blow…without Naruto being able to see his foe and evade…he was not in a good situation, he was wounded in various parts of his body and he had lost his sight…he was in a serious situation indeed.

Unknown to them…

Naruto thought of his situation and was about to summon Holy Talon to his side, yet he felt like he was going back on his word…but he was in a dire situation…but the spirit of the sword spoke to him.

(("Fear not Master Naruto!!! I will aid you and I know who will be best to aid you in such a situation as this…you will not need me there."))

(What do you mean?!)

((" I know of only one Dragon Champion to help you…the Sightless Battle Maiden…her essence and spirit will aid you in this fight!!! After all…she is the only master of the Dragon Eye and this battle is where she truly specializes in."))

(Who?!)

It was then that a new voice filled his ears, a soft, gentle, but strong and formidable voice…that of a woman.

((("Holy Talon refers to me young Dragon Champion…and he is right…I shall aid you in this battle.")))

(Who are you?)

((("I am the Sightless Battle Maiden as many have called me when I was alive…but I was once known before that name and the title of Dragon Champion as Shana Leonora. I will aid you in this battle…allow me to meld with you and aid you now.")))

Naruto agreed and he suddenly felt a massive rush of energy in his body…he felt his chakra come to life once more…far more intensely than before and he felt his senses suddenly become sharper and more powerful than before…it was as if he could SEE in a way no one else could manage. Then Shana's voice spoke along with Holy Talon…

(("Master Naruto…follow Shana's advice and listen to her…she is the only known Master of the Dragon Eye and she will be of great aid to you here and now."))

(All right! I'm ready!)

((("Good now…invoke the Dragon Eye!")))

Naruto followed Shana's instructions as he spoke softly in the same archaic language and finished the words.

"Allow me the vision to see my enemy…beyond the veil of flesh, blood, bone, and spirit…I invoke you… I call you…Come forth…Dragon Eye!!"

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"You're dead!!!"

Oboro launched a strike with his kunai…intending to strike the vulnerable area of his neck that would kill Naruto…Sakura screamed out a warning while Hinata tried to warn her crush of the incoming attack and the other Leaf Genin tried to do something…Kakashi was about to step in when he spotted a glow coming from the Holy Talon…he stopped as he saw…the jeweled eye open once more and glowing…and sure enough…

WHAP!!!!

"WHAT THE?!"

Everyone gasped…

As Naruto gripped Oboro's outstretched arm in his own, gripping the hand that held the double bladed kunai with his own fist, stopping the Rain Genin from striking the fatal blow…Oboro was too stunned to retaliate as Naruto turned to face him and grinned.

"Now it's my turn…I've got YOU!!!"

With that…Naruto pulled Oboro forward and KICKED him right in the stomach while releasing him…sending the Rain Genin away from him.

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The rest of the audience watched in utter amazement as the Rain Genin Oboro found himself thrown halfway across the floor and as he got up from his back…he stared in utter disbelief at Naruto who was still looking at him with his eyes open….eyes that he had disabled with his jutsu…but that blonde brat was still able to not only block his finishing strike…but kick him and send him crashing into the ground like some stuffed toy.

"But…but that's impossible!!!! My Vijon Hakudatsu Jutsu has rendered you blind and you are not skilled enough to use you're other senses…how in the heck did you manage to stop my attack?!?!"

"Naruto-kun…you blocked it…that was amazing!!!"

Sakura replied, utterly amazed that her team-mate was able to block the fatal block at the last moment.

Kakashi looked on and was impressed at the way Naruto was able to use whatever technique he had to survive this…he had been a bit worried when Naruto had been rendered unable to even determine Oboro's location when the ninja had been able to get close enough to strike him on the head and unleash a brutal number of attacks on the utterly defenseless blonde ninja. He turned and looked at the still lying form of Holy Talon still in the sheath and noted the glowing eye like jewel, many would have thought that it was merely the light playing on the gem…but after Wave Country and what he had seen and heard, he knew better than to think that the sword was doing nothing but lie there.

(It seems that Holy Talon has somehow tipped the scales of this battle in Naruto's favor, I have to admit, that would mean that Naruto doesn't always have to have Holy Talon with him to fight well…this new ability should be interesting.)

Lee was impressed, he thought Naruto was at a severe disadvantage without his sight to help him, he was worried as he watched Oboro punch, kick and slash at Naruto, along with using kunai and shuriken, forcing the blonde back to a corner…but suddenly the tide of the fight changed when Naruto grabbed the Rain Genin's hand as he tried to end the fight with a fatal blow…and kicked his foe to the other side of the field.

"Gai-sensei…that was amazing… I thought Naruto-san was dead for sure from that attack."

"So did I…being unable to use your eye-sight is a deadly flaw and it takes years or more to use the other senses as far as I know…but somehow he was able to fight back...you've got quite a find this young one Kakashi."

"You might say that."

Neji himself was stunned at the sight, he had thought that Naruto was at a deathly disadvantage with the jutsu Oboro used on him and he was close to losing, but now it seemed that everything was now uncertain.

(Interesting, I had thought that without his sword, Naruto Uzumaki would be at a disadvantage…was my assessment wrong?)

"Wow…that was unexpected…"

Tenten replied as she looked at the sight.

Hinata gave a sigh of relief as she saw that her crush was alive and safe, she was worried greatly ever since the jutsu was used on Naruto…but now he was back in the game.

(Naruto-kun…that was so amazing…you are so strong!!!)

Kiba and Akamaru were stunned and so was Shino as well, and even Kurenai was surprised at the outcome of the fight, the red eyed Kunoichi expected that Naruto would be in great trouble with all his senses disabled by Oboro's jutsu, and while she had to admit that he was certainly a good looking young man, despite his young age, she had thought he was no longer able to fight, but it seemed that Naruto proved her wrong.

(I can see why Hinata likes him so much…he certainly is full of surprises and rather…wait, I better not think of those things…after all, despite him being good looking he is younger than I am, though he might not look like it…I am older than him and Hinata does like him…it would be rude of me to do such things to them.)

Ino was impressed to say the least and so were her team-mates…along with Asuma, who was also familiar with Naruto's origins as the rest of the other ninja were and didn't expect him to be this powerful. Ino was smiling as she looked at Naruto once more…she might not show it, but she was starting to see that maybe there was more to Naruto than being loud and noisy.

"Whoa…that was unexpected."

Shikamaru said, while Chouji nodded as well.

"I thought Naruto was done for sure."

On the other side were the Sand Siblings and Temari was smiling proudly…despite her patient look, she was worried about how Naruto had fared when the Rain Genin used that jutsu to literally blind Naruto in all of his senses and he was getting pounded, but now he appeared to have recovered somehow…it would have been a shame for him to be beaten at this stage of the fight…besides, she had a plan in mind that involved him at some point.

Kankurou sighed and shook his head…he was really wondering how the blonde would get himself out of this one and it seemed he was able to get out somehow. Gaara still maintained his ever dour and stoic look, but he was getting more intrigued by Naruto and was slightly disappointed that he was not able to fight him…but at least he got to see another trick the ninja had.

Dosu and Kin looked on as they tried to figure out how Naruto managed to block that attack at the last moment, even with all of his senses shut down and hard as well. Dosu and Kin were quite impressed with the situation and wondered just how this would turn out…while Orochimaru…once more in his Sound Jonin disguise looked on with interest.

The Hokage looked on with great surprise but kept his focus on the match, he was worried about Naruto before but now it seems his fears were unfounded as despite his injuries…Naruto was far from out of the fight, Ibiki nodded as he was seeing that his assessment of the boy was proving to be quite accurate, Anko smiled at that and was eager to see just what else Naruto was going to do.

Oboro growled as he got ready to attack and wondered if he had somehow only missed the area of the chakra pathways which could allow his jutsu to work. He got ready and summoned some more chakra to his fingers and tensed himself.

"All right then…I'll make double sure that…"

Naruto however went into a combat stance and replied.

"Don't bother…you're jutsu still worked…I can't see you…you hit me dead center…"

"Then how in the hell did you manage to not only block me and hit me at the same time?!"

Naruto grinned at that and he spoke to Holy Talon and Shana in his mind.

(Is it all right if I taunt him a little…just a bit?)

(("Sounds fair to me Master Naruto…just don't be over eccentric with it"))

((("If that is what you want then go ahead.")))

Naruto then spoke to Oboro.

"That's because I'm using a brand new jutsu I came up with…I call it the Ryu Manako Jutsu or the Dragon Eye Technique."

That announcement got the attention of just about EVERYONE in the room, none of them had ever heard of such a jutsu before, Kakashi however knew that it had something to do with the Holy Talon, as far as he knew, Naruto had not used any other jutsu but the Kage Bushin, the Henge jutsu, and that Sexy Jutsu he had on hand to knock men out when he needed to…he didn't have any new jutsu to speak of yet…so he must be using one of the gifts handed to him by the Holy Talon…but he must be masking it IN a jutsu to throw everyone off.

(Hmmm…nicely done Naruto…this will be fun to see.)

"The what?! I've never heard of such a jutsu!!!!"

"Hah! Not my problem…but I'll give you the short version so you'll have an idea of what it can do…with this jutsu…I have the ability to see you at a far more powerful level…unlike normal physical vision, the Dragon Eye Jutsu allows me to see and you're plans ahead of the present…like I can see your every possible actions… in minutes or hours before you can even think or do them yourself, allowing me to counter those moves with nearly no effort."

Oboro lost his cool and unleashed a massive barrage of kunai at Naruto while shouting out.

"YOU LIE!!!!"

Naruto, with the guiding essence of Shana in him, dodged and evaded the kunai thrown at him and with exceptional timing began to catch them by the rings and he quickly flipped back and then smiled at Oboro as he revealed all ten kunai in his hands. The Rain Genin gasped and then Naruto threw all the kunai back at Oboro, forcing him to move aside, but then found Naruto charging at him with his own kunai in hand, the Rain Genin blocked with his own kunai and tried to force Naruto back with a kick, but Naruto merely leaped upward and in mid air launched a spinning heel kick that send Oboro aside and the Rain Genin got up and growled.

Naruto then replied as he made his hand signs.

"Now do you get it…I can already see every possible way how this battle is going to end…and you won't be the winner…I see every possible move you can do…and since the Dragon Eye Jutsu is now active, I will never be beaten so easily….and that means…"

"KAGE BUSHIN JUTSU!!!!!!"

In a moment at least fifty Naruto clones appeared and all were armed with Kunai and surrounded Oboro and they all with the original Naruto spoke in one voice that spoke of victory.

"I DON'T NEED MY EYES TO BEAT YOU!!!!"

The clones and the original rushed in and began to pound Oboro into submission as several of them were taken out by Oboro with thrown kunai…but that hardly mattered as the others closed it, and unleashed a flurry of punches and kicks that really gave Oboro as serious beating and the Rain Genin was being knocked about like a punching bag in a free for all brawl, and then several of the clones suddenly kicked the Rain Genin upwards, while several others leaped up to the air and further kicked the Rain Genin into the air and to the back and Naruto himself and three of his clones rushed as the Rain Genin fell to the ground and they leaped upwards to meet him in flight.

Naruto and his clones then unleashed a pair of spinning heel kicks with each leg that slammed hard into the torso of the Rain Genin and then they finished the attack with fists right into Oboro's face.

"UZUMAKI RIOT STORM!!!!"

Oboro fell to the ground with a thud…alive but severely beaten and unconscious…Naruto stood up…exhausted as his clones dissipated…and the jutsu the Oboro used to deprive him of his senses disappeared as well and Naruto looked at Kakashi and Sakura and grinned with a thumbs up smile.

"The jutsu wore off! I can see again!!!"

Hayate walked over to Oboro and then declared the winner of the fight.

"The winner is, Naruto Uzumaki."

The cheers were on as Sakura was in the lead, followed by Lee and Hinata, and even Kakashi with a smile.

"WAY TO GO NARUTO-KUN!!!! THAT'S MY TEAM MATE!!!!!"

"WAHOOOOOOO!!!!! NARUTO-SAN!!! YOU ARE ON FIRE!!!!"

(Naruto-kun!!!! That was so amazing!!!!)

"Well, well, he's certainly taking this up a notch…nicely done Naruto."

Kakashi said with a bit of pride while Gai couldn't help but speak out about Kakashi's team.

"You're group is certainly filled with talent Kakashi…makes me wonder just how will they handle the rest of the Exams, I can't wait to see that."

Ino was impressed and so were the others in her team as well as their sensei Asuma.

"Wow…he's really different from before!"

"Yeah, I thought that jutsu that Rain Genin used would have been the end of him, man it's going to be a drag if I have to fight him."

"I have to agree…he'll be a tough one to take on."

(What has that kid been doing? I guess Kakashi's words were all true about Naruto being more than capable as a potential Chuunin candidate.)

Asuma thought as he finished his cigarette.

Kurenai also thought in her own fashion after seeing Naruto in action.

(He certainly has changed, at first I had thought that Naruto Uzumaki was still a class clown despite his sudden changes in appearance and physical attributes, but he has certainly shown a great deal of growth under Kakashi's watch, I see now that he would be a very strong and powerful opponent.)

Kiba and Akamaru thought likewise as they looked at Naruto with a look of wary respect as they were shown that despite still being the loudmouth that he was, he was no weakling anymore that they could beat easily.

Shino thought likewise as well.

Tenten was smiling brightly at this and Neji was still stoic as ever, but had to give Naruto credit, he had used his Byakugan to see what was this jutsu and to his surprise, he saw that there was a faint trace of unknown energy laced with chakra that formed a massive…reptilian eye that was on Naruto's forehead, that eye was open and seemed to be on fire…yet only with his Byakugan activated could he see it.

(So that's the Ryu Manako Jutsu…I must say that it is an interesting technique he has, but that energy he has with his chakra's different from it…that must be quite a jutsu indeed not to rely on normal vision, both the Sharingan and the Byakugan still rely on the eyes of their users to be active to work…but this jutsu Naruto used doesn't rely on his eyes working at all. He certainly is not one to take lightly in a fight…just like Sasuke Uchiha.)

On the other side of the ring, Kankurou was giving Naruto a look that despite his dislike, he was impressed, Temari was smiling widely and Gaara was still his emotionless self, but he gripped his hands tighter as he was excited by what he saw.

The Sound Genin looked on with surprise and so did Orochimaru who looked on with increased interest at Naruto as the blonde ninja left the floor with Oboro being taken away as he was now officially eliminated from the competition. That made his other comrades wary of their own chances was well.

(You have grown so much Naruto-kun…I am wondering if I should either take your blood for study or have you placed with the Cursed Seal…but no matter, I will have my prize, but I will be keeping tabs on you and the sword you carry.)

As Naruto walked back, charged by his first victory, Hinata was feeling very much aware of the fact that this was her chance as she held a container of her healing ointment.

(He's coming here…what should I say?! What should I do?!)

As Naruto was about to reach Holy Talon and pick it up, Hinata managed to blurt out his name…despite her intense shyness towards him.

"N-N-Naruto-kun…"

The blonde ninja stopped as he was going to pick up his sword and turned to face Hinata and was surprised why she seemed to blush bright red at him for some reason, while twiddling her fingers.

"Is something wrong Hinata?"

"No-I-I-well, - thought-uh, maybe…"

Hinata gulped and walked over to Naruto and gave him the healing ointment, trying her absolute best not to faint before her crush, but couldn't say anymore, and Kurenai noted that as well, smiling at that.

(Hinata…well now…this is nice.)

Naruto looked at the container for a moment and recognized it.

"Hey, that's one container of that healing ointment you gave me before right…you're giving it to me?"

"Um…y-y-yes…"

Naruto smiled and took the container while speaking.

"Thanks Hinata! I really appreciate you giving me this; I was right about you being a nice person. I'll pay you back soon enough once the Preliminaries are over, you have my word!"

Hinata's blush deepened as she felt Naruto's hands touch hers and she couldn't help but feel the skin, toughed by sword calluses and yet warm and strong…she began to have fantasies in her mind about Naruto…she felt that she was going to faint right now, but fought it back. Kurenai noted that as Naruto left and went to pick up his sword and despite her earlier misgivings…she couldn't help but look at the blonde ninja's body and backside and couldn't help but smile to herself.

(Well…he certainly has the looks, I hate to admit it…but he's certainly a hot guy despite his age.)

Hinata was still blushing as she too gave the same thoughts as Naruto took up Holy Talon, checked his sword for any damages and placed it right back, the Hyuuga girl didn't notice the very serious looks that her own sensei was giving her crush, and just about every women of either age was giving Naruto the once over, and Holy Talon could sense that and he merely replied.

(("Here we go again."))

(Did you say something?)

((Nothing important Master Naruto."))

(By the way…I need to discuss something with you soon, about myself…)

(("You mean the Demon Fox of Nine Tails inside of you…the one known as the Kyuubi, am I correct?"))

(Yes…how did you know?)

(("Actually I was wondering when you were going to ask me that question Master…I will tell you soon enough…"))

Feminine laughter then filled the blonde's ears as Shana's voice came back to him and Holy Talon.

((("My…you are quite the charmer young one, I hope that you can hold on to you're trousers since I can sense QUITE the auras around today.")))

Naruto was still a bit unsure about that and began to use the healing ointment on his wounds and got ready to watch the rest of the incoming matches. Things were about to heat up as the next set of matches were about to be announced. Naruto then realized that after that battle…he would have get ready and get himself a new set of clothes to replace his torn ones once he was free to do just that.

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To be continued...

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Author's Notes:

Sorry about the numerical error, had a lot on my mind lately…and I have been playing Neverwinter Nights 2 for quite a while too…quite a good game as well, sorry about that. Now on with the work!!!

It seems Naruto has gotten some aid in fighting Oboro and it seems that his support is one of the previous Dragon Champions, and a woman at that, a very skilled fighter as well, and she is Shana, one of the first mentioned Dragon Champions in this story who's essence Naruto is able to call on.

As previously stated in the other chapters, the Dragon Eye Holy Talon has can predict attacks allow them to be countered, it might not seem as much when one has vision, but in this case, it certainly has proven here in this chapter to be more than effective in the kind of fight Naruto found himself in with Oboro, ands just who is this one named Shana?

Well, as you have no doubt figured out…she is a Dragon Champion of Dagern generations before. But who is she exactly?

----------

Shana Leonora is one of the first named Dragon Champions who's essence or spirit resides in Holy Talon, she was born with a deadly sickness due to a plague that hit her village, which was found to be mystical in nature, it infected many and she was merely a little baby…the plague was eventually removed by the previous Dragon Champion of her generation…but while she was saved along with others…she lost her eyes…while her eyes remained physically intact and seem fine…she has been completely blinded.

She grew up with difficulties as many people were not well receiving with her due to her condition, but she persevered and worked her hardest to make a life for herself in her home…one day she learned that she had a talent for magic, but she decided not to take the path of a spell caster, and trained her mystical potential to act as a new sense for her to compensate for her lack of physical vision…it had taken years, but she eventually mastered this unique version of sight, though it only allowed her to move and travel about.

One day, she returned from a journey with some of her townsfolk, but when they came back…the village was in flames…completely obliterated and their fellow villagers either taken as slaves or were all slain. Shana sat down in grief and in tears as she found her home and simple farm burned to ashes and her beloved who loved her despite her physical condition dead before her…stabbed and slashed to death while he was before the home that was to be theirs…his simple short sword…broken, chipped, and shattered, told her that he had died defending their future home.

She then sought out answers and when to the Holy Sanctum of the Holy Dragon Sword and despite a disapproval of many others, Holy Talon chose her and told her that it had been the followers of the Chaos Dragons and the wielder of Death Fang who attacked her village and many were also subjected to this fate. On that day, she swore to avenge not just her fellow villagers, and her future husband, but to give hope to others…or die trying.

Holy Talon then taught her about the Dragon Eye and with her own self taught mystical sense, she began to grow in skill and power… she could predict enemy attacks and evade them regardless of direction and speed, evade spells and ranged projectiles with ease, and attack with lethal precision with both fist and sword. Holy Talon admits that out of all the previous Dragon Champions who had wielded it before her…only Shana had relied and trained exclusively with the Dragon Eye gift to the point that she seemed to have been born with the Dragon trait herself.

In conjunction with her still functioning senses such hearing, taste, smell, touch, and her mystical sense…Shana rose to be a great Dragon Champion…to those who were under the protection of the Holy Dragons and those who fought with her when she was in battle…she was named 'Sightless Battle Maiden' both for her beauty, skills, and abilities in combat and more despite her blindness…

And to those who are the followers of the Chaos Dragons and their minions, she was known as the 'Blind Witch' due to her skills and abilities as well. Many of them wanted to break her as a slave due to her beauty and form, but just many were slain by her in combat when they underestimate her abilities.

Shana lived long and well, she was married in the later stages in her life by a young man, a simple healer who loved her not for her title as Dragon Champion, or her beauty and reputation…but for who she was underneath the titles, a strong, brave, but kind and loving woman. Shana loved him back and they had several children and she had no regrets as she was able to slay the current Chaos Dragon Champion despite being fatally wounded in the battle.

She was able to return home to her family and after being fully healed…she and her family returned Holy Talon and she bade farewell to Holy Talon and lived her life in peace…and she was able to die peacefully…surrounded by her children and her grand children as she joined her husband in death…and she gave her wisdom, skill, knowledge, and power to Holy Talon to aid future Dragon Champions.

Shana was a tall woman with a well formed build and had short red hair with a pair of braids on the sides of her face…her deep green eyes shined in such a way that many mistake them to be working eyes, she was considered to be a strikingly attractive woman and was strong and lithe due to her past life as a farmer and her life as both a warrior and Dragon Champion.

(Think Mokoto Kusanagi of Ghost in the Shell Stand Alone Complex 1 & 2 when you picture her.)

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That should wrap up at least part of the Chuunin Exams…and I hope to move on to the next part…and we get to meet up with a certain perverted ninja novelist, and we get to learn just what exactly happened to the Kyuubi and why hasn't it appeared just yet. This will mean that Lord Faldren will soon make a reappearance…and before the ninja in question as well.

Now someone asked me if I was going to have Sasuke become the Chaos Dragon Champion and wielder of Death Fang by default, the answer to that particular question is no...at least not yet. As you are aware, the two Dragon Swords are more than mere weapons, but living weapons, batteries of power, essences and more… and so, have their own inner beings and as such, they are not merely tools. They choose their own masters and are very picky about that, remember…out of the thousands of people that have sought out either sword in the past back on the worlds of their origin, only ONE out of literally thousands is chosen to be their respective wielder. Just because Naruto was chosen by Holy Talon on the first try does not mean that Death Fang will choose Sasuke instantly.

For all you know, Death Fang might deem Sasuke unworthy to be it's wielder and master and will reject him utterly, and as you know, there are just as many people who are eligible to take command of Death Fang apart from Sasuke. Just because Sasuke becomes evil in the Naruto series later on…that hardly means that he is the chosen one to wield Death Fang is my story…Many people have used Death Fang before and they were pure evil, probably even more evil than some of the villains in Naruto itself and since their spirits reside in Death Fang, and the evil of Chorvax and his kin is melded into it since it's creation…so it is the strongest embodiment of evil in existence in this story of mine…and it might find Sasuke as a mere shadow and unworthy of it's allegiance.

Of course…he MIGHT become the wielder as well…that is all up to me, so we shall see if he does become the Chaos Dragon Champion and wielder of Death Fang.

We're about to learn the fate of the Kyuubi as well.

Oh, and if anyone expects me to bash any characters in this story, then I want to say that I don't do such things, so don't expect it.


	11. Freedom, recovery and a pervert teacher

Naruto – The Twin Swords

Disclaimer: I hereby state that I own nothing related to the Naruto series and all media involved.

Chapter 11

Freedom, recovery… and a perverted teacher…

( ): Thoughts

((" ")): Holy Talon's voice

(( )): Inner Sakura's voice

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'_Breaking free from one's chains is the dream of every slave, and at times, it seems impossible…but only because they do not give it their all to be free.'_

'_Freedom however…is worth every moment and every hardship once one is truly free from their chains.'_

A Dagern sage's words

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In Konoha…

Naruto walked down the streets, dressed in fresh clothes, namely a white shirt with an orange flame pattern on the back and at his personal request the Leaf symbol of Konoha with a Dragon on the background in green thread. He wore a pair of simple blue jeans and his sandals as well…and in his hand were a large number of flowers which he had bought from the Yamanaka family store…Ino was there and she seemed to be very much friendly towards him and he didn't mind…though did try to cop a feel here and there since she would touch his hands once in a while. He was still getting used to the changes his looks placed on him so he was still not sure how to flirt…but he had to leave since time was not going to wait for him.

Holy Talon was still on his back and the blonde ninja was making his way to where the Konoha Hospital was located. He had to pay a visit to someone that won his admiration and he would then say hi to his team-mate Sakura later on.

The Preliminaries were already over and he was already aware of just who were in the competition in the semi finals. Himself, Sasuke, Dosu, Neji, Shino, Kankurou, Temari, and Shikamaru, were part of the soon to be hosted Chuunin Exam finals. The others didn't make it…not that they were dead or anything…but the battles turned out differently for the others as he recalled the battles he saw during the Preliminaries.

Ino and Sakura fought one another and while the two friends were not that serious at first, they proved themselves to be tough as they later fought as true ninja…He was impressed by both of them and they certainly looked like real Kunoichi in combat…he was a bit surprised when Ino cut her own hair the way Sakura did and had to admit that he actually liked Ino with the long hair on her, and he missed Sakura's own long hair…but put that aside…Ino tried to use her technique to defeat Sakura but Sakura managed to fight it and both ended up knocking each other out…and therefore, both of them lost the fight.

He however smiled at them both when they recovered and told Sakura that even if she had lost, she was still amazing and he had no doubt that she could be a Chuunin someday. That made Sakura blush somewhat as she smiled back at Naruto, he then told the same thing to Ino and she also smiled back…though he could tell that Sakura was not all that happy.

He watched the battle between Shino and Zaku and had to admit that it was a real eye opener to see Shino's true ability in action. Zaku was certainly not going to be a ninja after that attack and his arms now being useless and unresponsive to say the least. He couldn't help but feel some measure of pity for Zaku and wondered just how he was going to deal with the kind of injuries he had just suffered.

He witnessed the battle between Temari and Tenten and had to admit that both gave their all out best, and despite having lost…Tenten showed exceptional skill and accuracy…had it not been for her skills in using both her fan and the wind, he knew Temari would have had a heck of a time dealing with the weapon mistress…he had to admit that Tenten's way of storing that many weapons in scrolls was giving him ideas…and seeing Rock Lee save Tenten was interesting to say the least.

He witnessed the battle between Shikamaru and Kin of Sound and admitted that the lazy guy certainly did have good moves as he was able to defeat the Sound Kunoichi despite her own deadly use of sound. His method was quite creative to say the least and that was something that he had to give Shikamaru credit for as he had not yet seen how skilled the lazy Genin was back in the old days of the Academy. He was interested to see just how he would fare against Shikamaru in a fight as well…even with Holy Talon in his hands.

The fight between Neji and Kagari was quick and effective as the Hyuuga clan member defeated the Rain Genin with several quick strikes, and he was out of the fight, The Rain Genin was out of it due to Neji's use of the Byakugan and he was no longer in the fight, despite using his abilities.

Chouji managed to also win his fight and flattened Mubi very quickly, using his clan's jutsus in battle and sure enough, the Rain Genin were all defeated in the Preliminaries, this naturally required the other winners to face one another to further slim down the number of trainees. This made him face off with Kiba and Akamaru…he had been looking forward to the fight himself since he and Kiba did have a few issues to work out with one another.

The fight was quite a work-out as Kiba used all of his techniques to beat him, but he held on and fought back, the fight further injured him and further damaged his clothes but he was able to beat Kiba, as both Kiba and Akamaru worked quite well and gave him a good battle…he had no need to use his Dragon Eye since he could very well see well enough to beat his former foe…but he had to admit, Kiba had been training as he had been given quite the workout to boot. He beat them both but was further wounded, but he knew that he would be fine…before Kiba lost consciousness he replied that Kiba certainly grew stronger…but this victory was his as he also walked back as Kiba was taken to the Hospital by the Medical Ninja.

Sakura was happy that he made it out of that fight well and managed to help ease his wounds from the fight with some help from Hinata, who managed to overcome her shyness and both of them helped tend to his wounds…and for that, he was grateful and made his thanks known to both his team-mate and Hinata. The two girls blushed at that and did their best to patch him up.

The next battle was between the brother of Gaara, Kankurou and one of Kabuto's other team-mates, the one named Tsugiri, the guy was surprising since he could dislocate and stretch his limbs to any length and be as malleable as rubber. He had used that unexpected flexibility to catch Kankurou off guard and surround him like a snake. The Sand Sibling seemed to be in trouble and the ninja told him that he had to either surrender…or he would break his neck…Kankurou refused and in doing so…Tsugiri kept his promise and the others heard the sound of something snapping…some of the other Genin…including Sakura covered their eyes…however, he didn't…namely because Holy Talon had sensed that the one Tsugiri had in his grip was NOT Kankurou himself…but a puppet…and that was proven true when the head fell down…which despite the gruesome way it was done…that would not happen if the flesh of the person was not cut off…and sure enough, it was a puppet head…

The puppet suddenly wrapped it's own arms and legs around Tsugiri, preventing his escape and the real Kankurou revealed himself to be in the place of the pack that the fake Kankurou was carrying, he quickly took advantage to hold Tsugiri tightly in place and then he made Tsugiri lose consciousness, and that was that…Kankurou moved on to the next batch of rounds… It was not long until the next match was announced…

----------

It was one of the fights that got his attention the most.

The battle between two members of the Hyuuga line…Hinata and Neji…the moment Naruto heard Neji belittle and insult Hinata calling her a born failure, telling her about how hard she struggled and failed to be up to the standard of the Hyuuga and she was fated to be a weakling for the rest of her life as it was her fate and destiny…he was enraged by this and it proved to be true when he used his enhanced physical strength to bend one of the rails as he saw the utter amount of tears threatening to flow and the despair in the shy girl's face.

Neji continued his actions of mental torture on Hinata and Naruto could take it no longer as he shouted at Neji to shut his trap before he came down there and did it for him permanently, and he told Hinata not to listen to those words and stand up for herself and prove Neji wrong, that she could be stronger and better by showing her determination and will…and finally, he told Hinata to fight and give Neji the beating he deserved for his words.

As he thought about the fight, he saw that while Hinata was from the man branch…Neji was the more skilled and seasoned fighter in the Hyuuga clan's fighting style and he was able to defeat Hinata…but only after he was forced to use more serious attacks and when Hinata stood up, even Neji was hesitant to strike…Naruto was even more impressed with Hinata and even when struck by a potentially fatal blow, Hinata still stood up…and said something that made Neji lose his cool and he tried to kill Hinata…but was stopped by several Jonin, including Kakashi and Hinata's ANBU body guards.

Neji snorted in disgust and said that the main branch gets all the good treatment…but his words were cut short when Naruto leaped at him with Holy Talon unsheathed and the Hyuuga boy managed to evade a deadly and very much fatal strike from Naruto which by all rights would have cleaved Neji into two. The two faced each other and Naruto growled out a warning.

"You had better pray to the Gods that you and I don't meet…because I WILL beat an apology out of you for your words Neji Hyuuga…even if you are related to Hinata."

Neji stared back at him and turned and left…Naruto turned and ignored the looks being given to him by the Jonin and even the ANBU as he walked over to Hinata and checked her condition…she was still alive but badly injured, Hinata tried to talk to him but she wasn't able to finish her question before she fainted…he had consulted Holy Talon and the living sword told him that she could be healed in the same fashion as Sakura…and with that…Naruto summoned the silver green flame and that surprised the other Jonin and the ANBU, including the Medic Nin…however, Kakashi had seen this before and so did Sakura…the Jonin had seen Naruto use the silver green flame to heal that heavily wounded boar in Wave Country…and Sakura had seen him use that same flame to both revive himself and to save her life.

They then told the others that it was all right and Naruto proceeded to unleash the flame and placed Holy Talon on Hinata and the silver green flame covered Hinata and that also got Neji's attention…and when the flame faded…the others were stunned to see Hinata was unharmed by the blaze…and to the utter surprise of the Jonin and the Medic Nin…Hinata's body was healed of her internal injuries…even her heart beat and breathing rate was back to normal.

They took her away as Naruto glared at Neji and to further show his plans to make Neji pay for his treatment of Hinata, he took out the sword and aimed it at Neji…who looked back.

Holy Talon however sensed that there was more this conflict between Hinata and Neji…due to it's long years of existence and the many generations of knowledge and wisdom it had collected, along with what it could sense from Neji that the young man had his own amount of grievances towards the family of Hinata…there appeared to be some considerable history for Neji and the rest of the Hyuuga line and it decided to keep that in mind and soon tell the blonde ninja to keep an open ear and mind…it had a feeling that there was more than just the surface impressions that Neji was showing.

----------

The next fight was another thing that made him very interested…

And it was between Gai's protégé and close student, Rock Lee against none other than Gaara, the fight was pretty much in the favor of Gaara since his Sand Shield protected him quite well from Lee's attacks…Sakura asked why was it that Lee didn't use Ninjutsu or Genjutsu, and it was then that Gai told them how Lee had been very much like Naruto at first when he was younger, he had a total lack of ability in both Ninjutsu and Genjutsu when Gai found him…but he encouraged the boy to master Taijutsu instead and became a Taijutsu master.

However it was still not going to be easy as Gaara's sand proved to be more than an adequate defense from Lee's attacks despite his speed…that is until Gai called to Lee to remove the weights he had on…Lee was a bit surprised at first but with Gai's approval removed the weights…Temari smirked and thought that there was no way Lee could beat Gaara merely by removing his weights at all…but her tone changed the second the weights hit the ground as they were actually quite heavy…so heavy in fact that they made craters in the ground and unleashed a pair of large clouds…and to the shock of everyone…even Naruto and Holy Talon, Lee was moving at three times his normal speed and was already bypassing Gaara's sand shield, that was also enough to put Gaara on edge as he wasn't expecting this all of a sudden…as Lee moved too fast for his sand to effectively defend him as some of Lee's attacks were getting too close for comfort and it was then that Lee's speed and power struck home Gaara was hurt.

The youngest of the Sand Siblings was far from happy as he went after Lee, intending to maim him for the attack and managed to give Lee a run for his money, but Lee was not giving up yet as he used the same move as before when he had fought with Sasuke…but with Gai giving him permission and nothing stopping him this time…Lee finished the move by opening the three gates of chakra…Naruto was then told how chakra was regulated by eight gates and chakra energy would be increased by forcibly opening those gates…Kakashi however was not happy that Gai taught Lee that since of the intense strain that would put on Lee and might even kill or cripple him.

Lee then unleashed his full power and amazed Naruto as he unleashed his forbidden move and opened the two gates after using the first three…the change in Lee's skin tone was only the beginning as his speed and power increased to five times more than normal as Lee went all out…using a series of high speed moves from the floor to the air as he pounded Gaara. Kakashi was stunned and Gai was proud…however as Lee unleashed the next and final strike…Kakashi saw that Lee's body was so badly wounded that there was no way he would be able to move in the least.

Gaara then revealed his secret as his Sand Armor cracked and his sand saving him, just like Zaku's air current manipulation skill saved Dosu before…revealing that despite Lee's best efforts, the Sand Sibling still survived and was out for vengeance as his sand had cushioned his fall after Lee's devastating assault…to everyone's horror, Gaara lashed out in a blood rage and crushed both Lee's left arm and leg…and Lee couldn't move as his body was damaged severely…without him being able to evade the attack.

Gai stepped in and saved Lee, as Gaara was declared the winner…Lee however was still standing, despite the fact that he was already unconscious…making Naruto look at him with great respect and both he and Gai were horrified at the fact that the Medical Nin said that with the extent of Lee's injuries…his bones cracked and his muscles snapped…along with his arm and leg being crushed…he would never be able to live as a ninja again…even if he should survive and be rehabilitated. Gai was the most devastated of all and spoke that it was his fault that Lee was this way…while Kakashi apologized for his harsh words before.

Naruto tried to use the Holy Talon to heal Lee's injuries but Holy Talon sensed that Lee's injuries were too extensive for it to heal completely…there were too many bone fragments that were in his body that had to be dealt with…however it told Naruto that the best it could do for Lee was ease some of the pain and heal the muscles well to recovery until he was properly treated for the bone fragments in his body…it pained Naruto and it took both Kakashi and Holy Talon to restrain him. Kakashi then apologized to Gai and helped Naruto focus on the finals as well.

The blonde ninja gave a growl and vowed to somehow help lee no matter how far he had to look for a solution…Lee was one of the guys who won his admiration and he would do anything to help the fallen but thankfully still alive Genin.

The Preliminaries were now over and he and the other survivors were told that they had a month to prepare before the finals started, so for today, they could rest and recuperate. They were then told that only one may become Chuunin or a small number of them since only he, and the Daimyos can decide who is worthy to be Chuunin when Shikamaru asked the question on why only one of them would take the rank of Chuunin.

----------

Naruto thought about all those things and wondered how he was going to deal with such foes when the time came…it was not that he doubted himself…with Holy Talon's aid, that of the essences of the previous Dragon Champions and his growing abilities, he knew that he had a good chance of victory…but still, it certainly didn't make things easy for him.

Holy Talon had told him that while he was far stronger, faster, tougher, and given unique abilities, he was still a novice and not yet up to the standard of the previous Dragon Champions and that was a truth he had to admit to…after all, Shana herself was considered the mistress of the Dragon Eye and while he was able to use the abilities of the female Dragon Champion, he was not at her level of ability. Holy Talon however stated that with enough time and training…Naruto would certainly develop into a fine Dragon Champion, along with becoming a great ninja of Konoha. Naruto smiled at his companion's words…though only he could naturally hear Holy Talon…unless the sword reached out to others with telepathy…allowing them to hear his voice…the same way he had done with Orochimaru back in the Forest of Death.

He put that out of his mind for the moment as he arrived at the Hospital and went to the counter, the nurses looked at Naruto and were somewhat unable to recognize him at all…no doubt due to his changes in looks and increase in body build, height, and muscle mass. Naruto nodded and spoke to the nurse in charge at the desk.

"Excuse me Miss?"

" Yes? My name is Kaori by the way, Can I help you sir?"

(Sir? That's a new one…normally I'm called brat, delinquent, and worse.)

(("It no doubt has to do with your new looks."))

"I was wondering what room Hinata Hyuuga is in, I plan to deliver these to her since she is recovering."

Kaori looked at the flowers and smiled…whoever this handsome young man was, Hinata would no doubt be happy to have visitors…she thought that only her sensei Yuhi Kurenai, and her Genin team-mates Kiba Inuzuka, and Shino Aburame would visit the recovering Hyuuga heiress. But this one was a new stranger.

"She's in the third floor, room 51 and we'll be sending her some food later on, you can visit her now if you like…may I take your name sir?"

"My name's already well known…and you should recognize we well enough Miss Kaori."

"Oh? I beg to differ, I've never met you before…"

"I used to wear an orange jumpsuit and goggles…and I was quite the prankster then…and I still am…the name's Naruto Uzumaki."

The hospital staff in the room gasped as Naruto left the counter and headed for Hinata's room…the female nurses were stunned at that announcement as they had not expected the hunky teen to be none other than the container for the Kyuubi. However they couldn't help but notice something different about him. Kaori wondered how Hinata would react once she saw who her visitor was.

----------

Hinata opened her eyes and then smiled a bit as she smelled the faint smell of roses and lilacs…she recalled that she was in the Hospital after she was taken away for treatment after losing to Neji…she recalled being looked after by Naruto who was by her side…and she recalled that she was not unable to finish her question to him.

(I…guess I'll never know how Naruto-kun thinks of me…)

She turned as the door opened and to her utter surprise found herself looking at none other than her crush Naruto…who was carrying a tray of food and a glass of water to place near the table. Naruto had gone back to the hospital counter after leaving his flowers near Hinata and asked to carry the food to her…the nurses consented and he had just arrived when Hinata had awakened. She blushed bright red as she found Naruto looking back at her with a warm smile of surprise as the blonde spoke.

"Hi there Hinata, I'm happy you're awake."

"N-N-Naruto-kun?! W-W-What are you…doing here?"

"I came to give you those flowers actually…as a way to wish you well and hope you get better."

Hinata looked at the lovely white roses and indigo lilacs and she blushed even more as she realized that Naruto had come to visit her. He then placed the food on a table nearby and placed it ready for Hinata to use, he placed Holy Talon off his back and placed it nearby on the bed. He then gave the plate of bread to Hinata to eat and he noted that her hands were a bit shaky…no doubt since it had only been a day since she had been taken in from her battle with her cousin. The thought of Neji doing that to Hinata was enough to anger him greatly…and he vowed to make Neji pay for his words and for Hinata's sake as well…though he was not going to jump in blindly, he had a feeling there was more it that just merely Neji's own words.

He put that aside and reached out for the plate and held it for Hinata…the Hyuuga heiress blushed bright red as she touched her crush's hands and she willed herself not to faint.

(I mustn't faint!!!! Please….not now.)

"Naruto-kun?"

"You're still exhausted from that fight with Neji, right?"

"Hai…"

"I guess I should help you then…if it doesn't bother you too much…"

Hinata shook her head and nodded as she rested her arms on the bed and spoke.

"Go ahead Naruto-kun…"

Naruto nodded and got the bread knife and placed the butter on the slices of bread and gave each small bit to Hinata who blushed bright red as she took it in and ate the first slice, Naruto then took the role of being a nursemaid to Hinata and helped her finish her bread and he then got the bowl of warm soup to her and she began to take several sips as Naruto fed her gently…

Hinata blushed at the thought of Naruto doing all this for her, and she cherished the moment and didn't mind at all as Naruto helped her eat her food. She then assured him that she was strong enough and drank her glass of water after finishing the soup, the fish and the rice crackers as well. As soon as she was done, she smiled at Naruto and replied as best she could.

"T-T-Thank you Naruto-kun…"

Naruto nodded and gave her his usual smile and then spoke to her.

"Hinata…I have to confess something…"

Hinata's heart-beat began to increase as she tried to speak.

"W-W-What is it Naruto-kun?"

(What is it you want to say?! Do you like me?! Please…I have to know!!!)

"You know…back then I always thought of you as…"

(What…please…tell me what you thought of me Naruto-kun…I…please I must not faint!!! I have to know!!!)

Hinata felt her heart race at the expectation of what she had long waited for Naruto to say to her…she wanted to know.

"That you were a weird, timid and odd girl."

Hinata felt downcast and wondered of her shyness had finally caught up with her and she wondered if this was what Naruto truly thought of her and she felt even more sad…and she tried not to cry and say something that would truly make her feel even more embarrassed.

"Naruto-kun…I…"

"But now I see you as a kind, strong hearted, brave, and talented person…and I happen to like that a lot, I like people who are like that and I want to say that you are truly a kind and strong girl who can be a great deal more than most people would think."

Hinata blushed bright red as she heard those words and she couldn't help but hear those same words that Naruto said.

Naruto: I like people who are like that…

Naruto then got up, acquired Holy Talon and bade Hinata farewell, but before he did, he made sure to mention something to Hinata.

"By the way…Hinata, there's a special card there for you in the flowers…I should leave and let you rest…hope you're be fine enough to go and see me fight Neji in the finals."

Naruto then placed Holy Talon on his back and now left the young woman as she looked at his leaving with a deep blush on her face…she then managed to recover herself and reach out for the nearly flowers and found a small card there and when she opened it, there was an important message there…from Naruto himself.

'**Hi Hinata…**

**If you're reading this then I hope that you will be all right soon and I hope that you will get well. Don't feel bad even if you were defeated…you showed true strength out there and I have no doubts that regardless of what others say, you will be a great ninja someday…keep working hard and train hard to be the best Hinata!**

**Naruto'**

The Hyuuga heiress smiled brightly and felt tears flow down her eyes and she blushed and then hugged the bouquet of flowers and held them tight to her chest and sighed as she smelled the wonderful fragrances and she looked out into the sun and the village from her hospital window.

(I will be stronger!!! I will become a great ninja someday…you'll see Naruto-kun, I will be stronger…thank you for acknowledging me…someday I'll tell you how I feel….I promise!!!)

Hinata then held the bouquet closer as she decided to get some rest, and when the nurses came to take a look at her, including Kaori, she couldn't help but smile at the utterly blissful look on the Hyuuga heiress's face…she knew that it was Naruto who had visited her and she couldn't blame the young Kunoichi since she was quite stunned to see Naruto look so handsome herself…she put that out of her mind as she decided to check on Hinata's condition. And was happy to see that despite all that had happened…she would be on the road to recovery soon.

----------

Later…

Naruto left the Hospital to take care of some other matters, namely to grab his lunch and to see how Sakura was doing and then visit to see if Sasuke was still breathing…he found out that Kakashi had used the binding seal on Sasuke to contain the Cursed Seal. He hoped that his team-mate and rival recovered so they could face one another in combat. For now he was in the mood for a meal and a good one at that.

However he heard something in the distance and went out to locate it, and was now in the forest outside of the village and to his shock…he found none other than the Sound Kunoichi Kin ready to plunge a kunai into her own throat!!!

She might have been the enemy before…but there was no way in hell he was going to let someone commit suicide in front of him. He quickly rushed in and managed to stop her just as the kunai was about to pierce her throat, he saw other injuries on her as well once he was closer, bruises and cuts…along with burns…he couldn't help but wonder who would do this to her. Kin yelped and turned to see none other than the blonde ninja she had met before and she became angry as she tried to free her arms from his grip.

"Let me go right now!!!"

"And let you kill yourself?! Are you nuts or something?!"

"What do you care?! We're not friends or team-mates and we're not part of the same village…and I am an enemy…why the hell should you care about my life since it's already over?!"

"You're still breathing aren't you?! Knock it off!!!"

Naruto was able to get Kin's arms and force her hands that held the kunai away from her throat…his enhanced strength now more than enough to stop her from killing herself….but that certainly didn't mean that Kin was going to just give up as she struggled against the Konoha ninja, and unknown to her novice Dragon Champion. Naruto managed to free the kunai from her grip and tossed it away as it bit deeply into a tree. Kin was not giving up as she managed to kick Naruto in the gut and force him to release her…but he was able to stop her before could get to her weapon.

Kin struggled to escape Naruto and tried to pound him with her fists, but the blonde held on tight…trying his best to keep her from killing herself and it was not long before Kin unleashed a string of curses at him, Naruto however held on and kept her still until Kin broke down and began to cry.

"I…hate this…I'm so useless…"

Naruto held her close until he was sure that she wouldn't try and do something that would seriously endanger herself…as he released her slowly…Kin didn't even bother to go for the kunai…but turned to Naruto and spoke.

"Fine…if I can't kill myself…you kill me!"

"What?! I just saved you from committing suicide and you WANT me to kill you?!"

"Please!!! I failed…to do what I was supposed to do here…my life will end one way or the other anyhow…I can never go back…and I…"

"Look…you might be a Sound Genin, but you're still a human being…I can't kill you…"

"You HAVE to…I can't go back….either to my village…or to my team…if I do…my life is over..."

"What the heck are you talking about? You have a team don't you?"

"I'm just there for show…Dosu and Zaku don't give a damn about me…I was merely around to help them get into the Chuunin Exam to kill Sasuke…my life is nothing to them…"

"But what about you're village…and you're family…don't they…?"

"I have no family…they all died when I was a baby and I am an orphan…I was raised in the village of Sound and I am a follower of Orochi…AAAAAUUUUUUUGGGGGGGHHHHH!!!!"

Kin screamed as a seal suddenly appeared on her neck and seemed to spread…stunning Naruto and Holy Talon. The Sound Kunoichi struggled with the pain and seemed to claw on her neck as if she was being burned by fire…the blonde ninja tried to restrain her and the sword then sensed that the seal had power over Kin and it spoke quickly to it's master.

(("Master Naruto!!! That seal on her neck is the one causing her pain!!! It resembles some sort of obedience curse that I know of."))

(Can you deactivate it?)

(("I can try…hold her steady and let me touch the seal!"))

Naruto did just that and despite some considerable difficulty restraining Kin and holding Holy Talon, he was able to press Holy Talon on Kin's neck. The sword glowed deep blue and then the seal seemed to recede and the seal slowly began to fade. In a few moments, Naruto watched as the obedience seal faded from Kin's neck…the seal seemed to be similar to Sasuke's own Cursed Seal…but only in looks. He had heard that on occasion some lords would place such seals on the bodies of their followers to keep them from revealing information that was too sensitive…

However, Naruto already understood what Kin had said…Orochimaru was the head of the Sound Village and would no doubt be already here somewhere in Konoha…but he couldn't attack him, lest the plans of the Council and the Hokage would be revealed. For now however, he busied himself with Kin's condition.

The Kunoichi was out of it and seemingly asleep and none the worse for wear…Naruto had no idea what to do at the moment and he spoke to Holy Talon.

(How is she?)

(("She's fine…but she will need to rest and recover…the seal's done some damage that will take time to heal…but she will recover through proper treatment…however, I recommend that we hide her somewhere…it would not be wise to leave her like this."))

Naruto nodded and quickly carried Kin to his apartment…

As soon as he got there, he locked up the apartment and used his training in enchantments and wards taught to him by Holy Talon to seal up his home after physically locking it with his keys. The wards were not harmful to him, but would react if anyone with dark intentions tried to enter…they would get a powerful but non-lethal shock if they continued to try and break into the place. That was enough for Naruto as he set Kin on his bed and covered her up with a blanket.

Naruto then made the decision to grab his frog wallet which was full of money and buy some food for Kin…he had no idea on what the girl wanted to eat but he knew that ramen would be included as well…but he was not that ignorant of the basic food groups. He had intended to take a break for a while, but decided now to get some food and supplies for the girl under his care.

As soon as he arrived in the super market…a lot of people looked at him…some of the villagers still gave him angry and hateful looks, but some were interested in his sudden changes…while those who were sympathetic to his situation were sad for him…Naruto however smiled and understood their fear of him…but he would not forget his promise to inquire Holy Talon about the fate of the Kyuubi inside of him.

He bought food, namely fish, meat, vegetables, fruits and some other cooking supplies…this got the attention of many of the shoppers as they normally saw him buying instant ramen most of the time he was in the shop…but they paid that no mind. Naruto was able to haggle the prices of his purchases before the store clerk who was actually one of those who sympathized with him, the male clerk had long since given up his dislike for Naruto since the boy certainly was not like a demon…and as such was willing to lower the price for his purchases and he was happy that Naruto would now try having a different diet for a change. Naruto thanked him and managed to have enough money left over and he made his way back to his apartment.

As soon as he got home, he turned on the cooking equipment he had in his apartment… he had only cooked on rare occasions when he couldn't buy any instant ramen or when he would not have enough money to buy ramen at his favorite place, however, under Holy Talon's suggestions he did try eating other food, though he would never give up on ramen to say the least… while Holy Talon had gotten some lessons in cooking with technology…since the things Naruto had didn't exist in Holy Talon's world…Naruto learned some good cooking recipes from the sword as it had been in more than one feast to say the least in it's years of existence.

He got to cooking and hoped that Kin would be all right.

----------

Later…

Kin opened her eyes and wondered just where she was…at that all of her memories came back to her and she sat up and found herself in a bed…she looked about and wondered just what was going on…several things quickly came to her attention.

She was in a bed…and there was no doubt that the bed belonged to a guy since some of the things in the room screamed male…

She was still clothed…meaning that she was not…well…violated would be the best description.

She felt only a slight throbbing of pain on her neck…and nowhere else…so she was not sent into a fight or had been…

She put those thoughts aside as she suddenly saw the door open, but as she tried to move, she found herself tired and the pain from her neck forbade her from moving…she then found herself facing none other than the blonde ninja from before…she then thought back on the Forest of Death and now and wondered just what he was going to do to her…, she would have fought…but she was too tired to fight right now…and after all…what was the point…she had failed Orochimaru-sama and no doubt would be punished severely…or killed for her failures…

"I know that Orochimaru is your leader you know."

Kin looked at Naruto who sat down on the bed next to her and she couldn't help but say nothing as Naruto looked at her…she didn't know why…but with Naruto looking at her with those silver rimmed blue eyes..she was feeling…different. So focused was she that she yelped when she felt his hands on her face…namely on the large bruise on her left cheek.

"What are you doing?!"

"Who did this to you?"

Kin was taken aback by the gentle tone in Naruto's question and the delicacy on how he touched that bruise on her face…No one had ever shown gentleness to her in all her life…anywhere…but she tried to fight it once more and be the ruthless Kunoichi she tried to be…

She managed to knock away Naruto's hand and tried to reach for her kunai…but found her pouch empty…Naruto shook his head and replied.

"You're unarmed right now…and the removal of that seal made you weak…you're not bound to Orochimaru anymore…besides…I know for a fact that snake bastard would use you as a tool, he cares nothing for life you know…only thing he cares about is power…"

"Why do you care?! I am…"

Naruto sighed and spoke.

"You are now yourself…not some pawn of that snake summoning bastard, not anymore, I made sure of that…don't you know that your master sent you to kill Sasuke…"

"I know that…"

"…but he never told you that he had placed a Cursed Seal on my team-mate in that fight did he?"

Kin's eyes widened at that…she knew all about the Cursed Seal and some of the effects it could give to those who could control it and the violent killer rage it gave it's recipient, she had met a band of Orochimaru's cadre that had the same seals and she heard the stories…she however had no idea that Orochimaru had given one to Sasuke and he was still alive.

"He wanted you to kill Sasuke…because he knew that the Seal would activate and Sasuke would kill you all…he used you as sacrifices to make Sasuke his…he doesn't care about you at all…your pawns to him…nothing more."

Kin tried to fight it…to deny it…but it was all true after all as she had seen something in her master's expression that terrified her and she knew about his nature towards others, including herself and she nodded.

"You're right…but why are you doing this? Regardless of what you think…I am an enemy of your team…why do you care?"

"Because I am me…I don't treat others as pawns for power…and I can sense…that you're not purely evil at all."

"How can you be so sure? I could very well kill you when you least expect it you know…"

Naruto answered that by taking out one of his own kunai and handed it to her…

"Then try and kill me…"

Kin held the weapon and tried to summon her will to strike at Naruto…but she looked at him and saw patience, compassion, and something…safe in his gaze…he was far different than Zaku and Dosu who treated her as nothing more than baggage and one they would kill without hesitation…she knew the two to be like that after all…and Orochimaru was a cruel and evil man…

This blonde kid…one that she would have done cruel things too… was the only person to show her genuine kindness and compassion…unlike those she knew in Sound and her team-mates as well…he was actually showing her kindness and now she had a choice…attack this young man who saved her from killing herself and showing her kindness that she in a way didn't deserve for her actions and return to Sound and lose that…or put that down and let him help her…though how he was going to do that was beyond her.

She sighed and placed down the kunai and handed it back to Naruto and then she spoke.

"I can't…compared to how your treating me to the others back home…you're a saint…but I can't stay here…and how can you help me anyway?"

"One thing at a time okay Kin-san? The first thing is for you to eat, after that, I'll tend to your wounds."

Naruto then went away and returned with a long tray and it was covered with small lids…Naruto grabbed a nearby small table that he rarely used and then placed the food before Kin, he removed the coverings and revealed the food that he cooked in preparation…he hoped that it was enough and it seemed to be to Kin's liking as she sampled the food and seemed to relax herself more effectively, as she finished some of the food, Naruto handed her a glass of water…and tasted the water himself when Kin gave him a certain look when he handed it to her…he was still alive and Kin drank the water.

As soon as that was over, Kin decided to tell Naruto about the beating she had been subjected to by Dosu who took out his frustrations on her for Zaku's defeat and permanent disability to be a shinobi…and how their Jonin sensei…Orochimaru in disguise allowed her to be beaten by Dosu even more and by some of the Hidden Sound ninja for their amusement…thankfully she was not violated since the Sound ninja were not interested in her at all in that regard…using her as a mere punching bag and calling her useless.

Naruto was angry at this and he told Kin that soon, he was going to make those Sound ninja who hurt her pay for treating her like garbage…and Orochimaru as well…and unlike before, she was not angry at that, but felt even more happy… and when she was done telling her story to him, Naruto checked her wounds…reaching out for one the half full containers of healing ointment he had with him, namely the one handed to him by Hinata, Kin didn't stop him as he helped patch up her wounds and she had to admit that despite feeling a bit put off relying on someone else than herself…it was nice to be taken care of as well….

She found herself looking at Naruto and had to admit, that up close and without his fearsome looks in combat he was quite the piece of eye candy…she liked the blonde hair mixed with silver that seemed to mix well instead of clash with one another, and the same could be said for his eyes…which were deep blue edged with silver…that seemed to add an 'out-worldly' quality to him, but it was not a scary quality, like that or Orochimaru…but the look of a being who cared for life…a…protector's eyes was the best description she could come up with.

He was like a handsome young man…more a young adult than an adolescent and he was certainly good looking…smooth features that spoke male…and muscles…

Kin blushed bright red at that as she found herself looking at his arms which were well muscled and no doubt…her heart beat began to increase as her imagination once more began to get faster…

Naruto, being the still somewhat clueless self that he was wondered why Kin's face was suddenly bright red and he reached to her forehead...making Kin gasp.

"Are you all right?"

(My heart's beating like a damn jackhammer here! My face is no doubt so red I could pass for a tomato right now…and he's asking me if I'm alright?!?!)

"I…I'm fine!"

"You sure? I mean…you're face is so red…you sure you don't have a fever or something?"

Kin blushed even more as she felt Naruto move his hand from her forehead to her neck, which made her all the more sensitive to his touch.

(God!!!! His hands feel soooo nice…I…damn it girl! Get a damn grip on yourself…man I want to grab him and kiss him right now!!!!)

Kin came close to just grabbing Naruto and ravish him…injured or not…but it was then that Naruto pulled his hands away and spoke to Kin.

"Listen…Kin, I need you to do something for me…"

Kin was already active and after feeling Naruto's hands on her forehead and neck…in his thickheaded attempt to see if she had a fever…she was willing to do just about anything for him!

"Name it."

"I need to take care of some other matters first, so I have to leave you here for a while…is it okay if you stay here in my apartment for the time being and rest. I will be right back to clean the dishes for you, okay?"

Kin was somewhat disappointed that he was not asking her to do the deed, but she restrained herself…she was still tired and weak, not just from the beating she got from Dosu, but the pain she was subjected to be some of the other Sound ninja who were about secretly, but also from having the seal removed. Besides it would be bad form for her to just jump and ravish her rescuer…and she needed to rest anyway.

"Okay…but what if Orochimaru-sama and Dosu find me?"

Naruto grinned and replied.

"Don't worry…I have quite a few ways to make sure no one just waltzes into my home without being announced…you'll be safe here from them until I come up with a more effective solution on how to help you."

And that was true…the wards and enchantments that Naruto had placed in his apartment were powerful enough to sense those with evil intentions and ward them off with painful and strong results, along with shielding the occupants, a trick Holy Talon had taught him a few days ago and he had used it on his own apartment…though they would not be of much use if they were not evil and therefore could be avoided by them.

Naruto then left the apartment, leaving Kin to think about all that had happened…it was still too much to take in, but she decided that if there was ever a chance that she could be happy in life for once, and this chance was now…she wasn't going to let go of it no matter what happened to her…with that in mind…she decided to wait and see what Naruto would do to help her…but she was feeling tired and decided to get some sleep.

----------

In another part of the village of Konoha…

Orochimaru was planning his next set of moves in his plans to finally settle old accounts he had with Konoha, but he had a new jutsu that he could find of some use…and he already had some plans on how to achieve that particular jutsu…but he needed to have some subjects to use them…willing or not…

However, one of his Genin was gone…and he couldn't find her…no matter, if she killed herself…it was of no consequence at all to him, since he had an ideal replacement for the missing one…someone who no doubt had doubts about his plans and he will do nicely enough.

He turned and out came Kabuto…

"Ah Kabuto, you made it after all…"

"You seem to doubt me already Orochimaru-sama…"

Orochimaru smirked and replied.

"What do you mean by that Kabuto?"

"For one thing…you didn't tell me that the Sound Genin were under you're command…not to mention that you no doubt had Sasuke as part of you're plans, not to mention you hesitated in killing the Hokage when the chance came up…what are you going to do about someone else though…he came close to beating you severely I heard."

Orochimaru nodded.

"Ah yes…Naruto Uzumaki…I had thought that his abilities were merely that of sheer luck…but he has proven to be quite the fighter…and that sword of his…I have never seen such power before…it is a shame in nearly killed me when I held it… that sword is not a normal weapon Kabuto, it is alive…"

Kabuto looked at his master with some surprise.

"Alive? What do you mean by that Orochimaru-sama? No weapon can be alive…even chakra enhanced weapons are merely weapons, they are not alive is such a sense."

"Ah…but Holy Talon is alive…it spoke to me when I released it before the flames that protected it consumed my body…it was powerful…it's very voice in my mind spoke in power, unlike anything I have ever heard before, and it was able to wound me in a way that I never felt before…it came close to killing me as well."

"Are you sure?"

"Oh yes…Naruto has become a very interesting individual, yet he also a grave threat to my plans involving Sasuke-kun. That boy, the last of the Uchiha survivors is led by his hatred…such delicious hatred…but Naruto is a threat since he is interfering with my plans for he is turning Sasuke from the path I want for him…if he continues to influence Sasuke…then he will no longer be after power…I will not let that happen."

"Really now…then what should be done?"

"Nothing much at this point and time, however…it would be best that you help keep them separated so Naruto does not influence Sasuke too much…if they want to stop me…or even if you try to stop me…then the best way is to kill Sasuke-kun, and in you're case Kabuto…now's a good a time as any for you."

Kabuto gave a slightly surprised look at his master Orochimaru…he looked serious about it…

The S-ranked ninja then smiled and replied.

"I am just joking anyway."

----------

The Hokage Tower…

"That's quite a request Naruto-kun…but are you sure about your decision…this could…come back and haunt you, you know."

Sarutobi said as Naruto was before him while they were in their office…the blonde ninja nodded, as he couldn't blame the Hokage for saying those things…after all, despite his words, Kin was still a member of Sound, and was an underling of Orochimaru, Naruto told Sarutobi that it was Orochimaru who was the head of the Sound village, which would explain why the Sound Genin were after Sasuke. And asking to give a convicted enemy of Konoha asylum was a very high request…since there was a chance Kin could still turn on Konoha.

Naruto knew that well…but Holy Talon stood by him and he knew that the living sword would not do so if it thought that his decision would lead to the fall of Konoha.

"I know Old Man…but at least give her a chance to prove herself…if anything goes wrong…I will be the one to carry the blame…I came with this decision…and I will live with the consequences of it….whether good or bad."

Sarutobi looked at Naruto and saw that the blonde meant every word he said and he wished that Naruto's true family were all alive to see how their son was growing up to be…it would have been a great moment…and Naruto would no longer be left alone to fend for himself…but that was not going to change anymore…nevertheless…Naruto had truly grown and was becoming something more.

He took a deep breath and then replied.

"All right…I'll grant you're request…but with several stipulations Naruto, Kin must remain under guard namely she will be under the observation of Kakashi himself after the Chuunin exams are over, she must also remain away from the eyes of the rest of Konoha until the end of the Chuunin exams and when that happens, she will be allowed to sign papers to make her a citizen of Konoha…when that is done…she will be assigned to work in a Genin Squad…however, all that will be null and void if she decides to betray us and aid Orochimaru again…if that happens…then you must deal with her personally…do you understand me?"

Naruto nodded and that was that, Sarutobi sighed and then spoke once more.

"Once we deal with the Chuunin exams, and with Orochimaru's plans for our village, I will speak to her myself…you have told me much and this further tells me that we must and we will stop Orochimaru's plans…for if he treats his own followers with wanton cruelty and sadism…then we must ensure that he will not succeed in doing the same thing to our own people."

With that matter settled, the blonde ninja left and decided to deal with another matter, to see how his team-mate Sasuke was doing.

----------

Later…

As Naruto made a return trip to the hospital, he ran into Kakashi as well. And he was curious as to what the Jonin was doing here…he walked over to Kakashi and greeted his Jonin sensei.

"Kakashi sensei…what are you doing here?"

"Oh, hi there Naruto…I came here to see how things were for Sasuke…what are you doing here as well?"

"Just wanted to see how he was doing..after…well, you know what I mean anyway…by the way…can you train me? I can really need to learn some brand new jutsu for the next stage!!!"

"I figured you were going to say that…however, I have other priorities…"

"Let me guess, you want to train Sasuke right?"

Kakashi nodded and then took Naruto as side and the two spoke more privately, the Jonin could tell his blonde student was disappointed in him, and he couldn't blame Naruto for that…but the situation demanded his attention.

He had recently managed to stop Kabuto from killing Sasuke…the Leaf ninja then revealed that he was a spy and a servant of Orochimaru as well and was a highly skilled one to have killed all of the ANBU guards that Kakashi had requested to guard Sasuke. He noted that very well and despite this, he did his best to convince Kabuto to leave, Kabuto was able to escape, using disguises and elaborate jutsus as well…fooling Kakashi with one of the dead ANBU used as a puppet with his clothes and face on while he had taken the disguise of the same slain ANBU and escaped…Kakashi could tell that despite Kabuto's age and youth…he was not someone to underestimate, so he himself would have to shape up and be stronger than before…and if Orochimaru had such talent at his side…things were not going to be easy.

That was why he had come to a very serious decision on Sasuke's fate…

"I know you might not like this…but you and I know that Sasuke has already been infected by the seal…and there is more to it…as Sasuke grows even more used to it's presence, it will soon become a great temptation for him, the Cursed Seal, once it adapts, grants levels of power to the user and infected…but it will ensure also that it would make Orochimaru's grip on Sasuke even stronger…so I plan to teach him a jutsu that could very well help him become less dependent on the power of the Cursed Seal…it's not perfect…but I see no other alternative right now…"

"I…I guess you're right about that…but what about me anyway, don't I deserve to be trained as well?"

"You do…and I have no doubt that you will be quite an interesting sight soon enough in the Chuunin exams…with your abilities…I have no doubts you can be far greater than ever before. And I swear that when you are ready…I will teach you as well"

"You do?"

Naruto was surprised at the way Kakashi spoke and he could sense that his Jonin sensei meant every word.

"Yes I do…for now however, I have to let another teach you more techniques…he's an elite Jonin Tutor and he is quite skilled indeed…he might help you a great deal."

"Really? Who's that?"

Naruto got his answer when another person joined them.

"It's been quite a while Naruto Uzumaki."

The moment Naruto heard that voice…he was stunned and gave a look of utter shock and disbelief…

(Please tell me I just imagined that!!!!! It can't be him again…)

Naruto turned and sure enough…he recognized the Elite Jonin Tutor Kakashi was talking about…he pointed at finger at the Jonin and shouted out

"AAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!! THE CLOSET PERVERT!!!!!!!"

----------

Sakura and Ino were busy walking towards their respective homes. They had just gone to the Hospital to see Rock Lee, the Genin had managed to once more sneak out of the Hospital and got through his usual training regime despite the nurse's insistence that he rest…Sakura and Ino were stunned that even with such fatal injuries like that, Lee was still determined to be strong…it was only Sakura who managed to convince Lee to stop and have himself brought back to the hospital in a stretcher.

They had come to see Sasuke previously but he was still confined and was not allowed to have visitors for the time being, and when they arrived there finally, it seemed that Sasuke himself was gone…making the others very worried, and so were they…

As they walked towards their homes, Ino decided to ask Sakura a question, the same question that had plagued her ever since seeing Naruto again with his new form and looks, not to mention that sword he now seemed to carry around.

"When did Naruto suddenly become such a hunk Sakura?"

Sakura blushed a bit as she too had to admit that Naruto had turned into a very attractive guy, she then recalled her own reaction when he reappeared in front of her and Sasuke in his new looks and form.

"I wish I could explain that…all I know was that I saw him come out like that…I don't know what happened to him in the least…so I can't really answer how he suddenly turned into that."

Ino saw that Sakura wasn't kidding, but she smirked and spoke once more with a more sultry tone.

"Well…whatever happened to him. I certainly don't find the changes weird…if he had looked like that when were all younger, I would have gone after him instead of Sasuke-kun…but even if it's a bit late…I love the new looks he has…you're lucky to have both guys with you…"

"Ino!"

The blonde laughed and smirked.

"I think it's the truth you know…you now have two hot guys to be with…though I am a bit happy for one thing."

"What's that?"

"He didn't change too much, he might be a lot better now…but if he wasn't a loudmouth, I would never recognize him. At least he didn't turn into a totally different person."

Sakura agreed with that and then Ino decided to drag Sakura with her as they began to make their way to a certain part of Konoha.

----------

Later…

"Man…I can't believe that I have to work with him of all people…"

Naruto scratched his head and sighed as he recalled his discovery that he was going to be working with that Jonin who was none other than Ebisu…the very same Jonin he had knocked out with Sexy Harem Jutsu…he couldn't help but recall the look on the Jonin's face and how he had come close to revealing it to Kakashi, who at the time had no idea that the two knew each other…and he was curious what Jutsu Naruto was talking about.

Ebisu however managed to convince him to keep silent about the event and the two decided to meet the next day to begin the challenge placed by Ebisu on him. The blonde hoped that the guy was not going to be a weak guy…but then again, Holy Talon did teach him never to look down on anyone just yet.

As soon as he got home, he arrived and checked on Kin, finding her still resting and thankfully alive…he would have to wait for her to wake up and give her the news…but for now he cleaned up the small table and then made sure to get the dishes and take them to the kitchen for cleaning. As he did so…he decided to take off his shirt since he had to be careful with cleaning the dishes…there was kink in his faucet in the kitchen that had a tendency to drench him with water…which was why he normally was bare-chested when in the kitchen of his apartment.

Kin awoke and decided to at least get out of her normal clothes…she took off the outer vest and then her boots and then her pants…she wore a pair of deep green shorts underneath the pants and a dark black shirt underneath her vest. She felt full from the food and had to admit that while Naruto was no high class chef, he made some good food to eat.

She decided that maybe she should go get her face washed and since she needed to also get a shower…she could kill two birds with one stone.

However…fate had a cruel yet hilarious way of doing things…since the moment she opened the door, was the very same moment Sakura and Ino came into the scene. The two had decided to visit Naruto to see how the blonde was doing, the reason was it was just a friendly visit, however they also had other ideas…though both tried to hide it, and to really spike the drink…Naruto came from the kitchen…shirtless and covered in sweat and water as he cleaned the dishes.

All three parties looked at one another and they were stunned…only Holy Talon…which had been placed nearby on a wall by Naruto could only speak to itself as the tension in the air grew very thick.

(("This is not going to be pleasant."))

And sure enough…

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?!?!?!?!"

----------

The people in Konoha were somewhat startled when they heard a massive shout of two female voices…they wondered just what was going on and when things seemed to be quit once more…they decided to go back to what they had been doing.

----------

In Naruto's apartment…

Things however were far from quiet…

Naruto felt like he was in front of an execution squad as Sakura and Ino glared at him while he was in the living room of his apartment. The two female Konoha Genin were not happy to see that Kin was in Naruto's apartment and in her current state of dress as well. The Sound Genin was also not looking good as she sat on Naruto's couch…looking at how this situation was going to play out…she didn't say it out loud…but the glares Ino and Sakura gave Naruto were really something else…

(Man…how did this happen? I should have explained before Naruto came in as he did with his shirt off…and me with some of my uniform off…man this is not good…)

Sakura was the first to start off with the interrogation.

"Naruto…did you or did you not do something with this girl from Sound?!"

"Sakura-chan I swear I didn't do a thing to Kin! I was just cleaning the dishes in my kitchen when you and Ino showed up…I swear!"

"Really? Then explain to me why the heck were you shirtless and she's only dressed in a shirt and her darn shorts when we came in here then?!"

Kin was about to speak but Sakura spoke to her.

"I'll deal with you later…I don't understand why Naruto would help you after you tried to kill him and Sasuke in front of me when they were unconscious back in the Forest of Death…but if I found out you…did something to him…you're going to get it."

Naruto was confused at first when that was said by Sakura, but he quickly put two and two together and spoke out in a bit of a panic.

"I didn't do THAT with Kin Sakura-chan!! I swear to you here and now that nothing like THAT happened between me and Kin…she's still recovering from her injuries from those bastards in Sound…and I am not going to take advantage of a girl in that condition!!!"

Sakura and Ino glared at him and after a few more minutes, the two Genin decided to be a bit lenient and stopped glaring at the blonde ninja. They noted that Naruto meant every word, they then directed their attention to the Sound Kunoichi next.

Ino took the forefront this time and glared at Kin.

"So what's your story then? What are you doing in Naruto's room and apartment for that matter? And it had better be a damn good reason."

Kin gulped and filled them in on how she had been found by Naruto just as she was about to kill herself for her failures…and how he had freed her from the seal and took care of her…naturally she left out the feelings that the blonde ninja sent through her when she felt him tend to her injuries. It was after she was done that Naruto told them all about the Hokage's decision to let Kin be part of the Leaf village after the Chuunin Exams…and his part to make sure that she was on their side…however, it was then that a certain bird carrying a message container began to peck on the window…getting their attention.

----------

Later…

Naruto sighed as he got out of his apartment and shook his head as he walked for a while…Sakura and Ino were not entirely happy with the announcement given by the Hokage…while Kin was overwhelmed a bit that the Hokage of Konoha was allowing her a chance at a new life…so much so that she had no problems with the stipulations given to her…however when they read the message from the message bird the Hokage had sent, the apartment was once more in a bit of an uproar as the letter said that until Kin was cleared and given her documentation papers…she would have to stay in the same apartment that Naruto stayed it…there were some extra rooms in his place so that was why she would be his room-mate until she was cleared to be a citizen of Konoha.

Ino and Sakura were not very happy in the least…yet they could do nothing as it was an order from the Hokage himself…while Kin blushed bright red at the implications of the message…Naruto himself was not liking this very much.

He had managed to convince both Ino and Sakura that he would not do anything to Kin…especially THAT…and thankfully the two accepted that for now…however they made sure to state that they were going to keep a close eye on Kin…and Naruto as well.

(By the Kami…things are really starting to be really hard…)

Naruto sighed and then turned and spotted someone he seemed to be familiar with…the blonde ninja went closer and closer…and as soon as he was close enough, he recognized the hair, the clothes and the face.

(Whoa…is that…Haku?)

"Oi! Haku-san!!!!"

The person turned and gave Naruto a look and then a smile.

"Hello Naruto-kun…good to see you again."

Naruto smiled out widely as he rushed over and greeted Haku with a handshake…it had been quite a long time since he had seen the young man and it was surprising to see him in Konoha of all places, maybe he could finally get the chance to be friends with Haku.

Haku himself smiled…though a bit sadly…he had a feeling that there would come a time he would face Naruto…but for now…he was not a ninja…but just Haku, and he was going to enjoy this time with his blonde companion.

"I never thought I'd see you here! This is great! Say…you've never had ramen before right?"

"No…at least not to my knowledge…why do you ask?"

"Cause I know a great place that serves the best ramen in Konoha…come on, it's my treat!"

Haku nodded and followed the hyper-active blonde and went to the Ichiraku Ramen Stand. The gentle hearted boy knew that he was in a good chance to gather information about Naruto…but a part of him did consider Naruto a good person and so decided to enjoy this day with him.

----------

To be continued…

----------

Author's notes…

Not one of the best chapters I've cooked up, but heck, it keeps things going for the story…Haku has now met Naruto again, Kin has just gotten a lucky break, Hinata has just gotten flowers and some very important words and encouragement from Naruto…and what does that mean for the rest of the cast at large?

Ah well…things are going to be a bit different from now on. Now I know I promised to have the explanations on what happened to the Kyuubi on this chapter, but I decided that it would be better in the chapter when we have a certain Toad Sage in the mix so it can be better explained…There's nothing wrong with the Seal on Naruto's stomach mind you…and both Holy Talon and a certain Dragon Lord will explain the details. And we will have Naruto learn how to summon you know what and you know who soon enough…them plus the Dragons and soldiers will be worth the efforts.

I won't make any previews yet since it's not all that important right now, and in the next chapters…we're going to have more interesting situations as time goes by before the finals of the Chuunin Exams and the soon to come invasion…and the preview I made before will now be hosted on the next chapter…so see you there!!!!


	12. Teachers and Revelations

Naruto – The Twin Swords

Disclaimer: I have no ownership of Naruto…if I did, then I would not be working on this one.

Chapter 12

Teachers and Revelations

( ): Thoughts

((" ")): Holy Talon's voice

((( ))): Kyuubi's voice

(( )): Inner Sakura's voice

/" "\: Faldren's voce

\" ": Kael's voice

----------

'_Deception in war is an art-form…performed well, it can bring down even the mightiest fortress and defeated the deadliest enemy…'_

'_Performed poorly however…then the situation becomes utterly dire and destructive, and an utter waste of lives, weapons, energy, resources, and more.'_

'_Never think that every encounter is an assured victory, always be on the lookout for deception…for there is only one word to describe those who underestimate their enemies.'_

'_Dead…'_

'_And one more thing…never judge any ally who seems weaker at first glance…for they may surprise you in ways you will not notice until it is too late…that too is deception. And that too is an art form.'_

Quote from a military advisor in Dagern… 

----------

The next day…

"So you met him again…how is that kid doing?"

Zabuza asked as he cleaned his head cleaving sword…which was fully refurbished and sharpened…it had cost him a bit more money than usual to have his sword fully repaired…but now with it reinforced and re-forged…he had a better chance than before. He wondered what was it that Haku had discovered while they were here.

"He seems to be in good health…though he has changed his choice of clothes since I last saw him."

"I see… it seems that we will need to counteract our plans for today Haku."

"Hmm?"

"I've been given a contract and as much as I would not want to leave my debts to both Kakashi and that blonde kid…this comes first…we're leaving today…so we should get going…did you have any other important matters to finish?"

Haku shook his head as helped Zabuza gather their supplies and get ready to move out, the young ninja hoped that he could settle things with Naruto…as much as he disliked lying to Naruto and he did find the blonde a good guy…he was still on the other side…maybe if they had not been enemies and on a different day, they would have been good friends.

The duo left the outer perimeter of Konoha…avoiding any patrols and were now on their way to accomplish their contract.

----------

In Naruto's apartment…

Naruto shook his head and yawned once more as he went to work with his usual break-fast, while dressed in a sleeveless shirt and a pair of pants he got on before going to the kitchen…this time it was ramen with toast on the side, plus some fruit and fresh milk as well. The blonde however was not cooking just for himself today as he worked on some other food items for his room-mate.

Kin was allowed to stay in another room and it was a good distance from Naruto's own quarters…though they shared the same living room and the same bath-room. After being told that she would be under Naruto's personal protection and staying with him until she was allowed to be a citizen of Konoha, the Sound Genin was worried about not having enough money to buy for her own gear. The blonde dealt with that and managed to get some spare clothes, and other needs, though he made sure to be VERY discrete when it came to getting Kin some spare undergarments when it came to shopping for them.

He had to resort to his Sexy No Jutsu and wore clothes as she went shopping…naturally this added problems for the blonde since his highly upgraded Sexy No Jutsu was attracting WAY too much male attention and he had to deal with more than ONE perverted guy chasing him…was it his fault his Sexy No Jutsu was THIS attractive? Not to mention he had to deal with the women he met giving him looks of absolute envy and disapproval. More than once he had to quickly dash and fend off more than one horny guy trying to cope a feel of him…the idea of that happening made him shudder a bit, but watching the men drop down like flies hit by super strength insecticide was worth a good laugh…thankfully his sensei Kakashi was not around to see this.

As soon as he was done, he turned to see Kin walk into the living room while yawning a bit as she was dressed in a loose buttoned shirt and shorts…the blonde quickly blushed as he saw her…and for good reason…despite her being young, Kin was certainly well formed and had a good body tone…

(Damn it!)

Naruto got to focus on his food as Kin looked at her room-mate and wondered why he was blushing…that us until she realized the state she was in and she couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed as well, though she smiled a swell. Back in Sound, she had been treated with indifference for a long time, at first she was not happy with being treated like she was nothing but dirt…but she gradually got used to it. This was the first time she got a reaction for just being there in her state of dress. She realized that as well and buttoned herself up and sat down to Naruto….however that did not stop her from grinning from ear to ear.

"Good morning Kin…sleep well?"

Kin smiled a bit at that, she liked the fact that Naruto meant every word…why he never had a girl friend was beyond her. She then smiled as she looked him over…with the muscle shirt hugging his muscled frame well.

"It's okay…actually I'm lying…"

"What do you mean by that?"

"It's just this is the first time I slept in a place where I don't have to worry about being treated like dirt and worse…I feel…great…thanks again Naruto-kun."

Naruto scratched the back of his head and gave a sheepish look.

"No problem Kin…"

The two began to have break-fast, with Kin enjoying her food, as Naruto began to eat his instant ramen and the rest of his food…however, he stopped when he heard knocking on the door of his home, he got off the chair…grabbed Holy Talon and then went to the door to see just who was visiting him at this time of the day.

He opened the door and to his surprise…he found himself looking at Sakura…who had a pack of groceries in her hands.

"Sakura-chan…what are you doing here?"

The pink haired girl smiled as she walked in…secretly admiring the look of Naruto only in his current garb while Holy Talon was next to him…she managed to contain herself as she saw the muscles that Naruto had on him and she couldn't help but feel heated as she began to imagine her feeling those muscles once he was bare of his clothes, with her hands and her…

(Augh! I've got to stop drooling over him! He's still Naruto…even if he is now hot.)

((Stop fooling yourself girl…he IS hot! He makes Sasuke-kun look tame now…))

(Hush! No matter what, he is still Naruto-kun…the same loud, boisterous guy I know…but he's…)

((Kinder? More open? And most of all…he wants you to be happy? Face it girl…he's not only hot…but has a heart of gold…makes me wonder why we never noticed that before…))

(I guess you're right…still, I want to do this right…not jump the gun with him.)

((Fine! But make sure to get him alone when you do!))

(Hush!)

"I came here to see how you were holding up…not to mention…I brought you some more groceries for you and you're room-mate."

Naruto smiled and graciously accepted Sakura's offer and took the groceries with his usual smile.

"Thanks a lot Sakura-chan! I really don't have that much money so I really am happy you're doing this for me and you helping out Kin is great!"

The blonde then took the groceries into the apartment and went to re-stock his fridge with the new food, this left Kin and Sakura to stare at him as he bent to his knees and began tos tock the fridge and both girls took the time to stare at him…even with the clothes he had on, the imaginations of both Kunoichi were enough as they looked him over.

Sakura noted the key amount of interest Kin was showing his team-mate and while she could understand the Sound Genin's…interest…in Naruto…she certainly was not liking it in any way at all. Kin noted the looks of warning Sakura was sending her way and she merely glared back…both speaking in silent conversation.

_You are not going to get you're hands on Naruto-kun…you Sound Genin…_

_So you intend to stop me? I would like to see you try…_

_Naruto-kun is my team-mate and not yours…and I've known that he likes me a lot, so I won't give up if I have a chance with him…_

_He may like you…but I know quite a few tricks of my own make to get his attention well enough…_

The two women were looking at each other more intently as sparks began to fly between the two of them, while the blonde was till busy filling up his fridge. As soon as he was done, he turned and two women got back to working with him, namely in a bit of the household chores.

As soon as that was over…Naruto chatted with Sakura about the soon to come matches and while he was sad that Sakura was not going to be with him and Sasuke…he still cheered her up and told her that she was going to get another shot in the next Chuunin Exams as well. The two team-mates, along with Kin decided to clean up the place a bit…both girls chiding Naruto for not cleaning up his apartment every now and then, Sakura and Naruto then bid each other farewell as Sakura had some chores left over to do.

Naruto thanked Sakura for the visit and bid farewell to Kin as he still had to meet up with Ebisu…as much as he still disliked working with him, the man seemed a bit more different than before and as Holy Talon had told him…he had to give others a chance to prove themselves, before making any form of judgment on them. He decided not to bring Holy Talon with him when he would go and meet Ebisu today, and there he could see just what sort of teacher was this guy.

Kin bid Naruto farewell and decided to take a break and get some time off, while learning as much as she could about her new protector…and fellow room-mate…not to mention resident piece of hot eye candy. Naturally she left Holy Talon alone…having witnessed the power of the sword more than once.

----------

Out in the streets of Konoha…

Naruto was moving about and seeing that things were back to normal…at least for now since the finals would be starting very soon. As he made his way towards the meeting place where Ebisu was waiting for him, he looked about and saw several female villagers looking at him, some were looking at him in a very heated way, though NOT in a bad way…some of them seemed to be staring at him in a very interesting way and he swore that some of them were following him. He put that aside as he made his way to where his…teacher…was waiting for him.

(Why does it have to be this guy…)

He put that out of his mind as Ebisu showed up and the Elite Jonin nodded with a bit of a grin as he pushed up his shades and spoke.

"Glad you made it Naruto…I have a proposition for you before we get down to the training."

"What is it?"

"I want you to run away and escape me as I pursue you throughout Konoha, you have to show me how skillful you are as a ninja…if you manage to evade me…then I will withdraw my part in teaching you and personally ask Kakashi-sensei to train you personally…."

Naruto grinned at that….this was the break he needed…but then he recalled that there was something wrong with the whole thing…he looked at Ebisu with a wary look and the spoke.

"What's the catch?"

"My…you are not as dull as some say…all right, if I happen to catch you down…and you give up…then you will follow my training and methods in teaching…no matter what happens. And to prove my point…I will treat you out to your favorite food…even if you don't succeed in escaping me."

The blonde ninja grinned wider and smiled.

"This is going to be easy! I'll show you just how good a ninja I really am!"

As soon as Naruto rushed out…Ebisu smiled and replied.

"Now the game begins…."

----------

Much later…

(I have to admit…even with the Kage Bushin I had…I was not lucky enough…he's not as weak as I thought he was, maybe Kakashi-sensei was right about him, I should have known he would know how to do it too….but at least he's treating me out for food.)

Naruto thought as he was sitting in the Ichiraku Ramen Stand and eating his favorite ramen and alongside him was Ebisu…The Elite Jonin proved to one tenacious guy as no matter where he went, and how many times he used his ninja training and skills, the guy still managed to find him in the area of Konoha…he had attempted to use his knowledge of Ebisu's hidden perverted nature when he found a bill-board with the Icha Icha logo…but that idea backfired as the Jonin saw through the ruse and while he complimented Naruto on the attempt…it was not enough. 

He tried the Kage Bushin but even that was not enough and since he found out that Ebisu was also skilled in Kage Bushin Jutsu…he was not going to get away…he did lose, but Ebisu told him that either way…he was still going to treat him out for ramen.

It was then that Ebisu began to speak to Naruto while he was still eating.

"Now then Naruto…I have been analyzing you're style and what Kakashi sensei told me about you in the missions…including the one in Wave Country if I might add."

Naruto stopped in mid-slurp and looked at Ebisu and carried on, as soon as he was done, he spoke to the Elite Jonin.

"You know about…the sword?"

"Yes…I must admit that information was interesting…however, we will not talk about the sword and the gifts it gives you, that I think ifs for you alone to find out…rather, it's your chakra abilities, which is one of the basic skills. You see…there is a reason you were not able to be a skilled ninja long before you had the sword….here's a good lesson."

"Now then…as you know…in order for a ninja, either male or female to use Ninjutsu or Genjutsu or other ninja skills and techniques, they must learn how to channel and control chakra through physical mental, and spiritual training to do both and mold the chakra to make the jutsu."

"Why are you bringing that up? I learned that in the basics classes in the Academy when I graduated!"

"That is true, nevertheless, the basic skills are the foundation of other techniques…even the Hokages of our village and the other Kages of the other Countries had to learn the basics in order to have a solid foundation for their signature jutsus that made them Kage, they certainly didn't come up with them overnight." 

"Now then…here's an example and the reason of why I brought it up….you're team-mate Sakura-kun comes first to mind, now as you know already, she is the smartest in your group and yet she does not have any blood line traits like Sasuke-kun, or have a trademark jutsu like you do…however, she has excellent chakra channeling and chakra control…which is why she does not use too much chakra…she can summon enough chakra to channel into a Bushin Jutsu and her control allows her to use the energy wisely…making five clones." 

"Now you're team-mate Sasuke-kun…he has some difficulty with chakra channeling, so he summons a little more chakra than Sakura-kun does to make the Bushin Jutsu…however, that flaw is offset by his excellent chakra control…allowing him to make the same number despite using more chakra…"

Naruto finished his bowl and smiled.

"Ahhh…that means Sasuke still has a few kinks to work out…I can't wait to tell him and rub it in…"

"Before you get ahead of yourself and start talking about other's weak points…you should hear your own first. In your case…you draw too much chakra and you have no control over how to channel it…therefore…you use far too much chakra…and you're control is spotty to say the least as you have not practiced how to properly control the chakra you summoned…that's why your Bushin back in the Academy…look so weak and you could only make one or two at best…and they are not stable to say the least. With the amount of power your team mates have…they can make twice the number as well."

Ebisu finished his food just as Naruto did, and the blonde boy was silent…the Elite Jonin then continued.

"That was a bit of an exaggeration actually…however, you do have those weak points, so while you can do jutsus like the you're team mates…they are too wild and unstable to say the least. You need to learn control to better utilize both your chakra and jutsus."

"But there were times that I was better than either Sasuke or Sakura! How can those times be different?"

"That's because you have a source of amazing stamina and chakra inside of you to begin with! And they are hardly human as well!"

Naruto's following retort fell silent and so was he…and Ebisu sighed…while he still had fear and dislike for the Kyuubi inside Naruto…he understood that Naruto was not the Kyuubi himself and he spoke.

Later, the two walked over to a nearby bridge and the Elite Jonin spoke to Naruto, facing him seriously, he made sure no one else was near them and they were out of earshot as well, there was still the law after all.

"You no doubt were told by that traitor Mizuki about…well, your status as the Kyuubi's container. By the way…I have to thank you for dealing with that rat. Who knows how much trouble he would have caused if he got away with the Book of Seals."

"No problem…"

"Good enough then that we agree on something, now because of the fact that you have the Kyuubi, the chakra you have is too powerful to be contained in your body, so it would make sense why you have such stamina and you can recover easily and as such…when you get your chakra and channel it, it is very large amounts and is overflowing and since your chakra control is poor you have a hard time using it with certain jutsus…however, with my training in both chakra channeling and control…you can master it well enough. Once that happens through my training…you can be even stronger than you are now as a ninja."

"Are you really serious!"

Ebisu nodded.

"Of course I am serious…I wouldn't be an Elite Jonin Tutor if I wasn't serious you know…meet me tomorrow morning and we can get down to the training."

----------

The next day…

Naruto and Ebisu were walking along towards the hot springs and Naruto wondered why were they here of all places and naturally Ebisu forbade him to go the other side since that section of the hot springs was for women. Naruto, dressed in his newly modified clothes…the ones he used to wear, but were now suited for his growth spurt, however had a feeling that things were not going to be easy and it was proof that despite what Ebisu said…he was still a closet pervert.

He once more left Holy Talon back at his apartment… Kin had decided to go out with Sakura who came by the house to buy some clothes and supplies…naturally she was in a disguise…with some easy to wash of hair dye….and a set of clothes that were that of a civilian…this helped her avoid being seen by any of her former team mates and villagers. While the two were not in good terms yet…they were at least not fighting each other yet.

Naruto put that aside as he spoke to his teacher Ebisu.

"So what are we going to do here in the hot springs anyway?"

"Simple…we're going to walk on the hot water today."

Naruto looked at Ebisu in a very weird fashion, as if trying to dissect and find something. The Elite Jonin noted that look very quickly and spoke.

"Why are you giving me that look?"

"Can you really walk on water, or are you just pulling my leg?"

"Of course I can walk on water! It's a basic skill, but highly useful! Hmph…you should have paid more attention to Iruka-sensei instead of always pulling pranks, arriving late to the Academy, and running from classes or you would have learned this skill before you graduated. Never mind though, this will be a good test of the two things I mentioned."

Ebisu then looked at the water and then back to Naruto.

"Kakashi-sensei told me you were able to use the tree walking technique without your hands in Wave Country after some serious training…well, the same principle works here too…though in a bit more unique mindset."

"What are you talking about…how can tree walking work here!"

"Simple, yet difficult actually, in tree walking, you have to channel a required amount of chakra and then concentrate it to the appropriate part of your body and that will allow you to place that said body part…namely your feet on the tree to walk and you must release the same amount of chakra constantly to walk on the tree. Now as a tree is a solid object and does not move about much, so in tree walking, you just have to absorb the chakra to hold you into place. This training we are about to do is about how to properly channel the fixed amount of chakra constantly, and while tree walking is easy to do once you've mastered it. Water walking on the other hand is a different matter." 

"Water is obviously not solid or stationary…and as such, you have to float on the surface to walk on it without falling into the water. You must continuously release the appropriate amounts of your chakra to your feet, as well as control the flow of your chakra to adapt any changes to keep balance. While it sounds simple…it is difficult since you must always use a changing amount of chakra instead of a fixed amount and you have to make sure that you must control the chakra properly as well and change it should you need to. That is the core lesson I will teach you today Naruto."

"I still don't get all of that you know."

"I know…so I will show you instead…better to see it with your own eyes anyway. Now then…the first step is to channel the chakra and focus it on my feet…"

Ebisu summoned his chakra and his feet were now glowing and he then faced the water of the steaming hot spring.

"And then I control the amount of chakra I have in my feet and how much I can allow to flow to my feet, and then walk on the water while keeping in mind how much chakra I need for any changes…"

The Elite Jonin then walked over the water…and he was not falling into the steaming water at all…much to Naruto's surprise and amazement.

(Wow! He wasn't kidding! You CAN walk on water!)

Ebisu walked on and stopped a short distance from Naruto and turned to face his student.

" …and here I am…walking on water… as you can see, water walking is the best lesson in both channeling and control of chakra. Master this and you can easily channel your chakra and control it so you can then use enough chakra without using unknown amounts, reserving your chakra for more powerful jutsus and make your currently used jutsus more effective…now you try Naruto."

Naruto was ecstatic as he saw the whole thing.

"All right then! I'll take a stab at this too!"

(Okay…first I need to gather and focus my chakra to my feet…)

Naruto did so and then walked towards the water.

(Now I have to keep releasing the same amount constantly so I can….AAAAAUUUUUUGGGGHHHHH!)

Naruto found himself falling to the hot spring water very quickly and there was one thing he quickly realized…it was HOT.

"AAAAAUUUUUUGGGGGHHHHHH! HOT! HOT!"

"I forgot to tell you that the water here is 60 degrees hotter so you will be boiled like a lobster in a cooking pot if you fall too many times Naruto…you have to get the amount right and then keep it flowing…do it again."

Naruto got up and tried it once more, but failed several times…as he was not used to doing water walking…having never mastered the trick as of yet since he had not been as attentive in ninja classes back in his Academy days. Ebisu watched on and noted Naruto's determination and guts as he did it again and again. And despite the failures…he WAS getting better…

(I see now…I guess Konohamaru-san was right about what he said to me before.)

----------

Flashback…

Ebisu was busy training Konohamaru in the forest and he was telling the young man doing pushups that there was a shortcut to being the Hokage…Konohamaru disagreed and he spoke.

"I learned something from my Boss Naruto and he was right Ebisu-sensei…"

"What was he right about?"

"If I want to be Hokage someday…I have to work hard…train hard…and sweat hard to be Hokage…I want be a Hokage who gets there through hard work and effort, and my own determination…not through shortcuts! That's the way I want to earn the right to be a Hokage! Just like Boss Naruto!"

----------

End of Flashback…

Ebisu recalled those words and he looked see Naruto smiling and moving about as he finally managed to do water walking and was happy and cheering away. He had seen that it took a number of painful and hard attempts until the blonde learned the right amount and how to control it well.

Naruto couldn't believe it…he kept on trying and learning…and now he was doing it…he was walking on water!

"I…I think I've got it…all right! I did it Ebisu-sensei! You were right after all! I can do it! ALL RIGHT!"

Ebisu nodded and smiled.

"Nicely done Naruto-kun…keep the lessons here in mind always, for they will be truly important to you when the time comes."

(I am impressed that he was able to master it quickly…I never knew you would grow up this much in a short time…and how you were able to teach Konohamaru-san the truth…I admit that there is no true short cut to anything…everything takes hard work, dedication, sweat, tears, and even blood, you taught Konohamaru-san that, and I sorely underestimated you…you are a far better teacher to Konohamaru-san than you realize Naruto-kun, better than me in a great respect. You are not a stupid container of the Kyuubi as others tend to believe…I have no doubts now in my mind that you will be a great ninja of Konoha someday for you already have the drive and heart of one…and with time and more effort, training, spirit, and hard work…you can even be a great Hokage someday.)

Naruto then turned and his eyes widened as he saw something…or rather someone and that broke his concentration and he fell into the hot springs with a cry of shock. Ebisu was surprised that despite his success, Naruto had suddenly lost his focus and fell back into the spring.

"What happened? You suddenly lost your control Naruto…" 

Naruto popped back up and pointed in a direction to the bathing area.

"Look over there!"

Ebisu turned and his surprise…there was someone there near the women's bathing area. The man seemed to snickering and making lewd noises…telling the Jonin that the man was peeping on the women who were no doubt bathing there. The person also had deep while hair in a long ponytail and had a massive scroll on the back…plus he was dressed oddly. The Jonin however put that out of his mind and spoke.

"I don't know who you are or how you managed to evade my senses…but I will not allow you to continue with such shameless and impudent behavior!"

The Elite Jonin tutor charged at the man, intent on dealing with him quickly as Naruto got out of the hot-spring. But just then, the man suddenly did several hand seals and called forth a toad…and not just any toad…but a very large one at that.

"What…wait a moment!"

Ebisu had no time to complete his statement as the massive toad suddenly fired out it's tongue and grabbed him and tossed him to the ground with considerable force…not enough to kill him, but enough to knock him out like a mallet to the head.

Naruto was stunned at the sight of that.

----------

Back in Konoha…

Kin had to admit that compared to the dark and drab Sound Village, there was a life in the air around it here in Konoha…she could see why the citizens here would love the peace…and how they would fight for it. She knew that Orochimaru had a plan for Konoha…and while she was not aware of ALL the details, she knew that something big was about to happen soon.

As she went into a clothing store…she turned to see Sakura with her, along with Ino…the two made it their personal duty to keep an eye on her while Naruto was out…she had no idea why they would do that…but after seeing Naruto in less clothes…she had a fairly accurate idea on why…not that she could blame them…if they were body guards and he was the one they had to guard…then she'd rather be the one massaging him…

(Heh…that would be fun indeed…)

She put that out of her mind as she shopped for some more clothes for her own selection, she did wonder why the other Sound Genin were not making any new moves as of yet, but put that out of her mind for the time being.

Sakura and Ino were close by, and bought some spare clothes of their own…while keeping a very wary eye at the Sound Genin.

----------

Back in the hot springs…

"Hey Toad Man! What the heck is wrong with you! This guy was supposed to be training me and you knocked him out cold!"

Naruto tried to wake Ebisu up and used the same trick Kakashi did on him a while back…and that didn't work in the least at all, so now he directed his attention towards the man who had knocked Ebisu out like a light.

"Well…he disrupted my research after all."

"Research! Just who the hell are you!"

"I'm glad you asked! I am the legendary Hermit of Mount Myouboku! The Wise and Immortal Spirit, I am the Toad Mountain Sage!"

The guy struck a pose that in Naruto's mind began to make the poses of both Lee and Gai look a bit weak in comparison and that made him wonder just who was this guy.

"What? Toad Sage?"

(Why does that name…you can't be serious! This guy's that Sannin Sakura-chan told me about!)

"Exactly."

The man then leaped off the Toad as the toad suddenly poofed away in a cloud of smoke…just like a clone made from either Bushin or Kage Bushin would. And the man smiled at Naruto and was seemingly relaxed despite laying Ebisu down like a pancake.

"I know you! Your one of the Sannin! The one called Jiraiya! listen here you Pervy Sage! He was training me and now he's out of it…just what sort of research are you talking about anyway?"

The man smiled and reached into his clothes and replied.

"I am impressed you know my name and as to what I am doing here, I happen to be a novelist, and as a novelist I write great books and my most treasured work is this book."

The very moment Naruto saw the book, he recognized it to be the very sane novel that his Jonin sensei Kakashi would always read. And the moment that came into mind how…how his sensei would look reading the book he quickly realized just who the man was.

"You wrote that!"

"Yes….you recognized it so quickly!"

(Amazing…I am already famous and I haven't had it in paperback yet!)

The Toad Sage smiling…but Naruto was far from happy or amused.

"You call that perverted trash a novel! I can't believe that one of the Sannin was such a dirty old man! And research! Yeah right…that has got to be the lamest excuse to peep at the women's bathhouse I've ever heard of!"

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"

Apparently the women heard the whole thing and naturally reacted as they vacated the premises…much to the perverted Toad Sage's dismay.

"No! No! Now look what you've done! you've ruined all my hard earned peeking…my research!"

"Knock it off you dirty old man!"

"I am not a dirty old man squirt! And there's nothing dirty about it at all! I happen to be a novelist who gains inspiration by doing my research! And I am inspired by youth and beauty, that is all!"

"Right…like anyone will actually believe that…but that's not why I am arguing with you! What are you going to do about the rest of my training…training YOU interrupted when you knocked my teacher out like a light!"

----------

Much later…

Naruto and Jiraiya were currently eating some water melon that Naruto found, he had been chasing the Toad Sage for quite a while and while the old man gave him the slip more than once…he was not giving up any time soon and decided to bring Jiraiya the water-melon, as soon as that was done, the Toad Sage left…stating that Naruto didn't live up to the bargain and he will not train him even if he planned to surpass the Hokage and the other Kages of Konoha in the past…he planned to get back to his research and all he needed was a hot and sexy lady…unknown to the two…Ebisu had fully recovered and had been tailing them…having recognized the man Naruto was after.

"I don't want fruits! I don't want vegetables! I want a lady kid! A Hot and Sexy Lady!"

Naruto sighed and realized it was now time to throw in his trump card. He had a feeling this would be more than enough to convince this Pervert of a Sage to train him.

"All right then…you want a hot and sexy lady? How about this then?"

Naruto made the hand seals and activated the jutsu…Jiraiya watches on and wondered just what Naruto was going to do…and he saw it soon enough as Naruto used his heavily improved Sexy Jutsu and revealed himself.

Jiraiya's eyes nearly pooped out of his head as the smoke began to clear and Naruto was in his Sexy Jutsu…he wasn't the only one affected by the highly upgraded jutsu as Ebisu unleashed a torrent of blood and fired off like a rocket in to the nearby well. Jiraiya was drooling like a fountain as he gazed at Naruto's Sexy No Jutsu form as the heavily improved jutsu was really something else as the smoke cleared.

Naruto then spoke in the female voice he had been practicing for quite a while.

"Please stop that…I'm going to blush if you keep that up."

As soon as that happened, Jiraiya was ecstatic!

"WOW! WE HAVE A WINNER! YOU WON A TEN ON MY SCALE!"

(Geez…this guy's pathetic I guess that means that this Sexy Jutsu works on just about every male adult I know…)

Naruto gave a look of utter disbelief and disgust at that but kept his disguise up…hoping to finally convince the Toad Sage complete his training. Of course, he didn't expect Jiraiya to agree…but only on the condition that he used the Sexy Jutsu when he was with him.

The blonde ninja was pissed and reverted back and pointed at the man and shouted.

"I KNEW IT! YOU'RE NOTHING BUT A LOUSY LITTLE PERVERT!"

"I AM NOT A LITTLE PERVERT!"

"OH YEAH! WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU THEN!"

"HEHEHEHEHE! I'M A BIG ONE!"

"You…are….really…really perverted!"

The two later had some time to see each other's skills as the Toad Sage decided to test Naruto with his Taijutsu skills and his Ninjutsu abilities as well. Naruto managed to recall his lessons from Ebisu before he was knocked out and tried to limit and control his chakra as he got ready to fight with the Toad Sage in a sparing match…however, the Toad Sage decided to fight with a Kage Bushin.

"How's this…if you can beat one of my Kage Bushin…then I will teach you some new moves…if you don't beat it…then it is all right, I will teach you more tricks…plus I do have to ask you a few questions about your chakra…but before I do…I need you to take off the clothes you have for a moment."

THAT got Naruto's attention….

"WHAT! YOU SICK PERVERT! THERE'S NO WAY I AM GOING TO…"

"Will you relax, I'm not going to do anything sickening to you…I need to check the Seal the Fourth made on you when he sealed the Kyuubi inside of you."

That stopped Naruto as he looked at the Toad Sage…he thought that very few guys knew about the truth of the Kyuubi inside of him, but this perverted old man knew about it.

"How did you know about that?"

"I happen to know the Fourth very well… actually I happen to be the Fourth's sensei actually and I taught him quite a number of techniques when he was around your age."

"YOU were the Fourth Hokage's sensei!"

"That I am…I know you well enough because before I left Konoha I was there when the Kyuubi was sealed inside you. Don't worry though I am not the same as the other villagers…I happen to know more about what happened that night."

"You do?"

"Yes…now try to summon you're chakra."

As Naruto did so…the seal that contained the Kyuubi reappeared and that was when Jiraiya noted something different as he spotted the Dragon tattoo on the right arm of Naruto and then spotted another set of Dragon Tattoos near the Seal as well…the two Dragons appeared to be holding spheres and were near the seal on the sides with their wings outstretched. He looked and saw that the seal that allowed Naruto's chakra to be infused by the Kyuubi's own chakra itself seemed to be very much intact and unaltered.

(Hmm…these Dragon Tattoos have some sort of power in them…it seems there's something going on here that I have to know about…however the seal is intact. Now I need to find out more about how these tattoos came to be in his body…while they do not harm him in any way that I can see…it would be best to know more…well then…time to see just how talented this boy is.)

"Not bad…you're chakra seems to be good…"

"Hey Pervy Sage…what was the Fourth like?"

"Why do you want to know? You can read the history books about him."

"Of course I can…but I have no time for that stuff…"

"You mean you're too lazy to read."

"No I'm not lazy…but I want to know what he was like…you were his teacher after all…"

(I was more than that…and I know more about you than you can imagine Naruto…but that will be when you are ready…)

"He was a genius…a once in a generation prodigy who graduated from the Academy in Konoha at so young an age…he was also the kindest soul in the village…when he became Jonin…he was able to lead a good group of ninja, one of them happens to be your sensei."

"Kakashi-sensei was a student of the Fourth! He never told us that!"

Jiraiya nodded and then created his own Kage Bushin.

"For good reason…which is something you are better off not knowing for now…I can tell you honestly that the Fourth Hokage faced the greatest test of his life when the Kyuubi came here to Konoha…"

"Sealing it inside me…"

"His reasons were not what most would think…it was true he did it to save Konoha…but he wanted you to be a hero…the one who can contain the Kyuubi Naruto…for a reason…but the villagers didn't see it that way…"

"Now then…that task falls to you."

"What are you talking about?"

"You will find out soon enough…suffice to say the Hokage gave that seal a very special function and it will be your aid…I know about the special lesson that you were supposed to learn…but for now…I have see how good you are, defeat the Kage Bushin I made and let's see if you have the talent to be eligible to be Hokage at all."

"All right!"

----------

Later…

Naruto fell to his back and was exhausted….he turned to look at the Toad Sage who was still looking at him with a slightly amused look and he turned to face the Kage Bushin of said perverted old man who was grinning like hell….He had no idea how tough the perverted man was…and now he had some idea.

The match had started out with Taijutsu and the blonde attempted to attack the Kage Bushin with an army of his own Kage Bushin….but the clone of the old man wiped the floor with them and when he used his weapons and more of his tricks the Kage Bushin was still kicking butt…the fighting had lasted for over several hours and as soon as the day came to a close…he was bushed.

(Man…if I can't even beat the Kage Bushin of this Pervy Sage…how the heck am I supposed to beat him in person? No way…this fight is FAR from over! I will not give up on being Hokage!)

The Toad Sage looked on and thought about the blonde before him.

(I have to admit…he might not have THAT much talent at first glance but he certainly has some and he's got guts, determination, and perseverance in the bucket loads, not to mention the most obstinate attitude and thickest skull I know of. I guess the time is right to be showing him a few tricks in the ninja arts…now however, I think it's high time he gets to relax a bit and cool his heels, he won't be much of an attentive student if he faints.)

"All right, that's enough for today kid…you've got some talent so tomorrow I'm going to give you more training, you need to rest and get some sleep…meet me here again tomorrow and we can get down to the work in hand."

With that, the Kage Bushin faded and the Toad Sage Helped Naruto to his feet, the two then grabbed some time off and relaxed…namely in a hot spring and then grabbed some food to eat.

Later that night…Naruto was currently sleeping in his apartment and the Toad Sage looked at him, and then turned as he heard foot steps and out came none other than Ebisu, the Jonin walked over and leaned on the rail that the Toad Sage was using.

"Sorry about that Ebisu…I had no intention of stealing one of your students."

"That's all right. I came here to talk you actually."

"Oh?"

"Yes…Hokage-sama sent out several elite Jonin to look for you…and imagine my surprise to find you here of all places. This can really be of help to all of us."

"What's that supposed to mean Ebisu?"

"You're here because here because Orochimaru is here, is that correct?"

"Not exactly…I am not here because of that."

"What?"

"I merely came back here to do some more research on my next novel, that's all…I have no plans on messing around with such disturbing details."

"You can't be serious! Orochimaru is already plotting some horrible fate for the village…and he's a Sannin…and we all know that the best way to beat that is with the power of another Sannin…you Jiraiya-sama!"

Jiraiya turned to Ebisu and replied.

"Have you told the Hokage I was here?"

"No…but you will need to see him soon…things are in motion already and your aid is needed, regardless of things Jiraiya-sama, but there is more happening now…with Naruto."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Naruto-kun has…acquired a sword…a weapon of great power and it seems to be a part of him now…"

"A part of him?"

"I am not privy to all the details…but it is the truth…only the Hokage knows everything else…and for Naruto's training…I have nothing left to teach him…in truth I have no doubts he will be a splendid ninja someday…and as much as I would want to be a teacher of someone with that potential…I cannot…I leave that to you Jiraiya-sama."

With that…Ebisu left, letting Jiraiya look once more at the blonde kid.

----------

In the Hokage Tower

"Well…I haven't seen you in such a long time Jiraiya."

Sarutobi said as he looked at the same man that Naruto was with, it was already night time and the Hokage was busy working on their contingency plans for the soon to come battle with Orochimaru…plans that required a lot of work. The Hokage looked at Jiraiya as he looked back at his former teacher.

"I was trying to keep low on the radar…but it seems that things are not as easy as I thought they were…is Orochimaru really here?"

"I am afraid so…he's after Sasuke Uchiha and no doubt he plans to see to the destruction of Konoha as well."

"So he's after the Uchiha prodigy I heard so much about, knowing the power that Dojutsu has and it's abilities, I'm not surprised he has great interest in it, along with the advantage he would have with it under his control. And what is this I heard about Naruto acquiring a sword?"

"So Ebisu no doubt told you about it….yes, it is true that Naruto acquired a sword and it's unlike any sword you and I know of…it was powerful enough to allow Naruto to face Orochimaru in kenjutsu in the Forest of Death, came close to killing him, and even shattered Orochimaru's Kusanagi sword in half."

Jiraiya's eyes widened that bit of information and listened to what his former teacher had to say about what had happened to Naruto in Wave Country. When that was over, Jiraiya had to admit that the boy certainly had potential in him and with the presence of both the Kyuubi and the Holy Talon, both things would certainly be a great asset to the blonde ninja…however, it did raise questions on what had happened to the Kyuubi…from what he had been able to understand, the seal was not tampered with, but Naruto has never used the Kyuubi's chakra in his entire mission record…something was up.

"What happened to the Kyuubi? As far as I have seen, the seal the Fourth placed on him is still intact and safe, but to have two powerful sources of energy at once…it's amazing that Naruto isn't even dead yet from that much power."

"I cannot be entirely sure of the details as well, though I believe that Lord Faldren….Holy Talon's creator can shed more light on this matter…from what I understand, Holy Talon CHOSE Naruto to be it's master…and for a living weapon, it is able to sense things that are far greater than any other sense most have. It might have somehow sealed the Kyuubi even further as well…however, it is better we gain answers from them all as well. Will you train him Jiraiya?"

"He won't leave me alone, he's already disrupted my research more than once…not to mention he's so stubborn and obstinate that he resembles a human mule…and he is a loud mouth to boot…but he DOES have talent o be a ninja…and regardless of his new status…he is a ninja as well. But still…"

Sarutobi smirked and replied.

"He does have a certain stubbornness in him…and it was no picnic for me trying to keep him from causing too much havoc either…but he is who he is."

"Right…" 

"And at least with him keeping you busy I won't have to deal with complaints about you're antics while you're here as well….namely with peeping at the ladies' bath rooms, at least to the certain level."

"You're still the same old man I see…"

"And you are the same old perverted young man I knew…it's good to see you again Jiraiya."

"Same to you sensei."

----------

However, while all this happened…events were now being set into motion…the plans of Orochimaru were now revealed as Kabuto and Baki were meeting a good distance away…and it didn't take long for things to get out of hand…

----------

The next day…

Naruto decided to go to the Hospital to see how another one of the Leaf Genin were doing…he had no doubts in his mind that Lee's team mate Neji was training long and hard, he hoped that Lee would recover well and be on his feet somehow, not to mention he wanted to find out about the others as well. Kin was very much still in disguise and had gone to take a bath in a hot spring with Sakura and Ino as well, while they still were wary of the Sound Kunoichi…at least they were on more tolerant terms with one another.

This time he brought Holy Talon with him and hoped that he could finally get answers on what happened to the Kyuubi inside of him.

And it was when he moved through the floors that he then ran into Shikamaru.

"Hey Shikamaru!"

The lazy boy from Naruto's old class days in the Academy turned and greeted the blonde ninja with a slightly lazy look and carrying a basket full of food.

"Oh it's you Naruto…glad to see you've still got that energy of yours…I came here to give this food basket to Chouji…but the nurses said that it would be a bad idea."

"Chouji is here? What happened? Is he all right?"

"He's fine…he's just suffering from a bad case of digestion…he ate one short rib too many if you catch my meaning."

Naruto laughed at that.

"Yep that sounds like something Chouji would do."

"So why are you here?"

Shikamaru handed Naruto an apple as the blonde teen happily munched on it and finished it record time as well. As soon as he ate the apple and was handed another by the ninja of the Nara clan, he explained.

"I just came here to say hi to Lee…and hope he's in the road to recovery."

"Oh…well then…let's get move on…"

The two made their way towards the rooms Lee was supposed to be in…but suddenly they stopped as Shikamaru got a bad feeling.

"Something's not right…"

"You're right…I can feel something bad…"

Holy Talon then spoke to it's master as it sensed something nearby and recognized it immediately.

(("MASTER NARUTO! IT'S GAARA! HE'S IN LEE'S ROOM!"))

And sure enough, the Sand Shinobi carrying the gourd was right next to Lee in his room…he had been able to sneak out of their apartment without his brother Kankurou and Temari noticing him in the least, though he had no doubts Baki would find out…not that it mattered to him. Ever since his battle with Lee…he couldn't feel that something was driving him even more insane as he recalled Gai's words to him about Lee being not just his student…but precious to him as well.

The memory of that brought back memories of his past and it made him even more angry as he allowed the cork of his gourd of sand to fall off and sand began to flow out and begin creep over Lee like snakes. He was ready to finish off Lee once and for all…but as he got ready to use his Desert Coffin move…he found out his hands couldn't move.

(What the?)

WHAP!

Gaara reeled as he was punched by Naruto, and Shikamaru also reeled and the Nara Clan ninja gave a glare at his blonde compatriot. When they spotted Gaara near Lee and Lee's bed and the cork out of his gourd…they knew that Lee was in great danger and made their move…but Naruto was too aggressive as it was.

"Hey Naruto, quit it…every time you hit him when I have my Shadow Possession Jutsu on him, you hit me as well."

"Sorry about that…"

Naruto then took out Holy Talon from his back and faced Gaara and kept the sword ready to attack Gaara and defend himself, that action, with the sound of the sword rubbing the sheath made Shikamaru nervous as hell as he had seen how lethal Naruto was with that sword of his…

(Geez I hope he doesn't use that sword of his on this guy…, a punch hurts like hell…but there's absolutely no way can I survive a strike from that…) 

Gaara looked at the two of them without making another face…but they saw that he still had his Sand Armor on him as there were cracks on his face

"What the heck are you doing here in Lee's room Gaara!"

"Well met again Naruto Uzumaki…I didn't expect you here…I am a bit disappointed I don't get to fight you in the Finals."

"Now isn't the time for that and you know it…why are you here?"

----------

"Hi there Chouji…how are you doing?"

Ino asked as Chouji smiled and saw both her and the fruit basket she had for him in her hands.

(Wow…a pretty girl with food! What a lucky break!)

----------

Naruto tightened his grip on Holy Talon as he and Shikamaru looked at Gaara who still remained calm…focused…almost as if he was not intimidated even with the fact that he was being held in place or that fact that Holy Talon was unsheathed and before him.

"What are you doing here Gaara? I won't ask again…"

Naruto replied as he tightened his grip on Holy Talon, while he was not going to attack in fear of killing Shikamaru with a strike, he was not going to hesitate to fight if Gaara attacked them both, he only hoped Shikamaru would drop his jutsu so he won't be caught in his attack…but he knew that with Lee nearby, it would be a disaster of bloody proportions if things went bad.

"I was going to kill him."

"What?"

Shikamaru couldn't help shake his head.

(This guy is one cold customer…he's not showing any reaction, even if I have him tied down by my shadow jutsu, I have no doubt if he tries to attack us…I can't stop him too well…the only chance to diffuse this is to bluff him…but why the hell would he want to kill Lee?)

"You already beat him once in the Preliminaries…heck you practically broke his leg and arm and he can't fight anymore, let alone defend himself…yet you want to kill him? Isn't what you did to him back there enough for you? Is this some personal grudge you have on Lee?"

"I have nothing personal against him…, there's no ulterior motive or complicated planning involved with me being here…I just want to kill him, nothing more."

Naruto didn't like that in the least.

"You're insane Gaara…I don't know why the heck you're like this…but right now I don't care…you really lost it."

"Yeah…Naruto's right…you honestly think we'll stand by and let you murder one of our fellow Genin in his sleep and unable to fight back? You're one sick, selfish and twisted psychotic Gaara of the Sand."

"If you both don't stay out of my way…then I'll kill the both of you as well…"

Holy Talon didn't like the sound of this…something was very odd about the boy Gaara's mind…something broken and twisted…but not by evil…something else…something more painful…there was more to this story than Gaara was letting on.

Naruto on the other hand was not happy and was therefore unaware of what was going through his companion's mind.

"Oh really now! I'd like to see you try fighting us Gaara!"

"Whoa Naruto! Keep that damn temper of yours in the freezer for a second here! We both know you're tough and deadly…we were there when you butchered Lee's arm and leg…remember? However we haven't revealed our abilities in full just yet."

"Oh?"

"Naruto and I have not revealed our full abilities yet…and I know for a fact you've seen Naruto in action with that sword before in the Forest of Death and in the Exam Room…besides, there's two of us here, so take my advice and leave here peacefully."

"I'll say it again loud and clear, if you two get in my way…I'll kill you both right here and now…I don't need to wait until the tournament to kill you both."

(Damn…he's like ice…this is not going well.)

"I'd like to see you try Gaara."

"Damn it Naruto! Keep that temper in ice for a single minute! This guy fights like a demon for Kami's sake!"

Naruto glared and replied.

"He can act and fight like a demon all he wants…but I happen to have the real deal right inside of me. I happen to have a demon in me as well, a real one…pure power as well, and you do NOT want to wake it up."

"What the hell are you yapping about now! Let me try to diffuse this mess…what the whole point of getting him mad on us anyway!"

Gaara looked on as Naruto glared back…and he merely closed his eyes and spoke.

"A Demon inside you huh? Then my Demon is as real as your own is."

"What the heck?"

"My birth and my upbringing back in my village of Sand was not something one would call either happy or normal. To make sure I would be born as the ultimate Sand Shinobi to ever be borne from the Land of Wind…my father, the Fourth Kazekage used his Ninjutsu on me, infusing my still unborn form with the power of a Sand Demon Spirit…in doing so a life was lost with my birth…my mother's life. I was literally born as a monster in human form" 

Naruto looked on with shock at that as he realized that there was something in Gaara's tone that told him that this was the truth…and it resonated with him…because it was the same as his own life. Shikamaru was also shocked and Gaara carried on.

"The name of that Demon that melded with me was Shukaku, the living reincarnation of a former Sand Priest who died and became evil and was sealed in a old tea kettle."

Shikamaru recovered and spoke.

"A demon based jutsu…but to use it on a baby…before it was ever born? That is one creepy thought."

(Can it be true? Can he really have a Demon inside him…like I do?)

(("I can sense no lie or trick in his voice Master Naruto…he means every word of it."))

"Hmm, you're father sounded like a real swell guy, he must have loved you a lot to let you have that kind of power."

Gaara never showed emotion, but Naruto could tell that there was one emotion in Gaara…hatred.

"Love? You speak of love? Don't think I can be measured in your standards…it's not love I feel for my family…neither is it respect or any of those feelings you people have…the only emotional ties I have for them is hate…I hate my family, I hate them all to my very core…the only thing I ever wanted was to wrap either my hands or the sand in my gourd around their necks and kill them slowly."

"Given life by the death of my mother I was nurtured to be the salvation of the Sand Village, my father taught me all the secrets of the Ninja at a young age and I was treated well enough…pampered and protected and left to my own devices, and for a time…I thought it was love…but that was only the beginning of everything."

"What the heck are you talking about?"

"What kind of trick are trying to pull this time Gaara?"

"When the six years passed when I was six years old…my father tried to have me destroyed far more than I care to remember."

The way Gaara smiled and looked quite insane made Shikamaru and Naruto look in shock, both however were not backing away.

"You just said you're father pampered and protected you…was that some sort of lie?"

"It was no lie…those who get to be strong get to be feared and I was feared by everyone in the village. The same jutsu that was used to infuse Shukaku in me had imbalanced my mind in some way…even the most foolish of my village realized that I was…emotionally unstable. My father, the Kazekage created me as his ultimate weapon in battle…but even he saw that I was too dangerous and I became a threat to the very village I was meant to protect and save from disarray…When I was six I became a figure of terror to everyone and in their eyes…I was nothing more than a relic of the past they wanted gone…I was a living monument to their sins that they wanted destroyed. And that meant I had failed the purpose for which I was given life utterly. So I asked myself…what was left for me to exist in this wretched world? What was the point of living now? For living and having no goal is the same as being a dead corpse. But then I realized that everything has a purpose and a goal to stay alive in this world."

"What is this lunatic freak talking about?"

Naruto remained silent and thought to himself.

(I know what he means, I know what he feels…because I was like him too, him and I are no different from one another…we are both demon containers.)

"Then I found the answer…my reason to stay alive was in the killing of all those who are my targets…since it was my mother's death that gave me life…then it is in the death of ours that gave me purpose. I lived in fear of those sent to kill me…but now I do not fear death and I have killed many would be assassins sent by my father in the years, I learned that I truly lived when I fought and lived only for myself and I loved myself…I have no need for others, and also long as there are those alive for me to kill, then I will find some peace and happiness in this overcrowded, wide and wretched world…I will live here for all eternity."

(This guy has lost his mind…he's not human at all…but a freakish monster!)

(I was alone like him…I had no idea why I was alive…until Iruka-sensei came, and then saw me for me, not for the Kyuubi, he gave me a reason for living, then I met the old man, Kakashi-sensei, Sakura-chan…and even Sasuke…but Gaara…he had no one and those who could have helped him turned on him, he had to find his reason to stay living on his own…but he came up with this…to kill in order to live…could I have become like him if it hadn't been for Iruka-sensei being there…could I have been like Gaara too? We're so different…but we're close to being the same…we're literally brothers in a sense…)

"Naruto! Damn it all…not now! This is a drag!"

The reason for that was the sand suddenly came to life and despite Gaara being pinned down by Shikamaru's jutsu, the sand came right at them as Naruto was frozen stiff by what he heard and how much the same he and Gaara were. However as the end seemed near…a voice spoke to Naruto…Holy Talon's voice.

(("Yes…you and him are so much alike Master Naruto…but you and him are different. Because unlike him you have never stopped caring for others and you were saved from the darkness and the loneliness by people like Iruka, he supported and loved you unconditionally…as a father figure…the Hokage treated you like a grand-son and your team-mates as well…they were with you and they acknowledged you for who you are Master Naruto."))

Naruto realized the truth in Holy Talon's words as he recalled what Iruka said about him when he risked his life to save him from Mizuki…and what Iruka told him why he cared for Naruto…and he thought about his life with the others he grew close to…Sakura-chan, Kakashi-sensei…and even Sasuke.

(("You can relate to him as you have felt the same pain and loneliness as he did…you would have been like him as well Master Naruto…but you are not. Because there are those who care for you and saved you from your darkness and pain…and it is for them that you stand and fight…regardless of the outcome, they gave you a reason to live…not for yourself but for them…and if you give up now…then they will suffer…and worse…stand and fight Master Naruto, conquer your fear…for them!"))

(You're right…by Kami you're right!)

Naruto snapped out of it and quickly spoke in the same arcane tongue and unleashed a spell.

"FIRE SHIELD!"

A sphere of pure blue flame appeared and the sand that came too close was suddenly covered in it and reduced to glass in a heart beat…Gaara was surprised as was Shikamaru and the Sand sibling prepared to unleash another attack until Gai stepped in.

"That is enough…that is to be used in the finals…not here in the hospital…you want to waste it now?"

Gaara felt great pain as his memories came back as the sand retreated back into his gourd, and as he left he turned to face them all.

"All the same…I will kill you soon, all of you…I will kill you all…"

This time however Naruto was not shaking in fear…and pointed Holy Talon at Gaara and replied.

"You won't have that chance Gaara…I swear it."

----------

In the apartment…

"Where have you been Gaara…we've been looking for you!"

Kankurou asked his youngest brother when he showed up, just as they were getting a very bad feeling about what was going to happen if he was out of sight…but he was back and seemed to be no worse for wear.

"None of your business."

Kankurou sighed and kept his cool, knowing that no matter how angry he would get, he was no match for Gaara. Temari sighed as she looked at both her brothers and wondered how it had come to this…they were here not to truly win the Chuunin Exams, but to help the Sound defeat and crush Konoha…the village that they were allied with, and so many died for this peace…the situation was so wrong to her…but there was reasons as well. The feudal lord of Wind Country ordered military cutbacks…forcing her village to downsize their forces and lose a lot of missions that could truly help them in many ways and matters that should be in the hands of her village were handed to the people in Konoha, and that made them weaker in power and influence…that was the reason…why Gaara was born as well, they had to go for quality shinobi instead of quantity. But now they were going back into war…under the order of her father…and the outcome…

Temari sighed as she looked out the window…things were going to be very bad news now.

----------

Later…

Naruto arrived at the meeting place where Jiraiya was and sure enough, the perverted old man was currently looking to the river on the other side, and from what he can hear, several women from Konoha were once more taking a dip in the river. The blonde ninja sighed at that…the mess in the hospital was cleaned up and he was thankful that Lee was safe…all the same he knew that he would have to train a lot more now to match up with them. Shikamaru told him to use that before Gaara attacked, but it was too late anyway and at least they were both still breathing.

"Hey Pervy Sage! I'm here!"

Jiraiya quickly rushed up to him and clamped his hand over Naruto's mouth and spoke.

"Listen squirt…I'd appreciate it if you keep that loud voice down already! I'm researching here for crying out loud."

(More like peeking at women again…geeze…)

As soon as Naruto was released Jiraiya spotted Holy Talon…at first he wondered if this sword was really as powerful as the Third said it was…but after hearing how it had incinerated Orochimaru's arm from his former teacher, he decided not to chance it.

Holy Talon sensed Jiraiya's mind and aura…and while it admitted that Jiraiya had power…he was the most perverted man he had ever sensed.

(("Just who is this person Master Naruto?"))

(He calls himself the Toad sage or something like that…but he's a really dirty minded old man so I call him the Pervy Sage.)

(("Hmm…fits him pretty well, I've had my share of perverted beings…and even had a few masters who were of that same nature…but this one beats any I've seen...and I have seen plenty in my time."))

(No kidding.)

However Jiraiya had other plans as despite his desire to stay he had to deal with some important matters first hand. With that in mind, he grabbed Naruto and hauled him a good distance away to make double sure no one else found out about t6heir location.

----------

Back in Konoha…

The ANBU found the body of the slain Chuunin Proctor Hayate, and he looked to have been slain by a blade of some sort. One of the ANBU, a woman picked up Hayate's sword and held it…

"Hayate…what happened to you?"

It didn't take long for the news to spread and the Hokage knew that it would mean that several allied nations might be in on the plan of Orochimaru to attack Leaf…the ninja gathered there...including all the Jonin knew that the time for their battle with Sound and whoever they were allied with was coming…everything was coming into play.

Elsewhere…Kakashi was busy training both himself and Sasuke…the young Genin was busy preparing for his time in the Chuunin exams…facing Gaara of the Sand…and soon…Naruto himself.

----------

In a large clearing, a good distance away from Konoha…

"All right then…before we get down to the lessons I have in mind for you, there are some things you need to know Naruto…"

"That being what Pervy Sage?"

"The first is that you have two chakra sources inside of you…one is the normal chakra…and of course…the Kyuubi's chakra as well. The technique I will show you requires you to use up all you're normal chakra and use the Kyuubi's chakra."

Naruto panicked at that.

"You want ME to use the Kyuubi's chakra…but won't I become like it!"

Images of him turning into a person like Gaara made Naruto very uneasy and Jiraiya noted that quickly enough and replied.

"You don't have to worry too much…do you recall what I said about that seal on you?"

"Now that you mention it…you said the Hokage made it special…so what is so special about it anyway?"

"There are two four season seals on it as well, the top and the bottom…theses seals form an even number and help regulate the amount of chakra that comes out from the main seal…to put it simply, those other seals will be able to help your normal chakra diffuse and control it…along with allowing it to mix comfortably into your own…as such, you can use your normal chakra as well."

"So I can't be easily controlled by the Kyuubi?"

"True enough…however, the Kyuubi being what it is won't be idle…which brings me to why we're out here…with that kind of chakra you have, then the best way for you to truly use that chakra is not to learn control…but power."

"Isn't control important?"

"Normally it is…however, control is important for ninja who have limited reserves of chakra….you on the other hand, being given the ability to have the Kyuubi's chakra to use have no need to control that chakra since doing so is near impossible in the first place. The chakra you have is too powerful for control to be a good factor…so you master power instead…this will then allow you to do jutsus that no normal ninja of your rank can pull…but before we get to the training part. I need to know about a few things…namely from that sword of yours…it was created by a Dragon Lord named Faldren, am I right?"

"The Hokage told you about that?"

"Yep….the Third was my teacher when I was Genin as well, so he would tell me you know…I would like to meet this Lord Faldren anyway."

(Is that all right Holy Talon?)

(("I don't see anything wrong with him meeting Lord Faldren…you know the rituals and words as well so let's get to it."))

Naruto followed the instructions and did the same rituals…much to Jiraiya's curiosity and when the summoning steps were done, Naruto summoned the energy and said the same phrase as he jammed Holy Talon into the ground.

"FARLDREN! COME FORTH AND SPEAK YOUR LORE!"

The light nearly blinded the two and sure enough in a moment, Jiraiya felt the air come alive and bristle with energy and when the light cleared, his eyes widened as he found himself gazing at none other than the form of Lord Faldren, Dragon Lord and Ruler of the Holy Dragons…and creator of the Holy Talon.

The Dragon Lord turned and spoke to Naruto.

/"Greetings young wielder…what manner of questions do you wish answered…wait…it seems you are not alone."\

The Dragon Lord turned and directed it's attention to Jiraiya and while the Dragon was not too big, and only a temporary manifestation at best, it certainly had power and Jiraiya admitted to that.

/"What is your name young one?"\

"Young? I'm not exactly young you know…"

/"If you have managed to live for nearly 25,000 years as I have, then anyone is younger than you or me for that matter… strange dressed one, now then…what is your name?"\

"I am the Hermit of Mount Myouboku, I am the Toad Mountain Sage."

/"A sage? Hmmm…you don't exactly look like the scholarly type to me. More of the type with more interest in the opposite gender than books."\

"That's right Lord Faldren, sir! He's a perverted old man who peeks at women in the bath-house and he calls it research, and he rights dirty novels too!"

"Knock it off squirt!"

The Dragon Lord looked at the two and chuckled a bit and spoke.

/"Peace you two, there is a reason you called for me and I rather doubt that it here to debate one's personal hobbies. What is it you want answered?"\

Jiraiya decided it was his turn and spoke.

"If you've known Naruto's past, then you know that he was the child chosen to contain a powerful demon in this realm twelve years ago…this demon was the Kyuubi or the Nine Tailed Fox…yet from what I have been told, those who hold that sword and have evil hearts and natures can be severely burned by Holy Talon…but why is it that Holy Talon chose Naruto anyway…surely it would have sensed that he had the Kyuubi inside of him."

"That's right Lord Faldren…I want to know that too."

/"Yes, it is true that under normal circumstances…Naruto would have not been chosen to carry Holy Talon, but Holy Talon sensed no evil in Naruto's own heart and mind, along with his spirit. When Holy Talon chose you and reconditioned you both spiritually and physically, it then discovered the presence of the Kyuubi, it had intended to force the Kyuubi out of you…however, it realized that the Kyuubi was already part of you and doing so would kill you…plus it noted the seal and sensed the purpose of the Seal as well…instead, Holy Talon placed the two Dragon Tattoos to act as special restrains that still allowed Chakra from the Kyuubi to flow, but never allowed it to flow too freely in you're body and also they serve as wardens to the Kyuubi…however, they can be told to allow the Kyuubi's chakra t be unleashed under command…give them the order and they will relent and allow you to speak to the Kyuubi as well."\

"You mean I can actually talk to the Kyuubi?"

/"Yes…though I recommend you only do it if you truly need it's help."\

"But what about Holy Talon? Won't it reject me if I start using the chakra of the Kyuubi?"

/"Not entirely…Holy Talon is able to withstand that much power and the tattoo on your arm creates a shield that allows your soul to be protected from the power of the Kyuubi…in truth, the shield is not perfect, Holy Talon will need to experience the power of the Kyuubi first hand in order to understand it's power…but it will shield your mind and allow you to remain as yourself. The only power that can harm Holy Talon is Death Fang's powers and edge, along with the combined might of either us Holy Dragons or that of our Chaos brethren so you have little to fear from the Kyuubi attempting to destroy the sword…it will act therefore as your anchor in the storm of the Kyuubi's powers. It has already told you that it will aid you no matter what happens…and it didn't lie to you."\

"All right then…how do I do that trick to talk to the Kyuubi?"

/"Merely focus on your mind and then the rest will be shown to you. If you are in need of help…I will be here…and you can call me in my combat form if you need my power in a fight."\

"Combat Form?"

/"Yes…this form I am in right now is only my Lore form, that means that I have two forms, one is my Lore form, which is less powerful and less intimidating as my combat form…which is in truth my real form…however, call upon me only if needed."\

Jiraiya then spoke at length to Faldren and when it was over, the Toad Sage decided that now was a good a time as any to teach Naruto the technique that would take advantage of the Kyuubi's chakra. Naruto then told the Dragon Lord about the coming tournament…and the hidden threat to his village…the Dragon Lord looked concerned and spoke to the young Dragon Champion.

"You will need to train well more of the arts of the Dragon Champions if you truly plan to fight in such a tournament. And for that battle ahead…you will need protection…I need you to summon some allies to help you in this task however, they will help you in getting the gar you will need to win this fight.

Faldren then bade the two farewell as Naruto placed as side Holy Talon and faced Jiraiya.

"So what are you going to teach me now Pervy Sage?"

"Simple…how to summon animals and not in the way with Holy Talon, but in the way of jutsus. It's the same as the time I used that toad to knock Ebisu out, that is an animal summon."

After being told the advantages of using summons and how it was done with a contract…Naruto got ready to go at it as he finished making his contract…until Jiraiya decided that it was time for Naruto to learn how to summon the Kyuubi's chakra as well.

"Naruto…I believe that the time has come for you to learn how to control the chakra of the Kyuubi, as well as learn how to do animal summons. Once you are done with making your contract…then we get down to the training for you to use the Kyuubi's chakra…you will have to learn how to use it eventually as well to aid you should you need it's powers…and there is only one way for you to learn it."

"How's that?"

"Do as Holy Talon and Lord Faldren said and we shall see if you can call on the Fox to give you it's chakra."

Naruto gulped and knew that this was going to be one hell of a test…but seeing that he would be protected by Holy Talon and there were guardians he had in him as well and he did so and began to focus himself and enter his mind…Holy Talon whispered to him and guided him into his own mind.

----------

In Naruto's mind…

"This is what my mind looks like?"

Naruto looked and saw it to be a sewer of some sort with pipes and paths all over the place…he then wondered where he should go until he spotted some sort of light and he then felt something in the air, he began to wander in the place until he sensed the energy even thicker and he swore he could hear a growling sound.

He rushed to it and then found himself facing a massive prison gate…with a seal near it on the doors and two Dragon statues on the sides of the door…just as Naruto wondered what was going on…a pair of massive eyes suddenly appeared before him and then a massive mouth filled with VERY sharp teeth and the face…if it was a face seemed to be grinning at him.

"What heck are you!"

(((If you want to know little kid…come closer…)))

Naruto did so and then was forced back as a set of massive claws slammed into the gate…nearly knocking Naruto back, and as soon as he got to his feet the Dragon statues suddenly came to life and glowed deep gold and released a grid of pure energy that melded with the cage…the creature glared at Naruto and it didn't take long for Naruto to make the connection.

"You're the Kyuubi aren't you?"

(((Good guess brat, normally I would have just torn you to shreds and ate you…but this blasted seal keeps me from doing just that and those…dragon wardens of yours are very annoying…every time I try to force my chakra out, they only allow pitiful amounts out…I am getting very annoyed in this blasted cage that Fourth Hokage had placed me in…so what are you doing here brat? Come to talk or gloat?)))

"I came here to demand a portion of your power!"

The Kyuubi continued to grin and replied.

(((You want MY power? Hah…why should I help a brat like you?)))

"For one thing…you're in MY body, and therefore you are a guest, prisoner, an tenant…pick whatever you like…but while you're in here, you have to be able to put your part of effort in this…you owe me a contribution for being in here…besides…I have a feeling you don't want to die"

(((Really? What makes you think I don't want to kill you?)))

(Because you are in MY body and since you don't have your own, that means you need a body until then…besides if I die…then you die as well, and I have no doubt that you don't plan on dying like this. So quit wasting time and give me your power!)

The Kyuubi looked at Naruto and then began to laugh…the room was filled with bestial laughter and the sounds were scary beyond belief, after a few minutes, the Kyuubi stopped laughing and replied.

(((You certainly have guts to be demanding that of me brat…but you are correct…I have no intention of dying today or any other day for that matter, that power you have from that sword is good…more powerful than anything I have seen so far, but I am not going to be staying here bored out of my mind and if you die I will NOT be happy. But you might want to tell your wardens here that you've given permission, otherwise you won't get that power no matter what you say.)))

Naruto looked at the two Dragon Statues and he nodded and the Dragons stopped glowing and the energy vanished from the cage and out came the red chakra of the Kyuubi and it surrounded him, instead of panicking the blonde ninja kept calm as the Kyuubi spoke.

(((Here…this is my part of effort in keeping you alive…so you had better show me that you're worthy of having my power brat!)))

----------

In the valley…

Naruto opened his eyes and suddenly felt the massive increase in his chakra and then spoke to Jiraiya who was nearby and watching the whole thing.

"So what happened Naruto?"

"I had a chat with the Kyuubi…and I can feel his chakra Pervy Sage…it's amazing…unlike anything I have ever felt before."

"Good…now it's time to see if you can use the chakra to summon your first animal summon…remember, focus on power this time, not control…remember, because of the Kyuubi…you have unlimited chakra so you don't need to limit the amount of chakra you have."

Naruto nodded and then did the same hand seals and then called forth his summon…and boy did he get a summon!

Naruto looked at the massive creature before him…the Toad he summoned was huge, far larger than the one he had seen Jiraiya ride on, this one had a pipe and had some sort of jacket on and a scar over one eye and what appeared to be a dagger of some sort…a HUGE dagger at that.

"Whoa!"

(("Well now…this is interesting."))

"Whoa is right….of all the toad summons I thought you could call up Naruto with the aid of the Kyuubi's chakra…I didn't think you would be able to summon him. You really need to work on how you summon the chakra more."

"Who is he?"

The toad suddenly appeared and spoke in a loud and strong voice.

"I am the wise and powerful Gamabunta…chief of all toads to you little snot."

That did not sit well with Naruto but for the time being he kept quiet as the massive toad then faced Jiraiya.

"Now then Jiraiya…as much as I happen to appreciate being allowed some fresh air…and you haven't summoned me into some weird place, I don't see anything here worth of interest…no battles or anything…so what sort of trickery have you summoned me for this time?"

"Actually Gamabunta…I didn't summon you this time."

"What? If you didn't summon me then who did?"

"I did Chief Toad!"

Gamabunta looked at Naruto and sized him up…he could sense some power in the boy and noted that for some reason he could feel not just chakra coming from the boy…however he was still thinking that Jiraiya was pulling a prank on him and this kid was helping along for the moment. And naturally he laughed and the sound was enough to knock Naruto off his feet and then the chief toad looked at him.

"YOU summoned me! How can a little kid like you have the power to summon a high ranking summon like me…on the first try? Are you playing a trick on me with the help of that pervert?"

"No…I really summoned you myself…and the contract he has proves it!"

"Really? Then let me see it."

Jiraiya took out the contract scroll and unrolled it in front of Gamabunta and the chief toad read the scroll and found Naruto's name as the new addition and he could see that he did summon him…however, Gamabunta decided to see just how strong this Naruto kid was.

"Listen then Naruto Uzumaki…I still don't know how you summoned me when a kid like you shouldn't have the chakra to summon me in the first place…but I'll give you a test…if, and that's a very big if mind you, you manage to pass it I might consider you worthy of being my master."

"I'll do whatever that test is…if it's the best way to show you that I did summon you with my chakra then so be it. What is the test?"

"There are very FEW people who can ride my back…one of them being Jiraiya…and the Fourth Hokage…if you can stand being on my back until the end of a day…then I will consider it…if you fall off, then I won't accept you even if you did summon me…is that a deal?"

"Done!"

"Good…now get on!"

Naruto did so and climbed Gamabunta's back and got ready as the chief toad coiled his body and got ready to give the boy the ride of a life-time…and sure enough…he did. Gamabunta wasted no time and began to leap and hop all over the place…ripping apart trees and unleashing dust clouds all over the place and Naruto was screaming his head off but focused on trying to hold on using his chakra to tighten his grip and keep him from being flung about like a toy in the massive power the chief toad was unleashing.

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"Want to give up?"

"NEVER!"

"Good!"

Gamabunta leaped high into the air and dropped back to the ground and when he did so…he kept on moving here and there….leaping all over the place and also into a large lake and he swam back and forth and even dove deep…forcing Naruto to really push the limits of his endurance….Holy Talon was with him the whole time and it was worried for it's master, but sensing that this is Naruto's own battle and interfering is not a good move, the living sword did nothing for now. Besides…despite the fact that he was a pervert…Jiraiya was around as well.

The day wore on and Gamabunta was really pouring it on Naruto as he leaped at the highest altitude and smashed hard into the nearby river and sure enough…Naruto's grip was loosened and he was tired out of his body but didn't give up and much to the surprise of both Jiraiya and Gamabunta, he was able to pull the Kage Bushin and keep himself on Gamabunta's back and when he did…he was ecstatic and cheered.

"I did it! I'm still on your back Chief Toad! You am you're master now! I did it!"

(Incredible…he still had it in him to hold on and use the chakra…just when he had nearly used it all up in both summoning Gamabunta and holding on.)

However…Naruto's exhaustion came into play and he fell off Gamabunta's back…scaring Jiraiya and he was about to rush in and save the boy…but Gamabunta saved Naruto by using his tongue and placed him gently on the ground…Jiraiya sighed as he looked at Naruto and then to Gamabunta.

"You didn't have to go that far Gamabunta, it's a matter of pride for him as well."

"I am aware of that…but I wanted to see just how far he can go…it's been nearly an age when anyone dared to ride my back and stand up to me…with the exception of the Fourth…I miss that young scoundrel."

"You and me both…"

"Well…taking to a place of healing would be best…normally I would give him a portion of my power…but after that battle…he needs to rest, or will you take care of that matter Jiraiya?"

"I will."

"Good…well now…I had some decent exercise so far…but next time it had better be for a fight that I get summoned for soon."

With that…the chief of the Toad Summons disappeared in a puff of smoke while Jiraiya took Naruto for treatment. It was then that he decided to take Naruto deeper into the mountains for him to have some privacy…it was high time he saw Naruto train with Holy Talon. The living sword on the other hand decided that as soon as it was able it would heal Naruto.

They arrived at the spot and Jiraiya sat down and that was when Holy Talon went to work and released the silver-green flame and Jiraiya noted that, he had been told that it was a technique similar to the medical jutsu and as such…he knew Naruto was in good hands.

----------

After three days…

Naruto woke up and found himself in a bed roll and as soon as his eyes opened…he picked up the smell of cooking fish and his stomach growled as he got up and saw Holy Talon next to him. He found himself in a massive valley and still in his clothes. The living sword then spoke to him.

(("It's good to see you up and about Master Naruto"))

(What happened? Where are we?)

(("You passed out when you were riding that giant toad Gamabunta…he saved you and allowed Jiraiya to take you here…and I healed you…and as to where we are…we're in the mountains, or at least near them."))

(Why are we here?)

((You need some privacy to train and prepare for the tournament Master Naruto…not to mention the fact that summoning those allies to help you require some extra privacy for the moment, I doubt summoning a Dragon in the middle of the village is the healthiest idea in the world…and the allies who will aid you are certainly not natives of your world."))

(Good point. So when do we start?)

(("As soon as that man Jiraiya returns."))

And sure enough Jiraiya showed up and had with him a massive number of items on the toad's back…the very same toad he had with him when he clobbered Ebisu. The silver haired pervert smiled as he leaped off and presented the bags.

"Hey there Naruto…glad to see you woke up…you've been out for three days."

"THREE DAYS? WHAT ABOUT THE CHUUNIN EXAMS!"

"Relax will you? You have at least two weeks and five days before that, take the time to relax and train…here…I went through the trouble of getting you enough food and supplies to stay here until the time comes…plus don't forget to be ready…you still haven't beaten a single Kage Bushin of mine."

Naruto sighed as he recalled how badly he was beaten by ONE Kage Bushin of the Pervy Sage and got up as he stretched and got the kinks out of his system and rummaged through the supplies and found lots of fruit, meat, vegetables, grains, bread, juice, water, and of course…instant ramen…his eyes widened at that and he smiled at Jiraiya.

"You're not so bad after all Pervy Sage."

"Quit it…I'll be hoping that when I come back to check on you now and then you have improved enough…now then, I go and do my research!"

With that, Jiraiya left and got ready to do the usual run of the town and this time Naruto was not going to stop him…he had to train with Holy Talon and sure enough the living sword had quite the training regime in mind.

----------

Two weeks and five days later…

Naruto couldn't help but look at the gear that was before him, he had been in the mountains and was taken there by Kael when he was told by Lord Faldren to go to have some gear made for him to participate in the Chuunin Exam finals, and he had time to prepare.

And Naruto did prepare…he had undergone a strict training regime under Holy Talon and the essences of several Dragon Champions, including Shana…apart from combat training, he received some extra training with his mystical talents…Jiraiya would also stop by and train him as well, helping him with perfecting some of his still shaky skills and jutsus….And also he summoned up a small band of other allies…the first pair were a duo of brothers, who were very short…almost half his height…but they were built like boulders and were strong for their size too…they had beards as well…one who had his dark brown beard in a series of braids with gold clasps on them, while the other had his deep blonde beard with a long tail like braid at the bottom. The two men were smiling as the blonde ninja looked at their work…while the other pair were looking at Naruto as well.

Unlike the two shorter beings who were both male, the next duo were a brother and sister pair…both of them tall and slender…they each had pointed ears, deep silver hair and had a strange quality about them. The male half of the duo had his hair in a normal pattern and had it flowing on his back…so much so, he would have passed for a woman. His sister however had her own deep silver hair in a very elegant style…like a priestess of some sort. They wore simple but well kept clothes, while the first two were dressed in leather and aprons. Along with them was his Sky Dragon Mount, Kael…

Kael had introduced them to him, the short brothers were the dwarf smiths, Rumkil, and Thorell Steelhand, who were close friends of the previous Dragon Champion before Naruto…the mage Falken, while the other two were the elf siblings, Leena and Halfir Silver-sheen, who were famous elf spell masters, with Leena being a healer, while her brother Halfir was an enchanter, someone with magical skill to power and imbue weapons and armor.

Rumkil and Thorell grinned at their work and had to admit that while they were here they were able to put their smith-craft talents to good use…and meeting this young lad who was the new Dragon Champion was a plus in itself. Leena and Halfir were also smiling though not too broadly as the dwarf brothers were doing, they hoped that their contributions were of approval to the young Dragon Champion.

Naruto looked at all the gear and he couldn't help but speak.

"Do I have to wear these?"

Rumkil replied at the question.

"Listen laddie…"

Naruto frowned and replied.

"My name's Naruto Uzumaki, not laddie!"

The dwarf smith shrugged his shoulders at that and continued at his words. 

"Look…them clothes you've got on you are good an all for normal occasions…but yer a Dragon Champion ye know. And you need to look the part of one…not like a normal young lad. Besides…that gear is worth quite a bit of gold, sweat and effort if they were made back home. Plus that kind of tournament yer goin to be in sounds dangerous…and some protection is going to go a LONG way in a fight."

Thorell nodded with his brother and also replied.

"Besides lad, them ladies are going to be swooning once they see you in them clothes…nothing gets them ladies hot an bothered than to see a good looking man in good, high quality protection like that."

Naruto looked at all the components and couldn't believe at the sheer design of the items…and how they looked…he had to admit that while he was no expert on armor…these certainly look well crafted and were actually beautiful…but to actually have to wear these in a fight…

"These look so heavy! How can I possibly fight with all this much on me!"

Leena smiled and replied.

"Need not fear young one…the armor you have will not weigh you down…if you wish proof…place a piece in your hands and carry it."

Naruto looked at the female elf healer and blushed a bit…the elf woman was quite a beauty, and it she sounded very sincere…and it would be a quite an insult for him to deny her request and after all…she had a part in the crafting as well of the set.

Naruto took one of the parts in his hands…and took a deep breath and carried it…and to his utter surprise…the metal was nearly weightless…it did have some weight unlike Holy Talon…but he felt like he was carrying a sheet of paper than metal…he then tried to lift the other pieces and found them to be the same as the first piece…though they did have some weight…they were not as heavy as he first thought them to be.

"How….how is this possible!"

Halfir smiled and replied…

"The metal is ancient…and is known as 'Orchaelium' it's a rare and very precious metal that is found only in our world…many names it can go by…but the most common is 'Light Iron'. It is light as cloth…but is three times harder than steel and as tough as the Dragon scales…you might say it resembles the material that Holy Talon is made from…though not of the same caliber."

"It is a good container of Mystic Fire and can amplify certain spells as well as protect you. Both my sister and I have enchanted the pieces so they can aid you if you need it…mind you, it is not perfect…only very powerful weapons, spells, and attacks can pierce or rend it in a fight…it will however aid you when the time is right and trust us…from the way this tournament sounds…you will need the protection."

Naruto looked at the armor and sighed…after all he had seen…some decent protection would certainly come in handy…and if the armor was nearly weightless as Holy Talon…why not?

He then began to put them on so he can see just what he looked like…as the dwarves and elves instructed him on how to wear the armor as Kael looked on…the Sky Dragon Mount impressed with the work made by the others and looked on as the young Dragon Champion placed on his armor.

----------

Later…

Naruto checked himself over and over again…looking at his now metal armor covered body, he then turned to see the looks of utter respect being given to him by the two elves…while the dwarves were a bit more critical. Leena turned and spoke to the two Steelhand siblings.

"Rumkil…Thorell, you two have outdone yourselves."

Rumkil replied.

"Not really lass….a bit more work would have helped in makin the suit better…but what can you do with such short time on yer hands?"

"I agree…a bit more work could help…but at least the armor's in good hands and it works…that's all one can ask."

Halfir noted the looks as Naruto reached for the last piece…and put it on…Naruto was a bit uncomfortable at first as this was the first time he had ever worn armor, but he began to become more comfortable in the armor. The elf enchanter smiled and Kael spoke to Naruto.

\"You look impressive young Dragon Champion."/

"How can you tell?"

Kael turned and nodded to Halfir and the elf summoned a large mirror and Naruto was able to see himself. The blonde ninja's eyes widened as he got a good look at himself in armor.

His lower body was encased in what resembled metal rings, that were like chain metal, with two large pieces of armor that covered his thighs…while his lower shins were protected by shin guards made of the metal with the parts covering the knees were in the shape of dragon heads and flame like patterns in gold leaf on them, and his new sandals were like boots as well and were also protected…his crotch region was also protected by the chain ring like armor with two flaps of moving metal plates with a sash in the front and back and for that he was thankful for that too. 

His upper body was covered in chain armor but there were also several plates of armor that covered his upper body…namely his chest and several moving plates on his abdomen that seemed to move seamlessly as he looked himself over…his back was also protected by both the chain metal and the metal armor plating…on the front of his chest armor that followed the body design flawlessly to show his muscular build. He then noted that the symbol of Konoha was placed into the chest armor and there was a Dragon in flight behind the symbol and below the combined symbol

There were also armored plates that covered his shoulders but were not restricting his movements as he thought they would when he first saw them and tested them by moving his arms and they were already very flexible. There were also a set of metal armor pieces that covered his forearms and they were made to be smooth and have a gemstone of deep blue in them in the middle. His body was also clad in chain armor…which he now knew to be coined as chainmail and his hands were incased as well…and his lower arms were protected by metal bracers which had several gemstones of green, blue, red, and white in them in a diamond like pattern and hand guards on the top…the bracers were held in place by magical leather straps and they also had finger armor that gave his hands a slightly claw like appearance and the claw like finger guards moved seamlessly and naturally in his hands when he clenched and unclenched them. The armor was in quite a design as the chainmail was deep silver white…while the armor plates that covered his thighs, shins, forearms, upper arms, chest, abdomen and back were in gold… and with royal blue lining to place further emphasis to his form.

Naruto was stunned…he certainly was looking like a warrior from another realm…befitting his status as Dragon Champion. If he had a chance to send himself back in time and space and appear before Kakashi-sensei, Sakura-chan, Sasuke…and himself, while Holy Talon was on his back…he had no doubt in his mind they would have mistaken him for someone else…and they would have had a heart attack if he told them who he was. He then took out his forehead protector…which had been slightly modified by the dwarf smiths. It was now in deep blue and was longer…almost like a bandana and as he looked at it…it was now surrounded by gold leaf lining in a flame pattern and the metal plate was a bit wider as well…as he put it on and a wind blew in the area…

He looked like a fantasy warrior with Holy Talon on his back and his bandana flying in the wind along with his hair. He was quite the sight to behold…he was still admiring the looks, just as Jiraiya arrived on the scene.

The pervert Sannin gave his student the once over and whistled at the look Naruto had in his armor…he made the ANBU in their full gear look like kids playing in a costume party.

"Wow…you've certainly changed you're looks big time Naruto…"

"Pervy Sage! What are you doing here!"

A vein popped on the side of Jiraiya's head when he heard that ands the Sannin made it clear that he was not happy with the term…while he was not ashamed of being a massive pervert…he WAS a bit touchy about being called a pervert sage when he was supposed to be called the Toad Sage.

"How many times do I have to tell you to call me by my right title Naruto? It's not Pervy Sage or Pervert Sage! It's either Jiraiya or the Toad Sage… Anyway…I didn't come here to trade word barbs with you at the moment… I came here to tell you that the Chuunin exams start in the next few hours so I suggest you hurry up and move it or you're be disqualified for sure."

Naruto gasped and he realized that after so many days in the mountain valley that he was in for training under Jiraiya and Holy Talon, along with Lord Faldren advising him…he had forgotten all sense of time. The blonde was about to panic until he recalled Kael. He turned to the Sky Dragon and spoke to him.

"Can you get me to Konoha in time Kael?"

The Dragon nodded.

\"Of course Dragon Champion…you will be there on time."/

"All right…now then…"

Naruto turned and smiled at both the Steelhand siblings and the two elf siblings and they each bowed and in a flash of light, they were turned back into their light forms and vanished into Holy Talon. Jiraiya was not happy as he had tried to make Leena his latest subject for his book series of Icha Icha Paradise…after all, the elf woman was quite the female specimen…however, he was held back by both Naruto and naturally Halfir…however they didn't stop Leena from talking to him in person…however, they drew the line if Jiraiya tried to peep at the elf female.

"Aw…and I was so hoping she would stay around more."

Naruto only shook his head at that and was thankful that he was able to send Leena and the others back to their place in the spirit realm…Faldren had told him about Holy Talon's powers when it came to the spirits of the deceased…and since the spirits were willing to aid him, he was not violating any laws or whatnot when it concerned the spirit realm. Both the Steelhand siblings had died years before…and both elf siblings had willingly passed on to place their spirits into Holy Talon to aid their friend Falken before the fateful duel that sent both Holy Talon and Death Fang into this world. The Dragon Lord was not present as he was not able to remain in the world for long and as such, only imparted the advice to Naruto to always look for the deeper reasons for people who are not truly evil to do what they do.

He kept that to heart as he got on Kael and held the saddle…just as Jiraiya got ready to move out. The Toad Sage and legendary ninja got ready to leave he turned and spoke to Naruto.

"Just so you know…I need to see that Sexy Jutsu again…I can certainly use that for the next book I plan to write!"

Naruto groaned at that and wondered what possessed him to reveal that heavily modified jutsu to the perverted ninja who made even Ebisu look like a simple innocent kid.

"I haven't forgotten you know…see you at the tournament!"

"Same here…and while I am not going to participate…I want you to kick it into high gear Naruto…put all those moves you learned to good use!"

"I will!"

The young Dragon Champion quickly got on his friend Kael and the two of them quickly took to the air and flew towards Konoha while Jiraiya quickly made his way back to the village and to inform his sensei about the soon to arrive attraction in the tournament…he was eager to see the looks on the villagers' faces once Naruto made his GRAND entrance.

(I am so looking forward to that!)

----------

In the main tournament building…

The large numbers of Konoha residents, both civilian and ninja were eager to see just how the finals were going to turn out…there were quite a number of Genin this year who would be taking part in the Chuunin Exams. There were quite a ton of names to look at after all…the dignitaries and leaders from various villages, cities, and towns, along with officials from the five Great Countries were there to witness it.

Many in Konoha were eager to see their own Genin in action, Neji from Hyuuga was among them…while the most anticipated was naturally Sasuke Uchiha of the Uchiha clan. They were all looking forward to seeing the Uchiha prodigy in combat and to see the skills and jutsus of the Uchiha in action for themselves.

Sakura was next to Ino and the still disguised Kin…all of them were wondering just where Naruto had disappeared to, he had been gone for nearly several weeks ever since the day he had left the apartment to train. They hoped that nothing had happened and thankfully nothing bad was happening yet.

"Where are they? They both should know that the Chuunin Exam Finals start in a few minutes."

Sakura said as she scanned the crowd hoping to catch sight of Naruto and she wondered where Sasuke was as well. She was worried that something had happened to them and she hoped that they would make it back soon…if they didn't make it at all, then they would be disqualified.

Ino knew that as well and so did Kin, they were not the only ones as Hinata, Kiba, and several others, including the rest of the Chuunin candidates waited for them to arrive. The other people were also curious on when Sasuke would arrive so they could see how good he was. Temari looked at the sight and wondered just when the two others would arrive…she wanted to see Naruto and see just what else he was good at doing…though she still kept her focus on fighting in the Tournament until the time came.

The leaders and feudal lords were already there and were also eager to see the matches. The Hokage was also there, along with the Kazekage and they were also ready to see how things would turn out. Sarutobi however was curious about one thing.

"I wonder where Naruto and Sasuke are? They should be here already?"

"What was that Hokage?"

"Nothing Kazekage…just wondering out loud."

"Well…I haven't been able to see a decent Chuunin exam for a while."

Both Kages and their guards turned to see none other than Jiraiya looking at them, The Hokage's guards relaxed a bit as they knew who Jiraiya was, though the Kazekage kept a wary eye on Jiraiya for some reason.

"What are you doing here Jiraiya…I was under the impression you've left on another trip."

"Not really…I am here to tell you that Naruto is well on his way…in fact…he should be here right about now."

Unknown to everyone…

\"Are you sure you want to do this young wielder? This plan of yours for your entrance could be a bit dangerous. Not to mention the ramifications if you do this."/

"I know what I'm doing Kael…let's do it!"

The Dragon saw that it's master couldn't be told otherwise and then made the dive…and Naruto waited for the last moment and then pulled it off…and shouted

"HERE I COME! GET READY EVERYONE DOWN THERE…."

The people below only had time to look up and gasp as a massive shadow form of an unknown creature suddenly appeared in the grounds, along with a loud voice and they heard a massive thump on the ground and the whole building shook a little and the place was covered in dust and as the dust cleared…they saw a massive Dragon rear up and unfurl it's wings like a bird and before it was none other than Naruto Uzumaki in a cloak…The blonde then tossed off his cloak and took out Holy Talon as the Dragon roared and then fired out a burst of flame into the sky as Naruto raised the sword in salute...dressed in his armor.

"….BECAUSE NARUTO UZUMAKI IS HERE!" 

Every jaw in the audience dropped at the sight and the other Genin who were in the tournament took several steps back as they heard Kael roar. Naruto then placed Holy Talon on his right shoulder and raised his left hand to pat Kael's head as the Dragon moved down to show it's obedience and loyalty to the Dragon Champion…making the other people in the area look on in shock…

Jiraiya was laughing his head off, while Sarutobi sighed and replied.

"Well…the cat's out of the proverbial bag now."

----------

To Be Continued…

----------

Author's notes:

Sorry for the long delay…I had a TON of work to do…plus a real killer of a headache…

Things are going to be a bit more explosive on the next chapter as the finals now get underway…I know that the description of Naruto in his armor is somewhat off…but it has been a while since I described someone in full armor…however, I hope that the image is enough for all the readers to picture in your mind.

I brought the hot spring scene to add some more content and to make Naruto learn more about himself…after all, while it is true that Naruto in this story wasn't hit by the seal of Orochimaru like in the series, he still relies on unknown amounts of chakra to do jutsus, but here is where he learns how to use the right amount and how to control it, allowing him to ration and utilize his chakra and the Kyuubi chakra well, and he will use the chakra of the Kyuubi soon enough…the lessons will play a good role in the coming chapters of Dragon Champion and well into the future…besides. Despite being a closet pervert, Ebisu is a good teacher in this episode since he does tell the truth and I wanted Naruto to learn from him…after all…he does see Naruto in a positive light, though the Sexy Jutsu is still a subject of issue between them.

As soon as we get down to the rest of the fights after the one between Neji and Naruto…we get to the invasion…and Naruto is about to shove a serious kick in the ass of the invasion force of both Sound and Sand ninja…

Preview:

Konohamaru and his friends looked on in awe at the sight…and the young grandson of the Third Hokage was ecstatic…as he was right in taking on Naruto as his idol…who else had THAT level of power at his command!

"BOSS! YOU ARE SO COOOOL!"

The other villagers and those of the Council saw the sight and were in awe…they thought they had seen every trick in the book that the blonde container of the Kyuubi had with him when he fought Neji in one heck of a fight, plus having that creature at his command…but this was certainly taking it up a notch and then some!

Kakashi looked on at Naruto and smiled…with absolute pride…he focused on Sasuke because he wanted Sasuke to give up his anger and rage and hunt his brother down for justice…not for revenge…while making sure that Orochimaru never got his hands on him…the Uchiha was his student…and so was Naruto…

And he knew in his heart that someday…with his natural gift with others, and his new powers…he would be a Hokage of legend someday. And this further validated his beliefs.

The other Jonin looked on in surprise…along with the ANBU…and Gai was the only one to comment as the others lost their ability to speak.

"You're student is truly a bonfire of youth Kakashi….you must be really proud of him."

"That I am…"

The other Genin…including Sakura were in awe as the pink haired Kunoichi looked on at her team-mate who still held Holy Talon.

"What!"

For the first time in his life…Orochimaru…S-ranked ninja traitor of Konoha…former Sannin, former student and protégé of the Third Hokage, and head of the Village of the Hidden Sound was at a loss on what was going on before him. He and his group, the Sound Five were also stunned as they saw the battle before them...and the forces that were now ready to fight alongside the ninja of Konoha.

Sarutobi grinned as he was not dressed in his old battle uniform and wielding his animal summon, the Monkey King Enma in his staff form and then spoke to his former student.

"It seems Naruto has thrown a proverbial monkey wrench in the works in your plans eh Orochimaru?" 

Jiraiya looked on and smiled.

"This just got really interesting!"

The rest of the Sand and Sound ninja held their various weapons and were ready to fight…however, their faces were filled with shocked expressions as they found themselves facing a vast army…and NONE of them were Konoha ninja…but of a force they had never seen before.

Naruto turned to face the multitude of armed and armored men and women before him…and every last one of them were armed and armored in armor similar to his own and were carrying a vast array of weapons…swords of both single hand grip and double hand grip and of various designs, shields, axes of the same grip types, spears, halberds, bows and crossbows…the beings were all looking at the assembled ninja invasion force with stoic and calm looks.

The Konoha ninja and Dragon Champion walked forward and pointed Holy Talon at the Sound and Sand ninja and spoke in a calm and powerful voice full of authority.

"You've got a lot of guts to invade my home village…if you think you'll have you're way here in Konoha…you are sorely mistaken….WARRIORS OF THE HOLY LIGHT! WILL YOU FIGHT FOR ME?"

Every last one of the armored beings summoned by the Holy Dragon Sword raised their weapons into the air and roared out a response.

"WE FIGHT FOR YOU!"

"ATTACK AND SHATTER THE DARKNESS!"

The wave of armored warriors moved out…heading right for the army of Sand and Sound ninja who were frozen stiff as the army bellowed out war-cries at them…

----

With Naruto charging in front of the whole mass army with Holy Talon in a two handed grip…and it didn't take long for the summoned army to smash right into the invasion force of ninja…and things were now going to get VERY nasty. 

I'll name the other Dragon Champions in the next chapter soon enough, and we know now that Faldren has two forms, the Lore form which he uses when fighting is not involved…and his true form…his combat form…just what does the Dragon Lord and leader of the Holy Dragons look like in it's true form? Ah…that's a secret.

Orchaelium is a rare and powerful combination of fictional metals Mithral and Adamantine, this makes it both very light and very powerful as well…making highly ideal for forging…however it is both rare and very expensive to make…and befitting it's nature…it is only found in Dagern…and it can never be found in Naruto's world.

Oh yeah…I know this is a rhetorical question…but if I were to make a lemon for this story…would you readers like in the traditional way or more than one woman goes after Naruto in the sack? And who would they be?


	13. Fate and Destiny

Naruto – The Twin Swords

Disclaimer: I do not have ANY ownership to the Naruto series…I wish I did though, but you can only wish for so much. The only thing I do have ownership over is this story.

Chapter 13

Fate and Destiny

( ): Thoughts

((" ")): Holy Talon's Voice

\" ": Kael's voice

'_Fate and Destiny…some said it was my destiny…my fate to be Dragon Champion…'_

'_I certainly never thought of it that way…I only wanted to use the sword to ask for forgiveness for the sins I committed…and if I couldn't wield it…I would never give up and find a way to redeem myself for all the pain and agony I placed on others blindly as a prisoner…no matter how hard it would be. There was no fate or destiny that guided me that day I took the journey to seek the sword…'_

'_No…it was my own decision, my desire, and my own choice to seek Holy Talon out…I was no hero…I was an ordinary man who needed a miracle. And I think that there is no fate or destiny that exists to guide the Holy Talon on who to choose…it was it's own decision to choose it's master…and it chose me…'_

'_Never forget…fate and destiny are not chains that bind us…no matter what others say…we make our own futures and destinies…because we are alive and most all…we have the ability to make ourselves who we want to be through our own hands, we can change fate and destiny as long as well stay true to our dreams and reach for it with hands wide open…' _

Quote from Holy Dragon Champion Khalen's memoires…

Konoha…

The entire stadium had gone silent at the sight of the blonde ninja…who was dressed in battle armor of an unknown design and was with a massive creature that they had never seen before…and the creature OBEYED him!

(Naruto-kun…how did you? What's going on here?)

Sakura was stunned at what was happening before her as she looked at how utterly relaxed Naruto was in the presence of the massive creature next to him. His new look was also amazing…whatever he was wearing was certainly unheard of…it seemed to be similar to body armor…like the ones worn by the ANBU…but quite different indeed, and from the sheen…resembles pure metal. Something seemed to stir in her as she looked at her team-mate…and naturally…he now released a very…unearthly quality…a very attractive unearthly quality at that.

Ino and Kin likewise were in the same boat as their pink haired companion as they gazed at the blonde ninja. Despite his somewhat strange clothes…they looked…right on him somehow…as if he was meant to wear them all his life. And he LOOKED good in them too.

"Wow…I don't know where Naruto got the clothes he has on…but he certainly looks good in them."

Kin said as Ino nodded as well. Sakura had to agree as well as the audience were slowly recovering from the initial shock, but they certainly didn't say anything else for a few more minutes as they were still trying to see if what they were seeing in front of them was not some elaborate Genjutsu that the blonde had cooked up.

(N-N-Naruto-kun….he is not…in danger…it's as if Naruto is the creature's…master…When did Naruto-kun have that kind of power?)

Hinata asked herself as she looked at her long time crush in his armor and the sword…and the creature that seemed to be a long time friend of his…she had been afraid that Naruto would be injured or worse…but it seemed that the creature was Naruto's friend…and for some reason…she was not feeling fear at the sight of the creature at all.

"Man…what kind of creature is that?"

Kiba said as he and Akamaru looked on in shock and surprise, as did the rest of the assembled people from Konoha and the other people from different countries…all of them, from villagers, to ninja, feudal lords…officials and more were stunned dead at the sight…but the ones more affected were the people of Konoha as they were thinking that maybe the boy had somehow gained the power of the Kyuubi…but they could only watch at the moment.

Jiraiya was grinning like mad as Sarutobi could only look on and shake his head at what was happening before him, he had hoped that after the situation with Orochimaru was dealt with, he could inform the Council of what was the truth behind Naruto's sudden powers, skills, and naturally his sword…however he had prepared something for this occasion…though it still galled him a bit at this turn of events.

"He should have waited for a much better time to reveal that…but then again…that is Naruto before me…a stampede of angry bulls are more subtle than he is at this point."

The Kazekage seemed very silent and then he turned and spoke to Sarutobi. The two had originally had a discussion about Sarutobi's age and that he should pick a Fifth Hokage in the coming future and he laughed it off that he had five more years left to him.

"May I ask just who that young man before us Hokage is?"

"That is Naruto Uzumaki…and as to what that creature is before us and behind him…that is a Dragon Summon."

(I hate to lie before a fellow Kage…but until this mess is straightened out I can't do much right now.)

"A Dragon Summon? Strange that a Genin of his age…could have the power to summon such a creature before him, such high level summons are normally impossible for Genin to accomplish…with the exception of my daughter Temari of course, yet even she cannot summon a creature that massive, I had no idea that you had one with that same power here in Konoha as well."

"Let's just say that Naruto is…gifted."

"Very well then. I'll leave it at that as well."

(Naruto-kun…you REALLY are becoming VERY interesting to me…maybe I really should consider to mark you with the seal like Sasuke-kun as well…but for now I watch. Besides with Jiraiya here…I can't make my move yet…)

Jiraiya smirked and looked on…

Naruto smiled as Kael retracted his wings and then the two lumbered towards the other Genin…and the other Genin were frozen stiff as the two walked towards them…even their Chuunin Proctor Genma had to keep his cool as the Sky Dragon Mount followed it's master, Naruto noted the looks being given to him by the other Genin…Gaara's eyes were a bit widened, Temari was in awe…Kankurou was obviously in shock…Shikamaru was more tense than a high strung mule, Shino, despite wearing his trademark clothes and shades looked rather surprised, and Neji was also in shock as he moved back a bit more as the Dragon and the Dragon Champion came to join them, he noted that Sasuke was not around and neither was that guy in Kin's former team…that one with the sound amplifier, the one named Dosu.

He looked at his fellow Genin and the proctor and replied.

"Will you all relax already? Kael isn't going to bite. Aren't you Kael?"

They thought that Naruto was mad to think that creature would talk back…however, the Dragon DID talk back.

\"The young Dragon Champion is correct young ones…you are not my enemies therefore I have no reason to attack any of you…unless you provoke me or threaten my master. Now come closer…it would be best we begin this Tournament…"/

The Dragon then turned to the stunned Genma who kept his cool despite the fact the Dragon was looking at him with it's eyes…he had not expected the Dragon to speak to him in a human tongue despite not moving it's mouth too much.

\"You may continue young one…is there anything else you needs from me young Dragon Champion?"/

Naruto smiled and shook his head and bowed before his Sky Dragon Mount to show his appreciation for his effort and aid. The Dragon seemed amused but didn't halt it's master in doing what he wanted to do.

"Thanks for your help Kael…you can go and rest now…"

\"You need not thank me young Dragon Champion, I do what is my duty, but you are welcome regardless….I bid you farewell."?

With that, the Sky Dragon Mount was covered in light and faded before the eyes of everyone in the audience and the building. As soon as that happened, they visibly relaxed and Naruto faced the others and their questioning looks, only Shino and Shikamaru spoke to the blonde ninja.

"What the heck was that?"

"That was a Dragon, what's wrong with that?"

"You've got to be kidding….there are no such things as living, breathing Dragons…was that some sort of Jutsu you used?"

"You…might say that."

"Well that clears that up for now….So what did that Dragon call you again? Dragon Champion, right?"

"Yeah…it's kind of a long story so we don't have the time for that sort of thing at the moment."

The others were still not very sure of what had happened and they would glance at Naruto and his gear and wonder just what the heck had happened with the blonde ninja while he had been gone for a long time. Naruto however paid no attention and focused solely on what was going to happen here and now…he knew that this was a crucial day…not just for him to become Chuunin, and to beat Neji for insulting Hinata…but he knew that if there ever was a critical day for the soon to come attack…it was today…he had made plans with Holy Talon as well and should it come…he was going to be ready.

As soon as every person in the audience in the area were ready and so were the rest of the participants, the Hokage stepped forward from his seat and then spoke.

"Welcome to the third and final part of the Chuunin Exams…as you can see, this will determine who among you will be able to attain the rank of Chuunin, I, the Kazekage, and the feudal lords, along with selected Jonin will determine who among you will be given the rank of Chuunin. May you show us all of your talent and skill in combat as you fight to attain your dreams and gain the rank of Chuunin."

Genma then turned to them and spoke as his role today was that of the proctor of the final stages of the Chuunin Exams.

"All right…the rules here in the Chuunin Exam finals are simple…the battles are one on one…and it can end with the death of another of the two fighters or the surrender of one of the fighters. However, I have the authority to stop the matches just in case things require that I do. Now then…for the first match, it will be Naruto Uzumaki and Neji Hyuuga…the rest of the contestants must leave and head for the waiting areas until the next matches are called in."

The others left the floor and made their way to the terraces and watched as the first match was about to start.

At the floor…

Naruto noted Neji's position in the middle of the ring and he waited for the go signal…keeping his hands free of the location next to Holy Talon, he planned to use the sword when the chance presented itself, Neji likewise waited for the moment when they were going to get the go ahead from the Proctor and sure enough…Genma gave them the order to begin the match with a shout.

"Begin!!"

Naruto quickly took out several kunai as he had strapped on his kunai pouch on his side and threw three of them at Neji to gauge the Hyuuga's skill…Neji caught one and blocked the others as Naruto leaped into the air with a powerful spinning heel kick, that in itself was surprising…considering the fact that Naruto was a fair distance from Neji…the Hyuuga moved aside and Naruto's kick smashed into the ground and a small but deep crater was seen.

Naruto then turned and launched a charging kick in leap and when Neji blocked it…he spun around in a different direction and lashed out with the other kick that Neji also blocked. Naruto then used his hands to land on and then launched another kick to the side of Neji's head…but that was a feint as he launched his other leg in a rising heel kick to Neji's chin.

The Hyuuga blocked it and moved back as Naruto flipped backwards and landed nimbly on his feet and with a sharp leap… and then launched a few punches at Neji…Neji dodged them and was planning to land a strike…but Naruto leaped over him and in mid flip lashed out with an upside down spinning side kick that Neji blocked…though the Hyuuga branch member winched in pain as the blow was much faster and stronger than the last ones he blocked. Naruto landed nimbly and Neji faced him…Naruto calmly stood up and Neji was looking at him.

(Interesting…Naruto can move AND attack with such speed even with that kind of armor on him…this isn't going to be an easy fight…however, fate is on my side…he has yet to defeat the Byakugan and since he is not blind…the Ryu Manako Jutsu won't work here.)

The crowd were also surprised…some of the moves Naruto pulled off were pretty good attacks…and were not easy to pull off...even more so with all that metal on him…but Naruto Uzumaki moved as if the armor was weightless. Jiraiya smiled at this and recalled some of the moves to be the ones Naruto had used in the two weeks of training.

The young Konoha ninja and novice Dragon Champion had two weeks to train with several of the previous Dragon Champions apart from Shana…one of them was named Khalen, a master of hand to hand combat…namely the style known as Boundless State…a style that he was quite adept in using in many battles and in conjunction with Holy Talon, Khalen was interested to see the Taijutsu skills first hand and as soon as he sensed it…he was interested indeed and taught the young Konoha ninja his style.

Neji then took his time and waited for Naruto to make his move…and Naruto did so as he charged Neji…the other Genin, namely Sakura were worried, as they knew that since Neji was more talented than Hinata in the Gentle Fist, he could attack the chakra pathways and block Naruto's chakra…

The two traded punches, Naruto's punches were fast…and Neji's Byakugan…while able to see them and allow Neji to intercept them…had some difficulty to see them all… Neji then decided to cut Naruto's chakra and used the same methods that he had used on Hinata…several hits did connect, however, Naruto's armor blocked the attacks quite well, along with his own defensive moves and Neji had not yet fought a person covered in armor that seemed to resist hand to hand combat attacks…the Gentle Fist Style of the Hyuuga Clan relied on contact with the flesh of their target to attack both the organs and the chakra gates…but the armor Naruto had on was far from ordinary…Neji knew that to be true as he was still surprised that Naruto could move as if the armor weighed nothing at all.

(There's no way for me to easily use the gentle Fist as long as that armor resist my attacks…I have to find a weakness soon…or else this situation will take too long.)

Naruto then pulled a fast one on Neji and he retracted his punch and then opened the fist and grabbed Neji's retreating hand and yanked Neji forward into a roll, catching the ninja off guard as Naruto and planted a kick right into Neji's stomach…making the Hyuuga clan member wince in pain from the hit…he flipped as soon as Naruto released him and was able to land and leap back as Naruto got up from his position with amazing quickness charged at him and slashed Holy Talon and sliced into his clothing…right in the stomach.

Neji moved away and was unharmed…but a gash was in his clothes…a clean and efficient cut…

The crowd gasped at that and they were amazed that Neji was still alive from a deadly looking slash such as that…they noted that while Neji's clothes were torn by the sword…there was no blood…not even on the sword itself. Naruto must have had exceptional control of the weapon to have struck at that range and bite deeply into Neji…yet not draw blood.

(Wow…I almost thought Neji would have had it there….)

Tenten thought with relief…she had been worried greatly at that and had gasped when the sword had cut into Neji…having used weapons for all her missions and knowing how lethal swords were at that range…Neji should have been sliced in half or cut very deeply.

(Naruto-kun must have pulled the sword back at the last moment…he must know that Neji-kun is deadly in close combat, and did that to tell Neji-kun that attacking him while he has that sword is a bad idea…)

Neji was calm and he fingered his clothes for a second and then looked at Naruto who had Holy Talon in a one handed grip. He felt fine and since there was no blood on his hands or his clothes, he was in the clear.

(That must have been a warning…I won't be able to unleash my full skills if he still has that sword with him. I need to disarm him…)

No one knew that since Holy Talon was a weapon forged by those who fought and sensed evil, along with protected life, it could not slay those who were not pure evil in mind, heart, body, and spirit, and would not draw blood from them…Naruto knew that as well though it did surprise him a little as he had thought for his cruel treatment of his own cousin…Neji would have been slain outright by the sword, this meant that there was more than what was going on here. He looked at Neji who remained calm and was now in a defensive position.

Naruto kept his focus and then decided to attack with Holy Talon…he quickly aimed the sword at Neji and then released the weapon…the sword didn't fall down to the ground as most would have thought…but remained in the air…several of the Jonin present…namely Kurenai and Asuma saw that and wondered what was going on and so did the other Genin…with the exception of Sakura…who had seen the move before.

Neji was surprised as the sword seemed to float before him…and then it spun fast…gathering speed and was now a spinning disk as Naruto made several gestured and with a move of his hands, he sends the spinning sword right at the Hyuuga clan member…forcing Hinata's cousin to evade the attack…he managed to flip aside from the weapon but quickly moved away to the other side as the weapon came right back at him like a boomerang…

Neji leaped backwards as Naruto came at him and amazingly…the blonde ninja in armor caught the weapon in the handle in mid spin without being hit by his sword's edge and he then gripped the handle in a two handed grip and spun himself forward and came down like a top…Holy Talon burying itself deep in the ground where Neji was one.

The senior Genin took this chance and attacked with his clan's style and hoped to disarm Naruto before he could use the sword once more. Naruto leaped back, leaving Holy Talon where it was and it seemed that the fight was now going to be decided in Taijutsu.

Tenten realized that now the situation would now be in Neji's court as Neji got ready, however Naruto seemed calm and composed as if he knew that he still was not out of this fight yet. The armored ninja then moved to a combat pose and showed that he was more than willing to engage Neji in close combat as well…and the moves he used before were very good as well…but Neji did have a trick up his sleeve as well.

"BYAKUGAN!!"

Neji activated his Byakugan and began to try and locate a weak point in Naruto's armor and use it to his advantage…he knew that unless he found a weak point, this was not going to end well. Naruto quickly moved in and launched out several attacks with his Taijutsu…Neji then fought back with the Gentle Fist…managing to block, evade, and dodge some of Naruto's attacks as they attacked one another. Neji then moved back and watched as Naruto made several hand seals.

"KAGE BUSHIN!!"

Several clones of Naruto in armor now appeared before Neji and they all took out kunai at this point and time. Neji's Byakugan was able to see the clones and Naruto…but couldn't tell them apart at all.

(He's using the clones to make sure I can't tell who's who…he must know the Byakugan can't tell the difference between a clone and the real person since they have the same amount of chakra…clever…but this might work to my advantage. He is confident and deserves to have that confidence…this will be a good match.)

Naruto knew that it was time as he sent the clones in to attack Neji…he learned enough that charging in without a plan was a mistake and Holy Talon taught him that much…it was time to test himself as he then followed the attacking clones.

Neji quickly began to fight with the clones as he managed to evade their strikes as best he could…he managed to attack three of them and found that there were areas he could attack with the Gentle Fist but that was still not going to be enough…he would have to double his strength to hit Naruto's body despite the armor that the blonde ninja had on him.

The clones attacked Neji and he was now getting the hang of it and managed to take out two of the clones and realized that he had to attack at the right place in order to bypass the armor Naruto had on him…but attacking the armor plates was a bad idea…only precise strikes could hit the armor…namely the metal rings that made the inner coating…they seemed to be flexible and hitting with enough force in a stabbing motion will no doubt be more effective than punches or kicks.

The theory proved to be true as Neji's attacks were able to hit the clones and dispersed them but Naruto was right there and when Neji attacked him, the clone disappeared as well…that surprised Neji for a moment and Naruto appeared from the smoke as several of the clones also exploded…the result was Neji managing to block a kunai strike to his face with his own kunai, but getting a kick that made him wince…Naruto leaped back, but had to dodge another kunai thrown at him by Neji…the attack was not like the normal style used by Neji but it served it's purpose as though it wasn't able to cut Naruto's armor…it was enough for Neji to strike Naruto using the Gentle Fist style…but Naruto wasn't going to give up either as his training under the Dragon Champions and Holy Talon showed itself.

He made several odd gestures and spoke a quick word in the archaic language and in an instant the earth beneath their feet began to take a glassy sheen. Neji quickly slipped and therefore lost his footing for a moment and that was enough for Naruto to quickly launch out a powerful kick to Neji's head, and while Neji was able to block it and move the kick away, Naruto quickly responded with a powerful diagonal dropping heel kick that Neji blocked in time but Naruto then flipped back and unleashed several more kunai at Neji…Neji moved away from the glass like ground and got footing to catch the kunai and move them aside.

Naruto landed and quickly unleashed several more Kage Bushin clones and sent them ahead of Neji…the clones attacked with several kicks and punches…which Neji managed to block and evade…and he was able to dispatch the clones with several well placed strikes until Naruto worked a technique from his teacher Khalen and it was a skill that was used by his mentor in conjunction with a spell.

"DRAGON BREATH!!"

Naruto thrust out his two open hands and out from the hands came a golden burst of intense fire…stunning the audience and Neji as well as he moved out of the way…the flames incinerated the trees there in the ring in a heartbeat and the smell of burning wood filled the air as the flames came out of Naruto's hands like a long tongue of fire. Naruto turned it off and the crowds were surprised that Naruto was not burned at all as he moved his hands into a defensive position.

Kabuto watched the whole thing and had to admit that Naruto was certainly not ordinary indeed, as far as he knew…there was no mention of Naruto having control of the Fire element…in fact, no one knew as of yet what Naruto's elemental affinity was…and the only known specialists with Fire based jutsu were the nearly wiped out Uchiha Clan…and a very small band of Konoha ninja, including the Hokage…but here before the skilled Sound spy was the boy he had met before using Fire as if it was a normal thing.

(Wow…I had no idea Naruto-kun could use Fire Jutsu! I thought only Sasuke-kun could do that.)

Sakura was stunned at the sight as she knew about her team-mates quite well, and she knew for a fact that Sasuke's clan were the most skilled with Fire jutsus and Naruto never used any elemental jutsu…let alone know his elemental affinity.

(Naruto-kun! That…that was…amazing! You are different now!)

Hinata was amazed utterly while Kiba and Akamaru were speechless…rather Kiba was speechless and Akamaru looked like he was going to throw out his lunch. Ino was surprised indeed as she looked at the whole thing, and so was Kin who looked on in utter surprise at her savior's new jutsu.

The rest of the audience were stunned at the move…they were not sure how the blonde ninja had just done that technique but it was certainly effective as Naruto and Neji faced one another. The Hokage and the Kazekage looked on with surprise…while Jiraiya was enjoying every second of this. The people of Konoha thought they had seen everything…they had no idea just what else was going to happen as this fight would progress.

Naruto then unleashed another barrage of Kage Bushin and this time…sent only half the number towards Neji…the senior Genin managed to effectively dispatch the first band until Naruto decided to get into the act as he left the other half of the clones he made and charged right at Neji.

"FIRE CLAWS!!"

Deep golden fire suddenly erupted from Naruto's hands and created fiery gloves around his hands as he attacked Neji with several punch moves that Khalen taught him…the techniques resembled the claws of a beast slashing it's prey or enemy and Neji was able to evade the attacks and fought back…he managed to avoid the burning strikes and once more attacked Naruto with the Gentle Fist and this time he managed to attack Naruto and managed to hit Naruto back as well. Naruto however was not out of the fight just yet as he moved back, made more Kage Bushin, he and the Kage Bushing then surrounded Neji and then he and the rest of his Kage Bushin unleashed the same technique as before.

"COMBINED DRAGON BREATH BLAST!!"

Neji kept his cool and then revealed what he had been training on for the past month…he had hoped to keep this in reserve and take Naruto out quickly…but now he would have to use it…after all…he knew that a certain…relative of his was in the area of the arena…

"HAKKESHOU KAITEN!!"

Neji then began to rotate himself at high speed and release several large amounts of chakra as he spun like a top while the flames came…soon enough…a dome of pure chakra that was rotating at high speed came to life around him…the flames engulfed Neji as the shield surrounded him…and it was only Hiashi…Neji's uncle…and Hinata's father recognized the move quickly.

(That's one of the Main Hyuuga Clan's Techniques! The Hakkeshou Kaiten…but how did Neji manage to use that technique? No one outside of the Main Family Clan can use the technique.)

A young girl with the same eyes as both Neji and Hinata looked on as well, her name was Hanabi and she was Hinata's youngest sister. She too was surprised to see the technique as such a technique was only known to the Main Family.

The battle raged on as Naruto and his Kage Bushin stopped their combined attack and Neji stood there before them in a crater while the ground around it was charred black by the fire from the technique. Neji wasted no time as he then spun around and fired several shuriken from his own pouch and used the Byakugan to take out the Kage Bushin…the clones were dealt with as they were hit by the shuriken. Neji then spotted the real Naruto coming right at him as he had dispersed the rest of the clones and the two got ready to fight once more.

The two fought with Taijutsu…or rather…Neji used the Gentle Fist while Naruto used the Boundless State as they traded blow for blow and block for block. Neji attempted to attack Naruto with several strikes…but Naruto leaned to the side and flipped over and as soon as he landed…Neji tried to sweep kick him…but Naruto leaped once more and unleashed both his heels in a dual spinning heel kick that Neji managed to avoid and moved back…

Naruto landed and was not able to block a powerful double open palm strike to his stomach…the blow hurt indeed…but Naruto's armor cushioned the blows very well and Naruto retaliated with a series of punches and when Neji blocked one blow…Naruto used the blocked punch to close in and grab Neji's arm and landed a powerful kick to Neji's stomach and tried to follow through with another strike…this time a knee to the stomach…but was blocked by Neji's forearm and the Hyuuga then managed to land several more blows on Naruto and with enough time he was able to finally locate the areas where he COULD use the full power of the Byakugan and the Gentle Fist…but he had to be careful…Naruto Uzumaki was a serious fighter…so he could ill afford to waste time with him.

The two continued to fight one another at full tilt…Neji remained in place in the center of the ring, but had to move when Naruto's techniques began to get more powerful but his move was about done as he was able to evade Naruto next barrages of punches and kicks…and as soon as Naruto and him were at the right distance…Neji attacked…revealing yet another attack that he knew would truly define this battle to be fated for him to be the winner.

As soon as he got the chance and opening he needed…Neji attacked with a combination strike.

"HAKKESHOU KAITEN!!"

The technique was the same as before, but since it was in close range…Naruto was caught in the blast and was hit very hard by the Hyuuga Gentle Fist technique, the result was Naruto was knocked back hard and while he was still in the air…Neji stopped the first part of his attack and as Naruto got to his feet…he charged and unleashed another technique of the Hyuuga bloodline as soon as he was close enough to Naruto.

"HAKKO ROKUJUUYOSHOU!!"

Negi knew that he would have to use up a large amount of his charka in order to penetrate the armor Naruto had on him and did just that as he attacked the still reeling blonde ninja. The attacks hit dead center and Neji pushed in his chakra through the armor and noted that only a small amount of his chakra was getting through the armor Naruto wore…but he pushed on…knowing that it was going to be enough to slow Naruto down.

Hiashi looked on as he recognized yet another technique that normally only those of the Main Branch Family knew about. He saw the attacks as Naruto was forced back and he began to have thoughts about the two Hyuuga techniques that he had seen done by Neji.

(The Hakkeshou Kaiten relies greatly on exceptional levels of chakra control and also a good amount of chakra…along with aid from the Byakugan, even Jonin has difficulty combining both that level of chakra control and even the supposed sand shield of the Sand Genin Gaara can't match that…I had no idea Neji had that level of control…Hizashi, it seems it should have been you and Neji who were to be the successors…I only wish you were alive to witness this fight right now brother…Neji has grown.)

However…so did Naruto...instead of being knocked out completely by the assault…Naruto turned around his entire body…evading the last strike at the last possible moment and then landing a powerful back kick to Neji…who was hit hard…managed to stay on his feet and forced to turn around…and strike at the very same moment as Naruto launched a punch right at him…the two hit each other hard and both were knocked backwards from the power of each other's blows.

The crowds were stunned by what they had witnessed before them and saw the two ninja on the ground for a few moments and they then got to their feet. The fight was proving to be a very intense match…when they all had learned that it was going to be a match between Naruto and Neji…they thought that Naruto wouldn't stand a chance…but here he was now…fighting with a level of skill that seemed to near the level of a Jonin! Despite not having the sword that he had…the blonde boy was more than capable as a fighter. The other Genin who knew Naruto looked on in awe as the former dead last was proving to be at the top of his game…though now it seemed that both of them were at an even keel at this point and time.

Back in the ring

Naruto got up and so did Neji…the punches they threw at one another were having effects as both of them were bleeding from the nose and a cut on the cheek on either side on them. The Hyuuga knew that he had the advantage…Naruto's chakra pathways were blocked and he had used up a lot of stamina…and he himself was tired…he had never thought this fight would be this intense for both of them, when he had disarmed Naruto of Holy Talon he thought he had a better chance without the weapon being there in his path…but the blood on his body told him that the assumption was wrong…

But now…Naruto no longer had enough chakra to use anymore jutsu, and though he was not able to completely seal off Naruto's chakra pathways due to the armor…it was enough to even the odds and also he had the advantage as Naruto was also tired…

Both looked at one another as Neji gave a stern look at Naruto.

"You should give up now Naruto…you may have fought your best today…but you can't change fate…even with that sword, that armor, and the dragon by your side…you can't change your fate that you will not win."

"What do you know about me anyway?"

"I know you're the kind of person who never gives up no matter what the circumstances…but without your chakra and your sword…you can't beat me here…even that jutsu you used to beat that rain ninja will not work here…you can't change fate."

"More talk of fate…you're wasting you're breath Neji."

"You should just give up now Naruto…you have reached your limits now…"

"What makes you think you know my limits? I am not going to take back my promise to beat an apology out of you for what you did to Hinata and all that garbage you spouted about others being unable to achieve what they want because fate said otherwise."

"I have no issue with you Naruto and no desire to kill you…and truth be told you have proven to be quite the fighter…more than I thought you would be when I disarmed you, but this is fate after all…no matter how hard you can fight it…fate determines everything."

"That's nothing but garbage and you know it!! I might not be able to properly use my chakra…but I am not out of this fight just yet…and I have something to prove here…and I made a promise to beat you for your words to Hinata and about other people…to me…you maybe a skilled Genin…but you're a bastard from treating Hinata the way you did and insulting people who dream and struggle to reach their goals and dreams."

Neji looked on and replied with a bitter tone in his voice.

"You know nothing about me as well Naruto…you have no idea of the kind of mess I had to deal with ever since I was born."

"Oh yeah? Well why don't you enlighten me then?"

"Gladly…"

Neji then removes the Konoha forehead protector and there on his forehead was a seal in the shape of an X. Naruto looked at it as Neji spoke.

"I had this disgusting mark on me when I was merely four years old and so did my father Hizashi since his own birth. My father was born after Hinata's own father Hiashi and as clan laws dictated…he was relegated to be a member of the branch family….The Hyuuga clan are of two parts…and the Branch Family's fate and destiny are to be the ones who would protect the main branch…I was unaware of it at first…until I saw how they treated my father and me…how we were always relegated to other tasks despite our own talents. This cursed seal was always used for those of the Branch Family who were always destined to be nothing more than shields for the Main Family. This seal was given to me by them on the day when Konoha and the Country of Lightning signed a valuable peace treaty after a war between them and an alliance, a celebration was held that day. The head ninja of the Hidden Village of the Cloud was Lightning Country's representative…the Hyuuga were the only clan not present since it was Hinata's third birthday…and the same day I was branded with this seal."

"Both my father and Hiashi were twins and my father hated the Main Family and never respected them…on the day my uncle was training Hinata and he was able to best her…my father prepared to fight with Hinata to see how much she had grown…but Hiashi activated the seal on my father and my father suffered from it…the seal prevent members of the Branch Family from attacking the Main by limiting their Byakugan and injuring their minds and bodies. Hiashi then told him to never defy his fate as a Branch Family member. That seal protected the Byakugan Bloodline through death…for the seal only disappeared in death."

"One night…Hinata was kidnapped and Hiashi was able to save her and kill the man responsible…and that man was the head ninja of Hidden Cloud…the Lightning Country then stated that Konoha violated the treaty and they demanded the lead of the Hyuuga Clan in exchange for the death of their head ninja…in time the relationship broke down and Konoha gave into the demand of Lighting…but the didn't give Hiashi…they gave my father Hizashi instead…they gave them my father because he was the second born and was fated to die in Hiashi's place…"

Neji then placed back on the forehead protector and then glared at Naruto who glared right back at him.

"The day my father died was the day I learned the truth of life Naruto and I know it to be true! The only truth is…there are those few who are predetermined to be great…I know you're dreams of being Hokage…but you are not going to make it…only those who are predestined can be Hokage…there's only true fate that binds all of us…and that's death…no one can escape that…and all because my father died as a member of the Branch family of the Hyuuga for the sake of the Head Family as it was his destiny and fate as a Branch Family member."

"And now…you're fate has been decided since you became my foe in this match."

Hiashi heard everything…and he knew just what it was that Neji spoke of…in his heart Neji still cursed and hated the Main Family…and he knew why Neji hated them…after all, they did agree to having Hizashi killed in his place…but there was far more to that than even Neji realized…he wanted to tell him the truth…but he doubted Neji would ever listen to him…he had every reason to not listen after all.

The head of the Hyuuga clan held the scroll tightly and wondered just how things would turn out next.

Neji wipes the blood from his face and replies to Naruto.

"It's your fate to lose this match…without your chakra…and your sword…not even that armor will save you."

"Really now? Fate has nothing to do with one's future!"

Naruto and Neji once more traded blows and Naruto managed to evade several of Neji's blows until Neji managed to evade Naruto's own blows and strike Naruto hard in the chest…but the armor held and Naruto still stood defiantly before as he merely went back into combat stance and this reminded Neji of the times Hinata would get up no matter how many times he knocked her down.

"I made a promise and I will NOT take back what I said…I said I will beat you and that is what I intend to do!"

Neji looked on and recalled his father's words to him before found out his father was going to die for his uncle's sake as a Branch Family member…

Neji – Yes father?

Hizashi – Neji, I want you to live and train to be stronger, you are far more talented than anyone realizes…not even Hiashi or any other Hyuuga in either our side of the Main Family can match you. If only I had been born moments before…you would have been a Main Family member…but you should never stop living and training, will you do that for me?

Neji – I…I will…

Neji began to get angry at Naruto's will and defiance and he replied.

"You know nothing! No matter how hard you train and no matter how hard you dream for it, you can never gain it…because all people are born with an inescapable fate and destiny…only those chosen by fate and destiny can ever be Hokage. And you know nothing about how it feels to carry a mark like this one on me for the rest of your life!"

"And you're more in the dark than you think! How can you be so sure that a dream is unattainable if you don't even take the chance and go for it? Lee and Hinata in my eyes are far stronger than you…and you know why? Because they had the guts and will to reach for those dreams they have…instead of whining about fate…they did something to change their fates…unlike you!"

Naruto decided that now was the time to see just what else he could do with the training he had gained for the past two weeks. He then spoke in the same archaic language and then healed his wounds with the same green-silver flame…learning enough from Leena herself on how to heal his wounds. The crowd was surprised to see the silver-green flame engulf Naruto harmlessly and his wounds faded…only the Jonin and the Genin from the Preliminary matches knew what they had witnessed…though Sakura wondered why Naruto had not used it before in the match.

As soon as he was healed of his wounds…he focused his chakra…much to Neji's curiosity and surprise.

"What you going to do now?"

"You think I don't know anything about how it feels to want to be acknowledged and respected by others Neji? I know more about that than you ever possibly could, and I know that Hinata and Lee have always fought their fates as you put it. And I know now what Hinata said to you that made you nearly kill her…because you are fighting you're fate…and you don't even see it…"

Naruto then used the stance he knew would best suit him…and Jiraiya smiled at this.

(This is going to be good!)

"…well then…let me open you're eyes!"

In Naruto's mind the door to the Kyuubi's cage which had glowing bars was seen and the Dragon Statues that held the Kyuubi in an even harder prison glowed briefly and released the energy that came from them and covered the bars…and in a moment the Kyuubi's eyes appeared in the darkness behind the cage and a toothy grin appeared in the darkness and the Kyuubi roared out it's joy at being released…

Outside…to the utter shock of everyone in the arena…and even in the Kages…a massive blast of pure blood red chakra erupted from Naruto's body and surrounded him like a living entity and the chakra tendrils whipped about and the sir felt like it was on fire and stones began to rise from the ruined battle field.

Naruto relaxed his posture and faced Neji with a very calm and focused stare as the tendrils flowed and moved about him like a living shield…the tendrils moved about and seemed to flow back and forth and everyone saw it as clear as day break. Neji looked with his Byakugan and saw a massive firestorm of energy came from Naruto's inner chakra gateways and then it was filled with massive energy and then he saw it…a pair of blood red eyes and a toothy grin made from chakra staring right back at him…flanked by two Dragons

(What is going on here?! What kind of chakra is that?! Is it even chakra?!)

Neji thought as he shielded himself from the inferno of energy coming from Naruto's inner body and surrounding him.

"What is that?! No way!"

Tenten was surprised at the sight.

Hiashi however knew what it was…

"It can't be…that chakra…"

The other Genin were all in shock and most all was Gaara as he looked at Naruto, while the rest of the crowds were stunned as well, they had not expected this in the very least…

(There's no doubt about it…that chakra is that of the Kyuubi…but when did Naruto learn how to use that chakra of the Kyuubi at so short a time?)

The Hokage thought as he looked at Naruto…while Jiraiya was smiling.

Naruto waited and the chakra seemed to suddenly meld into his body and a powerful blood red haze covered his body…but his eyes and face remained unchanged. He had learned enough to control the amount of chakra he was getting and after all…this was only a donation of chakra from his resident. He then looked at Neji who was stunned at all he had just seen.

"Now let's see you try and take me out!"

Naruto took a step forward and suddenly vanished…Neji realized that he would have to be on the defensive as he kept his eyes open and used his Byakugan…and sure enough…he was going to be in for the fight of his life as Naruto suddenly appeared before him and Neji barely blocked several punches at him and then launched a pair of leaping kicks aimed at Neji's head…Neji managed to block them…but before he could retaliate…Naruto once more vanished before he could attack and Neji tried to track him…but he was stunned that even with the Byakugan couldn't find him.

(He's moving too fast for me to track…his speed's doubled…how is it even possible?!)

Neji quickly turned aside as Naruto suddenly appeared and slashed out with his fists in a deadly attack combination and then Naruto moved away and seemed to blur and appear all around Neji…for a moment he would appear…and then vanish again…in a matter of moments…Neji found himself surrounded with a number of fast moving after images of Naruto…but he couldn't see the real Naruto at all.

"What's the matter? Had enough yet?"

Neji then was suddenly attacked by a barrage of shuriken from all angles…forcing him to defend himself…

"HAKKOUSHOU KAITEN!!"

The Hyuuga technique managed to block the shuriken as the weapons slammed into the chakra shield and Neji grabbed the shuriken and took out his own and focused at Naruto who was still dodging and moving about and he then fired the shuriken at Naruto…

'Take this!!"

Naruto stopped and the shuriken got him right in the chest…everyone gasped at that and Hinata, Ino, Tenten, Sakura, Kin, and Temari gasped as Naruto fell down as the shuriken were imbedded in different places, one was in Naruto's neck, another in the lower torso in a crack in the stomach plate armor, and the other one on his forehead…above the forehead plate. Naruto fell down and was now down on the ground…Neji groaned as he was utterly exhausted as he had not expected Naruto to fight with that level of power…but he was right…it was fate that was on his side today and not Naruto's…but he had deep regret as he indeed didn't want to kill Naruto...

As soon as everything seemed to stop the other Genin looked on in shock…Sakura, Kin, Ino, and Hinata were nearly in tears as they saw that Naruto was not moving…Neji walked over to the slumped over ninja and spoke

"Now I've got you Naruto…I said I didn't want to kill you…but as you can see…it was your fate to lose this match…no matter how much power you have…you can't change fate, you were failure before and you are a failure now…that is your destiny…"

"Are you really sure about that?"

"What?!"

Neji had no time to react as several areas of the ground around him explode and out came several more clones of Naruto who exploded around him, blinding him for a moment and one of them who had not exploded kicked him in the stomach and he was then hit by a powerful left upper-cut in the chin…sending him into the air as the clone disappeared…and Naruto appeared out from the ground was well and then appeared next to Neji in mid flight and with a powerful 360 degree double spinning heel kick…sent Neji right to the ground and Naruto this time kicked the ground and Holy Talon flew away from it's previous area and landed right into his hands as he landed and was now next to Neji…standing before him with Holy Talon once more in his hands.

The crowd was silent as the Naruto had the shuriken in his body…in the areas suddenly vanished and the shuriken fell to the ground without a trace of blood on them…revealing that the Naruto Neji had 'killed' was a Kage Bushin all along.

Neji groaned as he looked up at Naruto who had his sword pointed right at his chest…had the fight been without rules…Naruto would be in the right position to kill him as the sword was aimed right at his heart…Naruto's hands were covered in dirt and rock fragments…showing that he had torn his way through the rock to get into position along with his Kage Bushin. He coughed out some blood and spoke.

"You…you used that trademark jutsu…to lure me into a trap…and I fell for it completely. I should have known you would use that favored move of yours in the end."

Naruto gave several intakes of air as the technique he used was a tough skill to use as he had learned when he had figured it out. He looked at Neji and then took the sword away from him and placed the sword on his shoulder and gave the Hyuuga branch family member a look.

"Just so you know…I failed the Academy Graduation Exams three times in a row before I got to have this sword."

Neji looked on at Naruto, while the rest of the crowd was silent as Naruto looked on at Neji.

"And you know what the jutsu that always did me in was, in those three years I was in the Academy before I made it here? That was the Bushin Jutsu…every time I tried to make a clone…they were all so pathetic even I got sick of looking at them."

Neji was surprised at that…he could tell that Naruto was not kidding…and the other Genin, excluding Tenten, Neji, and Lee from Naruto's class knew that was the truth…back in the Academy, he was the worst of them with the Bushin Jutsu.

"That's right Neji…the jutsu that you called my trademark…was the one jutsu I was the worst with before I left the Academy…"

But Naruto was far from finished as he slid Holy Talon back the sheath and spoke.

"But you know what was even worse for me Neji? I was treated like garbage for my entire life…everywhere I went I was treated like I was the plague…or worse…for something I had no idea of…I was treated like scum and dirt…and no one ever showed me respect or acknowledgement, they don't even show me the decency of being a kid, I did nothing…absolutely nothing in my memory to deserve this treatment…but I was given that same treatment for years…"

No one said anything…not even the villagers who normally called Naruto a brat, freak, or worse…some of them were tempted…but they said nothing as Naruto was now showing a part of him that was different from the side they normally saw when he was not yet a ninja….

"You think you know what failure and rejection feels like? You KNOW NOTHING of how it feels…You have no idea how it feels to have everyone calling you a freak…a monster, a demon, and having no idea why they treat you that way. You have no idea how it feels to fail and everyone saying that it's what you deserve, like you're not even worth being looked at, let alone being given even some understanding, and when you fail…they laugh at you, they treat you like that was what you deserved and you're nothing but a mistake…you have no idea how it feels!"

The crowds listened in…and Sakura was sad as the words brought back memories on how she treated Naruto when they were in the team, she had no idea what Naruto was doing…but she could sense that this was something that was important to him.

"And do you know why you don't know Neji? Because you're a Hyuuga…Unlike me or Lee…you were born into greatness…you don't have to train because you have the talent and the ability to go with it. You have no idea how it feels for him or me to struggle against all the hardship and treatment because you never had to deal with it the way any of us had to in order to be here. You were treated with respect and awe by others, not like us…. To you…this Exam is merely something you do…for me or Lee…this Exam is far more than that…even more than being a Chuunin, this is the chance that we have dreamed of our entire lives…to finally stand up for ourselves and say that we are not what others call us to be and label us…but we are truly worthy to be ninja and to achieve our dreams! That is what this means to us all…"

Naruto finally finished by raising his open hand into the sky and held it there and made it into a fist in the sun…the light reflecting on his armor…just as a bird flying appeared next to Naruto's form in the sun.

"And here I am now…a failure…standing in this very arena and I have won…I have won the right to take my next step to be a worthy ninja of Konoha…no matter what others will say. I am here to prove that I am no failure!"

Naruto then lowered his fist…

"And if a failure like me can be here…in this very arena, when you say that my fate and destiny as a failure can't be changed…then I say you are wrong. You're not like me Neji…you were never born a failure…so don't you come to me and spout out any of that garbage about fate and destiny…because I don't believe it…I was taught a very valuable lesson by a friend…and he told me that fate and destiny are things you make for yourself, with your own two hands…and I have proven his words true…right here and right now that fate and destiny can be changed. So what are you going to do now Neji? Instead of complaining about that garbage of fate destiny, why don't you change your fate…because if I can do it, and so can Lee and your cousin Hinata…what the hell is stopping you from doing the same thing?"

Genma smiled at that…and gave his judgment.

"The winner is Naruto Uzumaki."

The crowds of the people of Konoha then gave a wild cheer as many were utterly impressed by the display and the match…they had thought that the match was going to be an easy one for Neji Hyuuga, but Naruto truly proved them all wrong as he pulled out all the stops and won the battle without aid from his sword or that Dragon….and for the first time…they saw him as a true ninja of Konoha.

Sakura was elated…

"You did it Naruto-kun! I don't know how…but you did it!!"

(N-N-N-Naruto-kun!! You…you beat Neji-kun!! You were amazing!!)

Hinata was awed as she wiped the tears from her eyes…not only did her crush keep fighting…but he won…he utterly won this match!!

Kiba and Akamaru shook their heads at the sight…Temari couldn't help herself but smile…Gaara smiled a bit more at the battle…Kankurou shook his head…while Shikamaru and Shino looked

Jiraiya smiled and Sarutobi did so as well and nodded as he stared at Naruto who looked at the crowds who were shouting at him…and this time with praise and cheer, and smiled back at them and raised his sword in a victory salute.

(It seems that things are really shaping up for Naruto now.)

To be continued…

Author's notes:

Not the most perfect of fights I've made…but I wanted things to be of an even balance between Naruto and Neji…Neji does have the upper hand at some parts…but so does Naruto so it's fairly even…instead of the mostly one sided fight between Neji and Naruto in the series. I'll admit my way of making the fight might be kind of corny…but I had a lot to deal with…along with getting ready for graduation from college so forgive me if my mind's a bit rusty at the moment.

Now Naruto has no new jutsus as of yet…that is for the later chapters…but it is time to show just what sort of new techniques Naruto has developed with Holy Talon's help and who are the Dragon Champions mentioned today.

Khalen is the second mentioned Dragon Champion, hailing from the land of Dagern…Khalen was a normal young man…but carried the scars of many battles some personal, others with those who attacked him. He was a former slave from the lands under the control of the Chaos Dragons while still a child…his parents had been killed when he was taken from them and had been forced into hard manual labor…beaten and humiliated constantly by his overseers and subjected to random beatings growing up, the young man grew dark and bitter, until he began to lash out with ferocious anger at others…seeing this…his slave owners threw him into a gladiatorial pit and in time he became a crowd favorite for them…the pain he suffered had made him become hateful and dark minded and as such…he would fight without hesitation and had beaten others severely since that time. He would have become dark and twisted like his masters and would have been corrupted into their ranks…

Had it not been for the arrival of another slave to the gladiatorial pit…a simple old man who was soon paired to fight Khalen after he had vowed to rather die than help them achieve their plans. Like before, Khalen was chosen…and he wasted no time and savagely beat the old man…until at the last moment of his final strike…the old man spoke to him…asking him what had he become…in that moment when the old man's life was in his hands…he saw what he had become…he had become the very monsters he had vowed long ago to never become…and in that moment…he stopped fighting and refused to fight anymore. He would have normally been killed and left for the scavengers to feast on or be killed and his corpse mutilated in public for his defiance…but instead he was beaten badly and thrown out of the mines to die in the wilderness, along with the old man. But he endured…and managed to escape finally from his prison.

He managed to take the old man with him and soon, they were able to escape…but the old man was dying already before they would cross the boundaries and be in the lands of the Holy Dragons. Khalen looked at him in tears and begged unceasingly for forgiveness from him…the old man merely smiled and held him close…and told him that he was already forgiven the moment he was able to see himself for what he was becoming and turned away from it. Khalen took the man's body with him and after reaching safety…he found a quiet place to bury the dead man and vowed that he will never become a monster ever again.

During his years as a slave…he had perfected a fighting style that he named the Boundless State and it was very powerful style and to hand combat style that could kill with enough power and force, and after he had returned to his native lands…he vowed to never use it to harm those who were not his enemies. Years after his escape…Khalen sought out Holy Talon and vowed to atone in any way for his crimes and to give peace to those who were suffering because of the Chaos Dragons and their minions…and he would accept it if the sword would not choose him for his past crimes. However…Holy Talon did choose him and through his years as Dragon Champion he rarely used the sword in battle…but relied on the Boundless State once more…only this time…he vowed to use it to free those under the chains of the Chaos Dragons.

His use of the all hand to hand combat style and Dragon Magic allowed him to use a powerful array of combined techniques that gave him the title of the Dragon Warrior and when he had done much to free slaves held in the lands of the followers of the Chaos Dragons…he spent time helping them return to their former lives again. He was considered a true hero of those freed people and they mourned his death years later when he fell in battle…but they were proud of him for breaking free from the control of the enemy and in turn…freed their chains as well.

Boundless State - A fighting style developed by Khalen during his time as a slave…having been chained all his life on his hands, the former slave and Dragon Champion developed the style to show that while his body was bound…his will was not and over time the style was his trademark…because of his dark treatment and his near fall into being evil…his earliest use of the Boundless State was in brutal combat that resulted in death to those he faced…but ever since that day he saw himself becoming the monster he vowed never to be…he practiced a far less deadly form of the Boundless State…it was only during his time as Dragon Champion that Khalen returned to using the more brutal and original version of the Boundless State…but this time…he used it on his former jailors and never on those who were slaves or innocent.

It is a combination of real life martial arts such as Capoeria, Jeet Kune Do, Muay Thai, and kung Fu….focusing on close acrobatic combat and kicking techniques and hand assisted maneuvers, along with hand to hand combat skills to even it out…it's close anime equivalent is none other than Elle Lang and Gau Ban's use of Shadow Skill from the anime of the same name.

Dragon Breath – It is a technique that is tied to Dragon Champion Khalen and is one of the trademark techniques that the past Dragon Champion had used in his past life. The technique combines control of fire spell and then directing the fire towards the target in a powerful attack motion…the technique can be used in close combat or long range, resembling the breath of a Dragon.

Combined Dragon Breath Blast – A variant technique Naruto developed using both the Dragon Breath and his own Kage Bushin. The technique is simple but quite effective to say the least…Naruto creates several Kage Bushin but divides them in hand and does not attack en masse, but allows on group to stay behind…if his initial attack fails, then he makes more Kage Bushin and sends them to surround his foe and then he and the clones unleash Dragon Breath simultaneously…and any foe caught in the center of the technique is incinerated in a mater of moments by the combined attack due to the combined intensity of the fire.

Fire Claws – This technique is Naruto focusing the spell of Fire into his hands and armor…allowing his claw-like finger-guards to be covered in an intense shell of flame…coupled with Naruto's enhanced strength, speed, and the armor's near indestructibility, this gives him the ability to rip into a foe like a beast.

The new technique Naruto used in the final stages was inspired by Ichigo Kurosaki from Bleach, who used Flash Steps taught to him by Yoruichi Shihouin and he had used this to fight Rukia's brother Byakuya. I saw the move and figured I could use that for the time being…not too original…I'll admit to that…but it works just fine for me. The Boundless State has a few other tricks to work out as well…so don't worry just yet,


	14. The Invasion Begins

Naruto – The Twin Swords

Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Naruto, either the manga and the anime

Chapter 14

The Invasion begins

( ): Thoughts

((" ")): Holy Talon's voice

(((" "))): Death Fang's voice…

--

'_Never think that a battle is easily won even when you manage to catch you're foe off guard…for there is a truth in the words…'_

'_No plan will survive a direct battle with the enemy.'_

'_And when a plan is ripe…it can no longer be hidden from it's enemies…plan ahead and pray for the best…'_

'_That is all that matters once the battle is joined.'_

Teachings of a General of Dagern…

--

Konoha…

Naruto looked at the ring as he and the other people waited for the next match…he was also looking at none other than Gaara who was waiting patiently for his match. The fallout of his previous match was still fresh on the Dragon Champion's mind.

--

Flashback…

The crowds were cheering as Naruto moved around and hammed it up without any problems to the situation, the cheers lasted for as long as the crowds were there and he enjoyed it immensely. As he walked back to the resting area for the rest of the competitors he was looked at by a lot by the spectators, namely of the female kind, his enhanced hearing picked up quite a few comments from the said spectators.

"Wow…that was the most awesome fight I have ever seen!"

"Yeah…he's on the track to be the very best he can be."

"Wow…how did he get so strong?"

"He's really different from before…and a lot cuter too!"

As he walked there, he was greeted by Shikamaru and Shino and he smiled at them as they congratulated him for an unexpected victory over Neji of all people…even without Holy Talon besides him, he still won. He even got a smile from Temari when he came to the waiting area. Gaara on the other hand was looking at him with eager eyes…and Naruto looked right back at him with that same eager for battle expression.

(It must really piss off Gaara that he's not going to fight me of all people.)

--

End of Flashback…

He had to admit that he was a bit disappointed when the match between Shino and Kankurou was not able to happen since Kankurou forfeited and that was something that troubled him, Holy Talon mentioned to him that something in Kankurou's thoughts was off. He agreed since having seen Kankurou take out Tsugiri before told him that Kankurou certainly had skill as a ninja and if he had withdrawn before the match even started…something was up with the situation and he didn't like the feeling.

He however got to see the battle of the brains and wits when it was Temari and Shikamaru's turn for their fight and of course Temari was eager for a fight and rode down her fan to the match arena and afterwards, Shikamaru was called in…and Naruto wanted to see this match so he gave a 'gentle' nudge for Shikamaru to get into the ring…he had no doubt he was going to get a lot of flak from the lazy ninja, but there was nothing he could do at the moment.

The crowds were throwing garbage at Shikamaru…no doubt showing their disinterest in the match between him and Temari…but Naruto paid them no mind as he and Holy Talon were interested in seeing just how skilled these two ninja were.

The fight proved to be worth looking at in his mind as he saw some pretty interesting tactical moves by both Temari and Shikamaru as the lazy ninja decided to fight after Temari struck first to goad him into the fight… as he evaded the strike, he made the comment that while he was not interested in becoming Chuunin in the first place he was a man and a man was certainly not going to let himself lose to a woman as well…naturally Temari was far from pleased with that remark and vowed to pound his lazy former classmate into ground meat.

What followed was a very interesting fight as Shikamaru kept to the shadows and analyzed Temari's attack style…which Temari showed to be a real blast of air…literally as she used her massive fan to unleash powerful gusts of wind that had enough force to rip rocks off the ground and sent debris right at him.

Apparently Temari was more than looks and power as she revealed her own smarts as well, she knew fully well that if she decided to follow Shikamaru into the trees and into the shadows, then his Shadow Jutsu would be able to restrain her very effectively and she was not in the mood to do just that when she had the advantage in ranged combat…And Shikamaru knew that to be true as he decided to find a way to beat Temari, Naruto was interested to see just how Shikamaru would handle this mess, as he was more of the close combat type and Temari was the long range fighter…there was no way Shikamaru could use any shuriken or kunai since Temari could easily knock those aside with one swipe of her fan…evidenced by how easily she defeated Neji and Lee's team mate Tenten without breaking a sweat in the Preliminaries.

Shikamaru had used quite a number of tricks that he had to give the guy credit for and while had been able to finally corner Temari with the holes he had made in the fight with Neji, and have Temari at his mercy…he relented and called it quits…at first he was pissed that Shikamaru had thrown in the towel…but Holy Talon reminded him of the chakra limits ninja had and Naruto quickly realized that Shikamaru couldn't hold Temari any longer than he already could, and hearing that while he had planned 200 possible moves to beat Temari while they had been fighting…made Naruto smirk.

--

As the audience looked on, the Jonin in the stands were busy talking about the events that had taken place in the arena before…the topics of the said discussions were the previous matches…the battle between Naruto and Neji gained a lot of attention as they all knew about Naruto's history as a ninja before the sword he had with him came to his possession. Now it seemed that Naruto had reached a level that none of them had known about…namely with the amazingly light armor...jutsus…and that Dragon he had under his command…most of them thought Dragons were mere fairy tales…but not only did one appear before them with Naruto…but it OBEYED Naruto as if the blonde ninja was it's master!

"Since when did he have that level of power?"

Azuma took a good pull from his cigarette and spoke to Kurenai who was busy looking at the blonde ninja who was looking on patiently for the next match.

"I am not sure…but it does have much to do with that sword I believe…if what my team told me was true…that is no ordinary sword Naruto has with him."

Kurenai nodded in agreement…however she had other things to think about as she recalled seeing the fable Kyuubi's chakra…the blood red chakra of the Kyuubi come out of Naruto and much to her surprise…the blonde had NOT been consumed by the chakra of the Kyuubi and turned into a monster.

"I'm even more amazed that Naruto was actually able to harness the chakra of the Kyuubi without losing himself to the corrupt power of the Kyuubi itself…that much chakra was truly strong despite being in a small amount."

"Yeah…just about everyone here in Konoha was not expecting that…I can bet the Hokage is wondering how it happened as well."

"Shikamaru did very well…he might have given up…but his ability to plan ahead was impressive…if it had been a battle for real…his team would have been able to take over and help him win the fight effectively…he might not have the same talent and ability as either Neji or Naruto…but he has calmness…patience, clarity and strategy. He might not be serious about being Chuunin, but he has the potential to be one."

"True…but I have a feeling Naruto has other talents to show us Kurenai…he just needs the chance to show it to us."

The other Jonin commented on Shikamaru's performance as well and thought about his skills…he might not have the talent…but when it came to strategy and leadership…her certainly had a better amount than others in the Genin…qualities that were good as Chuunin.

--

Elsewhere…

Neji looked through the window of the medical facility…his wounds and bruises still hurt him…but they hardly mattered to the young Hyuuga…he had other things to deal with…namely with what he had learned about his father's true fate.

He recalled being told by the medics about his injuries that he would be fine as he had only exhausted his chakra and given time…the bruises and wounds would mend…he nodded to them and said nothing…but deep in his own mind he was in a maelstrom of questions…how he was defeated and why was it Naruto would say such things.

However, he was then greeted by his uncle Hiashi who then asked for the medics to leave him and Neji in peace. Neji looked at his uncle with disgust and wondered if he had come here to make things for him even worse. He recalled then what he learned at that very same moment.

Flashback…

"What do you want Master Hiashi?"

Hiashi looked at his nephew and sighed…he knew that this was not going to be easy for either of them…not after all the years Neji and his father had been through as members of the Branch Family. But ever since Neji showed his potential as a Hyuuga and his defeat by Naruto's hands…he felt that it was time that the truth of what happened that day came out to the light.

"I'm here to talk about what you said about you're father in the arena."

"What for? I told the truth about what happened…no matter what Naruto-kun said about fate and destiny…it can't change the fact my father died as was his fate as a Branch member of the Hyuuga clan."

"There was a lot more to what had happened that day…things that I never had the chance to talk to you about due to the past."

"What do you mean by that?"

"While it was true that Lighting Country and Konoha was at severe terms after Hinata was kidnapped and I killed the head ninja of Hidden Cloud to save her. The…situation on that day was different…I have something to hand over to you…it was from your father before he was sent to face the Hidden Cloud ninja delegation that came for him."

Hiashi took out a scroll and offered it before Neji…who looked at it with contempt and replied.

"If this is a trick by you and the rest of the Hyuuga elders to make me feel better then it's worthless…"

Neji looked at Hiashi as the father of Hinata and Hanabi as he gave forward the scroll.

"It is no trick Neji…on that day…I was prepared to die…"

Neji recalled the day he ran into the room to find his father dead and this sparked a great deal of anger in the still injured young man. He glared and growled out his anger…the growl was not audible…but he had no doubts in his mind that his uncle heard it. And this time…since it was only between him and his uncle…he was not going to hide his anger.

"What are you talking about?! Don't you dare think to lie to me uncle!! That day was the day my father was murdered by you and the Hyuuga elders to pose as you so you could protect the Byakugan!! No amount of excuses can change the fact my father was killed for your sake!! Get that…thing away from me!!"

Hiashi didn't flinch at Neji's anger, contempt, and disgust…in fact…he knew he deserved it all for that day…but he knew that it was time for the truth to come out…no matter how painful it was for either him or Neji.

"This is no lie…the person you are now should be able to understand this message…"

Hiashi placed the scroll and stepped back…letting Neji decide if he wanted to open the scroll of his own free will.

Neji looked at the scroll and gave it a good looking through, but he was suddenly shocked as he saw the message on the scroll, it was indeed for him…and it was not in any Hyuuga member's hand writing, either Head or Branch family…but his father's own hand writing…he recognized it very well…

"This…is my father's writing style…"

The young man took the scroll, untied the bounding string and looked at the contents…and he saw that all of the words before him in the scroll were all in his father's distinct writing style. There was no doubt in his mind that all of the contents of the scroll were all made by his father. He then read the contents and found out a lot more than he bargained for.

He read from his father's message that while what he knew was the truth…that the head ninja of the Village of the Hidden Cloud the land of Lightning had been killed by Hiashi when he attempted to kidnap his cousin Hinata, and the demands of the Land and it's leaders were truly unreasonable…they truly demanded the life of his uncle as reparation for the death of their head ninja…but what he read in the message made him gasp in shock…

In the scroll of his father…his father actually chose to sacrifice himself for Hiashi's sake and not as a member of the Branch Family…but as his brother. He had not only consented to die…but to ensure that his brother, his brother's family, and his village would live…he read in the scroll that while his father's disgust and hatred for the Main family didn't die off…he did it as Hiashi's brother and that it was the very first time he had ever chosen to die by himself… rather than be forced into it by others. Hiashi had planned to give his life willingly…and even when the Hyuuga Elder tried to stop him, reminding him of his duty to protect the Byakugan, he replied that it was far better he would die than plunge the village into another brutal war that would serve no one, the Hokage himself was there to witness these same events…and that was when he read from his father's words how Hiashi was totally against his death and also his reasoning that the Hidden Cloud would be angry once they found out that they would no longer have the Byakugan in their hands…

He read that his father had always showed his ugly side to him, and now he finally chose to do what is best for himself…and that his father wanted Hiashi to tell him that he died to save his brother, his family, and his village…not as a Branch Family member. He chose death of his own free will and freedom.

Neji trembled as he read the last message of his father.

'Forge your own destiny my son…for fate is something that you can make with your own hands.'

As he finished reading the scroll, he looked at his uncle who looked sad…

"This is…"

"Yes…I wanted to give my life to prevent another war with the Land of Lightning…I argued that it was far better that my life would be lost to prevent another bloody war with Konoha and the Land of Lightning. When I heard the decision and Hizashi's consent I was against it…because he had you with him, I didn't want him to die in such a way, but I was not able to reason you're your father…He was able to knock me out and told me why he chose this fate, and all of that is in that scroll I handed to you…I, had long since kept the scroll ever since that day…part of me wanted to give it to you before…but I saw that you were truly consumed by hatred and anger towards us all…and I knew that until the time was right…I had to wait."

Neji watched as his uncle went o his knees and spoke in shame.

"This is the truth of all that has happened since that day…and I am truly sorry for it."

Neji watched as his uncle bowed and he couldn't help but feel that everything made sense now…and he spoke.

"Please Master Hiashi…don't bow to me like this."

End of Flashback…

Neji looked at the clouds and wondered about it all as his tears flowed down his face. He thought to himself as he wondered about all that he had learned about his father's death and what had happened to him when he faced Naruto.

(Father…I am not sure if a person's destiny is like a cloud in the sky, moving on set currents…or is like a bird in the sky…riding whatever current it chooses. I don't know for sure what the truth is yet…maybe the destination is the same…yet someone comes along and chooses a path that allows that person to live life to the fullest and to have strength that rivals anything I have seen…I know that now at least…)

(Because I fought him in that battle…I fought Naruto who was once the weakest in all the graduates…who now stands proud and defiant. I make a promise that I will train harder to find that answer and to never be defeated ever again…I wish you were still alive to see the birds flying out there in the clouds…they have their freedom to find their way…and I will find my freedom too.)

--

Naruto looked on as he decided to go take a breather and he left the area and chatted with Shikamaru…and like he thought, the lazy Genin chewed his ear off, but he took that in stride and praised Shikamaru's tactical genius. The lazy Genin grinned back, a bit unused to such praise coming from him of all people and bid him farewell as he went up to the waiting area.

He then heard some foot-steps and turned around as he looked to see who was heading towards him, and it his surprise…it was Kiba, Akamaru, Hinata, Sakura, Kin, and Ino. The small group smiled and patted him on the back with both Sakura and Hinata in the lead.

"You were great Naruto-kun! Those were some of the best moves I've seen yet!"

"Thanks Sakura-chan!"

"N-N-Naruto-kun…you were…incredible out there!"

"Thanks Hinata-san…are you feeling better now?"

"Yes…the doctors said my wounds are fully sealed and I'll be fine…t-t-t-thanks to you N-N-Naruto-kun."

Kin turned and looked at Sakura and asked the question.

"Does she have a crush on Naruto-kun or something?"

Sakura sighed and replied.

"Ever since she laid eyes on him…before and after all this…"

The groups chatted for a while and soon, Jiraiya came on the scene and motioned to Naruto to come and talk to him at this very moment. Naruto moved away from the others and spoke to the Sannin

"What is it Pervy Sage?"

Jiraiya shook his head and quickly dragged Naruto aside and then placed him in a head lock and spoke to him out of both ear and eye shot of the others. The Sannin had a rather strange feeling about something while he had been with his old mentor and the Kazekage…he wasn't sure what it was…but it was certainly not something he liked…

"It seems I'll be involved in the plan concerning that old team-mate of mine…Orochimaru."

Naruto managed to get himself loose from Jiraiya and looked at his somewhat teacher carefully and saw that he was not kidding and in that moment, Naruto placed aside his humor and cheerfulness and adopted a serious military and warrior mindset…he had learned much on how to know when he could afford to be cheerful, happy, and carefree…and when to drop those traits and be focused on the job and mission in hand…that much he learned from his Dragon Champion mentors.

"What do you mean by that?"

Jiraiya looked about and shook his head a bit and then spoke once more.

"Keep you're eyes open…something's going to happen soon enough…I'll be ready to take a stand once things get underway…in the meantime…I suggest you be in sight of the Hokage…my old teacher's going to feel much better if you happen to be in viewing range."

With that, Jiraiya left the arena…Naruto likewise went back and spoke with the others as he went to the watching balcony and waited for Sasuke as they also went back to watching the arena for the arrival of the ones in question…despite the fact that the crowd were getting really impatient for the match they had been waiting for in a long time. He had no doubts on his mind that Sasuke and Kakashi were going to show.

(("You seem so certain of you're team-mate's return Master Naruto."))

(Don't worry…Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke are going to be here…but knowing them…they're going to come in as fashionably late as ever.)

--

Outside…

Gai and Lee were able to arrive at the arena and were told that most of the matches were already over…the only one left was the match with Gaara and Sasuke…Lee was surprised and so was Gai as the still recovering Genin asked the guards what happened to the match between Neji and Naruto…

Lee was stunned and awed to learn that Naruto had won the match in the most spectacular way and Neji had been beaten in what was once thought to be a quick match and had turned into a power house of a fight between him and Naruto.

Lee was proud of Naruto and Gai was happy that Lee was still strong in spirit despite his injuries.

--

The arena

And sure enough…Naruto's predictions were right on the money as Genma was about to call it in…a massive swirl of leaves came into the arena and sure enough…Kakashi and Sasuke appeared in the leaves. The crowds became ecstatic and so were the rest of the feudal lords and dignitaries as well. Kakashi talked with Genma while Sasuke had changed into an all black outfit…much to Naruto's annoyance…

(Darn showoff…coming in late as usual.)

(("At least he showed up Master Naruto…now we can see the next match…and be ready…if there's a chance the plan of Orochimaru will come to action…now is the time for it."))

Naruto leaped off the balcony and landed on the ground and walked over to Sasuke and Kakashi and called out to the two of them.

"Do you guys always have to show up at the last moment?"

Kakashi looked at Naruto and for a brief moment didn't recognize him with all that armor on, but quickly recognized him and complimented his student on his looks.

"You look good Naruto…though I'm not quite sure what to make of you in all that metal on you…you sure you're not weighed down or anything?"

"Not in the least Kakashi-sensei."

Sasuke looked at Naruto and wondered if this was indeed the very same block head he dealt with every day…he had to admit…Naruto certainly looked different indeed.

"So what's with the wardrobe change dead last? Trying to act cool?"

"Heh…this armor works Sasuke so don't blame me if I look good in this."

"So did you win you're match Naruto?"

"Oh yeah…you had better not lose to Gaara if you want to take me on next time!"

"Count on it."

Lee looked at both Naruto and Sasuke as they talked to one another and the Genin could only look on in envy at both his fellow Leaf Genin and thought about the implications of what was about to happen, along with what he had heard from the guards outside of the arena.

(Sasuke-san and Naruto-san…they are both amazing…Sasuke's fighting Gaara…the one I couldn't beat and nearly lost my life to…and now Naruto-san has beaten Neji-san…who I have wanted to defeat for a long time…they did all that…)

(And I…I'm just here on the sidelines doing nothing…it's so frustrating.)

Gai looked at Lee and felt sympathy for his student…but Lee's downcast look didn't last long as Sakura came and greeted him.

"Lee-san! How are you?"

Lee smiled warmly at Sakura and his sadness and frustration vanished as Sakura helped him a bit and even handed him a small biscuit.

"Thank you Sakura-chan…is it true that Naruto-san defeated Neji-san?"

"Yeah…it was awesome Lee…he fought Neji to an even draw and used a Kage Bushin to fool Neji…it was amazing…"

Lee nodded and saw Naruto who turned around and smiled at him and the blonde ninja saluted Lee…which Lee replied back with his own thumbs up sign…mimicking his sensei Gai…much to Gai's joy and appreciation.

Naruto turned and spotted Gaara as he entered the ring…he could smell blood in the air and wondered just what the heck Gaara had done…and when he arrived, Shikamaru looked at a certain place in the stadium hall.

"What happened?"

"That guy Gaara killed two Grass ninja who tried to have him forfeit the match…and he used that sand of his…I was lucky he had other things on his mind…namely that match with Sasuke…otherwise…"

"Easy Shikamaru…let's just go and see what's going to happen on the next match."

Shikamaru nodded as the two of them went back to the balcony and got ready to see just what sort of match was going to take place between Gaara and Sasuke. Naruto was worried about his team-mate as Gaara…while still not using his full power was a very deadly foe to face…he knew that for a certainty.

The crowd got ready and waited for the signal for the match to begin between the last of the Uchiha Clan and Gaara of the Desert…

--

Sakura watched as Kakashi walked up to her and knew that she had to ask on how Sasuke was doing at the moment.

"Is Sasuke-kun going to be okay Kakashi-sensei/"

"He'll be all right…so who won the bout between Naruto and Neji?"

Sakura smiled at that question and answered.

"Naruto won…he pulled out some amazing moves on Neji…even I never knew those moves were with him before…he was really training hard for this round in the Chuunin Exams…who knows…he might make a proper Chuunin candidate yet…I can't wait for that!"

"Really? Naruto defeated Neji eh? I guess I'll have to make sure to teach Naruto a technique to even things for him…form what I've heard from you Sakura…this will certainly be worth looking at."

--

On the ground…

Gaara was not in the best of moods…while he admitted that Sasuke Uchiha was talented he had no interest in the Uchiha lad as he was interested in fighting only Naruto…who had further shown his ability and tenacity to the young man and that made him even more interested in slaying Naruto in combat. He then felt some pain to his head and held it as he spoke to himself.

"Mother…I'm sorry for…feeding you bad blood…but this fresh batch should make up for it…"

"Hey…come on…are you ready to fight in the last match?"

Genma asked as he saw the actions Gaara made…both Temari and Kankurou were worried and hoped that their youngest brother would be able to hold on to his emotional outbursts since coming to Konoha and focus on the tasks at hand before he was lost.

Gaara nodded and Genma then gave the order for the match to commence.

Sasuke knew that Gaara was no ordinary opponent and focused himself as he got some distance from him and attacked with several shuriken but Gaara was not going to fall like that as his sand created a replica of him to catch the shuriken and toss them aside.

Naruto looked on and wondered just what would happen now between Sasuke and Gaara and he soon got his answer as Sasuke took it up a notch and to the surprise of both Gai and lee…Sasuke used Lee's own Taijutsu skills to land a hit right on Gaara…the crowds were stunned at that and they cheered on Sasuke as Sasuke moved with high speed on his side.

(How is it possible that Sasuke-san has the same level of speed as I do…how did he manage to get to that level of speed in merely a month?)

The crowd watched as Gaara was forced to focus his sand shield to be even faster to match Sasuke who was upping up the ante on the terms of speed as he used his stamina to power up himself to even up the odds as he used the speed to evade Gaara's sand shield and to land a few more blows in…but he knew that he was playing for time…after all…he knew that lee's Taijutsu alone was not going to be enough to score a decisive victory against Gaara.

Both Gaara and Gai knew that too…as well as Lee.

(He's using that one's Taijutsu…why? He should know that my Sand Armor and Sand Shield are more than enough to counter that style of attack…what are you playing at Sasuke Uchiha?)

(Sasuke-san is using my Taijutsu skills…he might not be around to see my fight with Gaara-san himself…but I know that even at full power…my Taijutsu was not enough to defeat Gaara…what is Sasuke-san doing?)

(Lee's Taijutsu was not effective on Gaara before…and using it will not work a second time…but I wonder what Sasuke will do now? He must know that Taijutsu will not play the winning hand in this match. What are you planning Sasuke?)

Gaara had enough and quickly created a cocoon of sand around him in the shape of a sphere and as Sasuke tried to attack it with his fists and kicks…spikes of razor sharp sand came from the sphere…forcing Sasuke back from Gaara as a massive floating eye appeared above the sand sphere shield to observe Sasuke.

--

Naruto looked on and wondered just how Sasuke was going to get out of this one…he had seen how deadly Gaara's sand was in battle and Sasuke had not seen it…however...as much as he was tempted to tell Kakashi to withdraw Sasuke from the match…he decided to let Sasuke fight…it meant much to his team-mate and interfering was not a good idea at the very moment…so despite his dislike for the situation…he waited it out and decided to see just what the outcome was going to be at this very moment and what Sasuke would do to beat Gaara.

Kakashi had confidence that Sasuke could win this fight and he knew that sooner or later…he would use his newly learned technique to his advantage. Despite Sasuke's futile attacks at Gaara's cocoon…things were now going to Sasuke's way as there was one flaw in Gaara's technique…it forced him to stand still.

--

Sasuke realized that now was the right time and began to focus his chakra into his arm as he was on the wall as soon as he was able to master the control of enough chakra into his arm, he unleashed a barrage of Lightning chakra into his arm and quickly used his Sharingan and then ran as he Lightning covered hand tore through the wall and then the ground as he rushed in and evaded the sand spikes despite some close calls and slammed the Lightning chakra enhanced arm right through the sand shield.

Sakura gasped and Ino was impressed…even Kin was as well. Kakashi then explained that it was the basic form of his original technique Raikiri, it was known as Chidori since it was able to allow a ninja to move so fast it was like a thousand birds chirping all at once. The move had allowed Kakashi to cut Lightning in half once…and it was there as well that he created Raikiri…there was no known defense with the technique…so Lee and Shikamaru were envious of the move…

Naruto however had a very bad feeling…as he heard something…almost like a scream of disbelief…and then he felt something in the air…evil…blood lust and rage…

(This is bad…)

And sure enough…

"AAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUGGGGGHHHHH!! BLOOD!! MY BLOOD!!"

Sasuke heard Gaara's screams of pain and he too began to shout in pain as he felt his arm being held by a nearly crushing grip. Temari and Kankurou looked on and were afraid…there were very few that could scare the two siblings of Gaara…but this was enough to truly frighten them.

(Oh no…is Gaara hurt?!)

(This is bad…Gaara, what the heck is happening to you in there?!)

The crowd had been awed when Sasuke broke through Gaara's shield…but now they were stunned as the screams of Gaara filled the area…mad with pain, anger, and blood lust. Sasuke managed to use Chidori once more and managed to free his arm…but as he pulled away…a monstrous arm made of sand and colored and formed like a demonic claw followed him…reaching out eagerly to crush Sasuke to pulp.

Kakashi looked on in utter shock and so did everyone else in the arena.

"What is that?!"

Gai said as he saw the arm…and Lee was stunned as well.

Naruto and Holy Talon were tense and Naruto realized that things had just taken a turn for the worst.

(That arm…could that be the demon Shukaku Gaara was talking about? Is it awakening?!)

(("Seems like it Master Naruto…if that's true, we have to stop this match…Sharingan or not…Sasuke would stand no chance against an enraged demon!"))

Kankurou knew that arm well…he had not been able to eat for a week the day he saw the demon take over Gaara and he knew that both he and Temari were never the same after witnessing the demon take over their little brother.

Sasuke felt intense fear as he looked at the hole he made with Chidori…he saw the sand moving inside of it and then…a deep golden eye brimming with demonic hatred and rage appeared and gazed at him, and then a wave of air blasted him…not enough to knock him over. His sweat flowed down his face as he felt intense fear grip him.

(What is this…something's not right!)

The sand then fell away and Gaara was there before him…holding his bleeding shoulder and looking at him in a bloody and enraged look. Sasuke saw that this was not the same Gaara he fought with…this was not going to be good.

--

Kabuto then made his move…disguised as an ANBU…he unleashed a Genjutsu that began to affect the crowd…several villagers fell asleep first…then more fell to the Genjutsu…however…not everyone was falling asleep as the Sound Spy had hoped…Kakashi, Gai, and the other Konoha ninja used the Release jutsu to free themselves from the Genjutsu's effects…and so does Sakura, along with a few other Genin.

Naruto nearly fell to the effects but Holy Talon however was not going to let that happen. As Naruto began to fall…the living sword glowed deep blue and violet and then the eye revealed itself and then Naruto recovered fully and was now standing up. The blonde ninja saw next the explosion of smoke in the Hokage viewing area and knew there and then that Orochimaru's plan was underway.

(So it's begun…)

Sasuke was caught off guard but then faced Genma who faced Baki, Temari, Gaara, and Kankurou…the Sand Jonin was not happy but knew that Gaara was not in the mood to fight and therefore ordered Temari and Kankurou to evacuate Gaara until he fully recovered. Baki tried to stop Sasuke but was held off by Genma and Sasuke went after the Sand sibling.

Naruto was surrounded by three Sound ninja who attacked him…but they paid with their lives as Naruto leaped over them and then as he landed he gave a powerful spinning heel kick that struck the first Sound ninja right in the ribs…the man gasped as the Dragon Champion and Konoha ninja sent him sprawling to the ground in intense pain.

This time however…Naruto was using the far more deadly form of Boundless State…he had used the weaker version when he fought Neji, so this version was the original taught to him by Khalen… and quickly blocked several kunai with his armored forearms and he grabbed the arm of the second Sound ninja and with some quick moves…threw the Sound ninja over his head and with a powerful open palm strike in mid throw… sent him crashing into his partner who was nursing his ribs…the two collapsed as the third took out a sword and planned to cut Naruto cleanly in half.

Naruto caught the sword in his armored forearms and then he moved the blade aside and grabbed it with his left hand and flipped sideways…smashing a powerful kick to the side of the head of the third Sound ninja and he landed on his feet and then tossed the sword as the two Sound ninja and they were impaled by the sword…killing them both as Naruto took out Holy Talon and cut down the last Sound ninja.

He saw that the Hokage was in danger and he was not going to stand by and do nothing as he leaped from the balcony and headed towards the other side of the arena through the grounds.

--

Sarutobi was being held by the Kazekage after his aide was killed in the strike…as he tried to reason with his fellow Kage…he realized his mistake as the Kazekage called him Sarutobi-sensei…there were only three people who called him that…one was Jiraiya himself…the other was his only female student Tsunade…and the other was…

"Orochimaru…"

"Good to know you're mind still has some content Sarutobi-sensei…it's been a while old man."

--

However…the Sound and Sand were in for a surprise as the Konoha ninja in the village were already prepared and the battle lines were drawn. The planning made secret by Konoha had now bore fruit as the Konoha ninja who were informed of the plan came out in force and quickly got the drop on the first wave of invaders…but things were not going to be easy…even with them fully alert and ready…the Konoha ninja were still outnumbered and they had to also evacuate their civilians before the fighting got too fierce and their people would be lost

--

The arena…

Naruto gritted his teeth as he was in the middle of the field and facing off with a band of Sound Ninja who had entered the arena, he tried to fight his way to the others and to aid the Hokage…but he was blocked by them as he looked on in anger.

"Now you die!!"

The Sound ninja took out their kunai and charged right at him, but Naruto was not going to give up…with one quick pull of Holy Talon from the sheath and a quick reverse grip slash in one hand…was able to cut down the first three that tried to attack him. The others back away from a moment…but they never relented as they unleashed a barrage of shuriken at him…

Naruto got ready to defend himself…but suddenly another figure came behind him and was now in front of him. And he heard a technique called out and in a moment…he knew just who was before him.

"HAKKESHOU KAITEN!!"

The sphere of chakra blocked the shuriken meant for him and like a revisit of previous events…Neji Hyuuga grabbed the deflected sound shuriken and then took out more of his own and then with a quick toss…sent the shuriken at the Sound ninja and was able to take down several of them. Naruto looked on at the one he had defeated only hours before in utter surprise.

"Neji?! What the heck are you doing?!"

Neji looked at Naruto and replied.

"Paying you back…you were right…I know the truth now…and fate can indeed be changed! Go! I'll deal with them!!"

Several more Sound ninja and Sand began to surround the two as Neji got into combat position…he knew that what he was doing was a bad idea…as he was not yet recovered fully…but there was no way he was going to let himself stand by and let Konoha be taken by anyone. Naruto noted that quickly summoned the healing silver-green flame from Holy Talon and placed it on Neji's body…

The Hyuuga clan youth had seen this move done before and was feeling fully healed and invigorated as his injuries and wounds vanished and he faced Naruto and gave a smile.

"Thanks…I owe you."

Naruto smirked and replied.

"You can pay me later…right now we've got to fight our way through them!"

The two Genin were back to back with one another as the Sound ninja attacked…Neji used the Byakugan to defend himself from them and shut down their chakra gateways with the same critical strikes…while Naruto ensured that the Sound would not attack him and Neji from behind as well…he blocked several strikes with Holy Talon and those that did get past his guard were blocked by his armor…and the Sand ninja were also badly beaten by both Leaf Genin as they fought their way…backs to one another.

As soon as they knocked the Sand and Sound ninja aside…they rushed to the audience area and reached their respective sensei. Gai and Kakashi were beating the tar out of the Sand and Sound ninja as the two arrived. Gai greeted Neji and smiled.

"You made it Neji!! We're having a heck of a fight in our hands at the moment."

Neji nodded and spotted lee on the floor…he was surprised to find his still injured team-mate here and was wondering what he was doing in such a situation.

"What's Lee doing here? He should be in bed in the hospital!"

"We came here to see how things have progressed in the finals we certainly were not expecting an attack at this stage of the match."

Gai replied and knew that lee was in too vulnerable a position to be left lying on the floor…he quickly turned and spoke to Neji.

"Neji! I want you to wake Tenten from the jutsu and get Lee to safety!"

"I'm on it sensei!"

Neji wasted no time and used the Release jutsu to wake Tenten up. The bun haired teen shook the sleep from her eyes and looked to see her team-mate right next to her…she wondered what the heck was going on as several other people near her were also asleep.

"Neji-kun…what's going… whoa!!"

Tenten backed away as another Sand ninja came at her…she was not armed and therefore Neji came to her rescue and defeated the attacker…Tenten managed to grab a kunai and several shuriken and got behind Neji as they faced any possible attackers…Tenten however was confused as to what the heck was going on.

"Neji-kun!! What's going on here?!"

"We're under attack by the ninja forces of Sand and Sound!!"

"What?! But we signed a treaty with Sand! Why the heck are they invading us along with Sound?!"

Naruto appeared as he was able to carry Lee with him…his Dragon Champion enhanced strength more than up for the challenge. The blonde spoke then to Tenten.

"Because they appear to be allied with Orochimaru…who's the head of the Sound village…that snake summoning bastard planned the whole thing the very second he was in the Forest of Death! He must have gotten the Kazekage to side with him and his forces, with both forces…we're severely outnumbered at the moment."

Kakashi and Gai fought off several more ninja that tried to blind side them…Lee was helped by Neji and Tenten. Neji carried his team-mate while Tenten…given spare weapons by Naruto helped protect her comrades while they worked on getting Lee to safety as he was still under the effects of the Genjutsu. Naruto was behind them to protect them from sudden attacks…and as soon as he was able to be assured by Tenten that they both would be fine…he went back into the arena to deal with the ninja that were in the area…and help his sensei.

It was there that he was able to rush up to Sakura's side…the pink haired Kunoichi had some protecting to do of her own as Ino was out cold…while Kin was awake…shrugging off the Genjutsu and helping Sakura as both Kunoichi fought with backs to one another. Hinata was there as well as both she and Kiba, along with Akamaru were busy fighting for their lives, apparently they had been able to counter the Genjutsu at the last moment and were awake and fighting for their lives…Kiba was able to defeat three Sound ninja that tried to blind side him and Hinata…but Naruto came in and blocked several kunai that were thrown at the trio…saving them and he then took out the three Sound ninja that tried to attack…as he was now alongside them. Kiba growled as he got into his defensive mode with Akamaru beside him.

"Damn it! What the heck are the Sand ninja doing?! Attacking us like this with Sound?!"

"You guys okay?"

"We're all right…but why the heck is this happening?!"

Naruto blocked another Sand ninja's kunai attack…cutting the weapon like it was mere wood with Holy Talon and introducing a powerful fist to the ninja's face to send him flying into his fellows He then looked to see the Sound and told the others what he knew.

"This is what that blasted snake bastard had in mind…he must have allied with Sand to attack us during the Exams and wipe us out!"

Sakura joined the others and looked at Kin.

"This true?"

Kin nodded as she held her kunai with their bells already tied to them.

"Yeah…I'm not all that privy with the details…but Orochimaru had been able to ally with Sand so he could have the extra numbers to make a move on Konoha along with the other Sound ninja…but he's got another trick up his sleeve…there's supposed to be a summoning circle outside the walls of Konoha to launch some sort of attack at this very moment…I think they're going to try and summon a snake summon of some sort."

"Great…"

"That's not all though…I think he's here to kill the Hokage."

Sakura shook her head as she held the defensive position as they were able to get a break as some of the invading ninja came at them as they got together.

"There's no way he could get close enough to kill the Hokage…the Hokage is in a secure balcony on the arena and the only people allowed there are the chosen aides of the Hokage and the Hokage's chosen guests! There's only the Kazekage there and no doubt Hokage-sama is reasoning with him to stop this nonsense!"

Naruto thought it over and then realized something…

"Not if he was dressed and disguised as an aide…or…a fellow Kage…he must have also decided to be disguised as the Kazekage…which means…"

Hinata gasped as she realized what the implications were as she managed to fight off another Sand ninja on her own…as soon as she disabled the attacker she spoke to the others

"He must have taken the Kazekage's place!!"

Naruto nodded at that idea as he looked and activated a spell…chanting in the Dagernian arcane tongue and summoned the energy and focused on the area where the Hokage area was…which was hidden in a massive and thick smoke screen…as soon as he summoned the energy from Holy Talon and finished the spell, he cast it…

"PIERCING SIGHT!!"

Naruto's eyes became covered in glowing silver light and the others who were close to him at that same moment watched it as the light in Naruto's eyes burned like white flame… they were surprised as to what was happening to Naruto and they tried to figure it out.

Naruto however looked and his spell had allowed him to pierce through the smoke screen, along with his spell allowing him to see through the barrier that was there as well and sure enough…he spotted Sarutobi on the roof of the arena and facing the Kazekage…and in time for him to see the Kazekage rip his own face off…revealing none other than Orochimaru himself. Naruto swore as he broke the spell and his eyes returned to normal and he faced the others.

"Hinata-san's right! That's not the real Kazekage up there…but Orochimaru himself!!"

The other Genin turned and managed to fight for their lives with Naruto in the lead…they were quickly able to get a reprieve and Kakashi arrived with Gai in tow…Sasuke was not with them at the moment and that made Naruto wonder just where the heck his team-mate had gone.

Kakashi answered quickly for Naruto…

"He went after Gaara, under Genma's orders Naruto…he's going to try and slow or defeat Gaara and his siblings as his first mission."

Naruto's eyes widened and he shook his head at that as he knew that Gaara was NOT an ordinary ninja…even with the Sharingan…Sasuke was not going to be having an easy time with Gaara because of the fact that like him…Gaara had a demon in his body…only difference was…Gaara had been using that demon's power far longer than he did and knew just how to use it with absolute lethality. Naruto was torn on how to handle this situation as he knew that if he went after Sasuke…then things would be bad for the village…but if he stayed…then his village would be overrun.

"Kakashi-sensei…please send someone after Sasuke…I've got a bad feeling he's walking into a battle that's way over his head."

Kakashi could tell that Naruto was dead serious about this and nodded as he turned to several of the Genin…namely Sakura, Shikamaru, Kin, and Naruto himself…

"I'll be sending you all after Sasuke…track him down but make sure to be careful…if what I saw is true…Gaara is already reaching breaking point and with those powers of his…he's too dangerous to attack recklessly. Shikamaru…you're in charge of this A-Rank mission…"

"Great…more work…"

But before things could get underway…a swarm of Sand and Sound ninja came on the scene and Naruto glared at them and decided to buy his village some time to rally themselves and get the civilians to safety. He rushed towards the ring and then stood before the swarm of ninja. Kakashi wondered just what is it that Naruto was going to do against so many ninja…while the other Genin looked on at Naruto in shock along with the other Genin…Asuma and Kurenai wondered just what was Naruto doing…however Kakashi had a sneaking suspicion he had an idea on what Naruto had in mind.

The Sound ninja taunted the blonde ninja, telling him to run before they killed him and fed him to the vultures and dogs who would soon feast on his fellow villagers…but Naruto didn't budge and spoke in the arcane tongue once more with his sword before him and as the ninja decided to finish him off Naruto spun Holy Talon in a single hand grip and then jammed the weapon into the ground and spoke.

"WARRIORS OF THE HOLY LIGHT!! I SUMMON YOU TO MY SIDE!!"

A massive flash of light filled the arena…blinding everyone in the whole ring who saw it…and even the Hokage and Orochimaru, along with Orochimaru's forces on the roof looked down to see that flash of light…in a moment…massive numbers of pure light came from the sword, flew throughout the arena and took human form…in less than a few moments…the light faded and before the combined Sand and Sound forces…

Was a massive wall of warriors…all dressed in different forms of armor…a large portion of the armored soldiers were in the same manner of dress as Naruto was…covered head to toe in metal armor…others were dressed in lighter versions of the armor…and some were in leather and cloaks…all of them were armed with a vast array of weapons…from swords, axes, staff weapons, bows, crossbows…and more…all of them were ready and willing for a fight.

Kakashi looked on at Naruto with surprise…and then pride as he saw Naruto standing in front of all the Sound and Sand ninja with a defiant and strong expression. The Copy Cat Ninja of Konoha had seen Naruto use that technique before when they were in Wave Country…but never at this scale. He was right…Naruto would truly be a worthy ninja of Konoha someday and he felt great pride at that thought and the idea of Naruto being a Hokage to have that level of power was certainly worth seeing.

The other Jonin were stunned to suddenly see these soldiers appear from out of nowhere and all were summoned by Naruto of all people.

Gai was the only one who spoke at the moment.

"You're student Naruto has certainly upped the level this time Kakashi. He truly is a bonfire of youth!!"

"That he has…"

Kurenai, Asuma and several other Jonin and Chuunin…including Izumo and Kotetsu who looked on at Naruto who was now head of a full fledged army of warriors ready and willing to fight with all that they had as the soldiers were everywhere behind Naruto…

The other Genin, including Sakura, Kin, Hinata, Kiba, Shino, and Shikamaru were looking on with absolute surprise at this sudden turn of events…for Sakura, it wasn't an entire surprise as Naruto had used this before…but she had never seen it done at this scale and level before.

The ninja forces of Sound and Sand were stock still…holding their weapons as Naruto glared at them and pointed Holy Talon right at them all. The warriors who were armed with a massive array of weapons

"You've got a ton of guts to be here and invade my home of Konoha…if you think you will win here…then you are sadly out of you're league!! WARRIORS! WILL YOU FIGHT FOR ME?"

The once silent numbers of soldiers then shouted a powerful oath and brandished their weapons.

"WE FIGHT FOR YOU!!"

The ninja of both Sound and Sand found themselves in a serious bind as Naruto held Holy Talon in a two handed grip and he led his soldiers right at the ninja invasion force. The result was explosive as the ninja were forced back with considerable losses as many of them were cut down by either sword or axe…pierced and skewered by spear, halberd, pike and pole-arm, bashed to death by war hammer, mace, flail and chain mace…or were penetrated by arrows and crossbow bolts…Naruto was right in the front and was cutting down more of the enemy ninja as the area where the invasion force was in was now covered in blood.

Naruto turned and called out to his comrades.

"I'll buy the others time to rally the defenses and catch up with you all later…find and help Sasuke until I get there!"

Naruto then moved on to lead his army of summoned warriors and the sudden attack caught the invading Sound and Sand ninja with their proverbial pants down as their attempt to overwhelm the arena was turned around and pushed back as the summoned warriors under Naruto's personal command smashed hard into them like a proverbial tsunami on the beach. The arriving reinforcement forces found themselves being hit by their comrades…some of the ninja who attacked by the upper areas of the arena found themselves knocked down and riddled with arrows while others found themselves cut down and impaled by the weapons.

Naruto led the soldiers out of the arena and as soon as his soldiers were in the open, they swarmed all over the streets of Konoha and were commanded by Naruto seek and defeat the Sound and Sand ninja they ran into as he planned to help reinforce the ninjas of Konoha.

The soldiers were divided into several groups as they moved in the required formations and small detachments to engage their foes.

The first were the ones armed with various one handed swords and shields were known as the Sword Adepts of The Fire Blade Order, or merely named the Sword Adepts…they were highly trained infantry who's skill with sword and shield made them very respected in warfare…skilled in both defensive and offensive formations to make them skilled combatants…they have clashed with many enemies over the years and have earned a place as some of the most skilled swordsmen after the Dragon Champions of old…some were rumored to have been taught by Dragons who took human form as well. The Dragon Champions who wished to further defend themselves were known to have trained with the Sword Adepts as well when they wished to have a shield for protection.

The second who wielded the two handed type of swords were known as the Zealots of the Wind's Edge…warriors who were skilled in the use of their two handed gripped swords to a degree that they were known to able to slice through spells and arrows with the same level of skill as a man would write on a piece of paper with a pen. Years of experience flows in the way they moved their swords…while they had grandmasters among them…even half skilled adepts of the Zealots were respected and they were also skilled with the two handed axes as well, though not at the level of the Wild Forrest Warriors.

The third were the ones who carried two weapons in either of their hands, they were known as the War Blades of Dagern…they were skilled to the degree that carrying any weapon either hand and using them with such talent that it was like an art form to them…they could use either sword, axe, mace, flail, war hammer, dagger or short spear to a level that made them hard to match…though they lost skills in defense in exchange for this martial lethality.

The fourth group were the ones who wielded the long spears and pole weapons…and they were known as the Steel Lancers of the Rose…skilled with various pole arms and weapons that required skilled reach, the Steel Lancers were the bane of many forms of cavalry and were skilled in battles where reach was better than other arts…it took years to master their weapons and the Steel Lancers were the best at what they did with their weapons…either with pole arms that required both hands or with conjunction of a shield.

The fifth group were known as the Falcon Rangers, skilled in both combat with weapons for close battles and their bows made from wood, bone, and steel, they were highly skilled scouts and ambush specialists…they were named the Falcon Rangers due to their uncanny eye-sight and their skill at locating the most important and vital areas of an enemy soldier's armor and body…allowing them to kill their foes with lethal precision and power…many followers of the Chaos Dragons who were careless and arrogant have died by the arrows of this skilled woodsmen who are not afraid to wear armor and wield either spear, sword, and shield should the time come to take the fight directly into the enemy's face…another reason why they are named the Falcon Rangers was the technique of creating illusionary falcons of light that were used to blind their foes when in open battle to weaken them visually and then unleashing a storm of arrows into their ranks…cutting them down before they could fight effectively.

The sixth group was the Fire Heart Archers…men and women who were skilled with various bows…and crossbows and was known to be able to use their bows and crossbows with lethal precision despite wearing heavy armor for protection from battle. The Fire Hearts were skilled with swords for close defense…but were the best in ranged combat and were more than a match for the Falcon Rangers in a shooting match…but they were not skilled in wood craft and were better in open field engagements or on defending castles, forts, cities, and towns from invasion. They were skilled with bow and crossbow that they were comfortable using them even with so much armor on them and despite the armor…their ability to shoot with range and accuracy was uncanny and they were not afraid of attack from their foes.

The seventh and last group were the Wild Forrest Warriors…known for their use of axes, both either large two handed ones or those that worked with shields and even throwing axes…since their lands were filled with lush forests and they were skilled in the use of an axe at an early age for both survival and warfare, it is their traditional weapon of choice and their tool in survival…their skill with axes has matured into it's own art form and no one in the lands under the stewardship of the Holy Dragons contests their skill with such weapons, not even their close equals, the Sword Adepts.

These seven warrior groups who were summoned in their army state by Naruto were among the most well recognized soldiers in Dagern and were not easily dispatched by normal means…and since they obeyed Naruto as he was not just their commander and summoner …but the current Dragon Champion.

--

Orochimaru looked at the floor of the arena in shock as the soldiers Naruto summoned were now beating back his Sound ninja and his expendable allies from the Hidden Sand Village. The First and Second Hokage…who were brought back to life looked on with surprise at what they were witnessing at that very moment as the ninjas of both Sound and sand were forced back and the fight was now taken to the streets of Konoha…

Sarutobi smiled as he was now in his uniform, he had expected Naruto to be a key player in the battles and he was right…despite being tired from facing some of Orochimaru's attacks…he was not giving up any time soon. He saw Orochimaru's surprise and he replied.

"It seemed you were not expecting Naruto to throw a monkey wrench into your plans Orochimaru. This plan of yours to destroy the village of Konoha will not happen…and as long as I live…you will fail."

The S-ranked ninja smiled back and replied.

"Maybe…or maybe not…but make no mistake Sarutobi-sensei…I am far from finished…with the First and Second here…you will fall…a shame the Fourth won't be here…I would enjoy seeing you defeat Konoha's own Yellow Flash."

Sarutobi growled and replied back.

"You may have desecrated the tombs and bodies of the dead and dishonored the two Hokages…but you're corrupt plans and evil desires will end here! I made a mistake once by letting you live when I should have killed you so long ago…and I have lived with that mistake for a long time. Now I intend to correct that mistake…even if I die…I will make sure to end you're evil here and now!"

"Bring it on old man!!"

--

In the streets of Konoha…

"First battalion! Maintain shield wall formation!! Archers! FIRE!!"

Naruto barked out a straight command as the summoned soldiers, both Sword Adepts and Steel Lancers heeded his every command as the Steel Lancers and Sword Adepts armed with tall shields formed a wall and the Steel Lancers aimed their spears forward, they held the line…the Sound and Sand ninja attempted to attack the wall on all sides…but they were quickly cut down by the arrows fired by the Fire Heart Archers behind the shield wall.

"Charge!!"

Naruto called out as he led the attack as the shield wall broke aside in a crisp and orderly fashion and the young Konoha ninja and Dragon Champion led his summoned Sword Adepts and Steel Lancers into the fray. The ninja were suddenly attacked by a mass of men and women armed and armored to the teeth screaming war cries with their commander at the front. The carnage was further magnified with the arrival of the Zealots, the Wild Forrest Warriors, and the War Blades.

Several Sound ninja were cut down by Naruto as Holy Talon effortlessly cut into them…their evil natures told him well enough that Holy Talon would kill them quickly in a heart beat…and that was correct as the men fell dead before him. Another ninja tried to blindside him…but got his throat pierced by the spear of one of the summoned troopers. The soldier pulled his spear out effortlessly and kicked the dead Sound ninja aside. The soldiers clashed with the combined ninja forces and were busy fighting at the moment.

Naruto held his own and barked out commands to his forces…Holy Talon flashed and cut down several more ninja attempting to ambush and kill Naruto as the battle raged on. Several parties of Naruto's summoned soldiers attacked the attacking Sand and Sound forces and since they were summons…for every one of them that were taken down by the ninjas…five more would be ready to fight back. The summoned warriors were held there by Holy Talon and could operate independently from Naruto…though they functioned better under a commander's direction.

"All soldiers move in step…clear them out from wherever they hide!"

Several Sound ninja were cut down by the various soldiers as they used their swords, spears, pole weapons, and axes to close the gap and take down the ninja forces with powerful slashes and well placed blows as several more Sand ninja were engaged by the soldiers of all seven groups…the soldiers under Holy Talon and Naruto's control were also well organized as while the close combat soldier such as the Sword Adepts, Zealots, War Blades, the Wild Forrest Warriors and Steel Lancers fought with the ninja…the Fire Heart Archers and the Falcon Rangers came on the scene and peppered the ninja with large numbers of shots that cut down numbers of them.

Several more Sound ninja moved on the roof but they were suddenly greeted by the rest of the summoned soldiers under Naruto's command, namely the Falcon Rangers…the ninja found themselves suddenly facing bands of robed and cloaked figures dressed in what appeared to be heard leather armor and aiming bows with arrows right at them…they managed to slow down and get ready to defend themselves…but the Falcon Rangers were suddenly glowing and images of glowing hawks appeared and charged right at the Sound ninja, the hawks exploded like dynamite…but didn't knock the ninja down…but as they looked at the strange soldiers…they found themselves with arrows in their chests. The men died as the robed Falcon Rangers began to move and fire arrows at the Sand and Sound ninja as they moved out with others like them who moved with swift military precision and lethality.

"Warriors!! Push them back!!"

"YES SIR!!"

Naruto fought on in the streets as the rest of his soldiers continued their deadly advance into the ranks of the Sound and Sand ninja. Cutting down the Sound and Sand ninja as he fought his best to meet up with the others of the team sent to back up Sasuke as soon as he helped the other ninja reinforce the line… he had separated from them to help stem the tide of the forces Orochimaru had sent to attack Konoha and reinforce the ninja on duty.

The blonde ninja was able to move and attack quickly…moving in and out of the attacks of kunai, shuriken, swords, kicks, and punches while his armor dealt with the attacks that he was not yet able to block fully with Holy Talon. Behind him were his soldiers who moved in and dealt death to those who were their commander's enemies. Several more battles occurred in which the soldiers came to the aid of the scattered and isolated Konoha ninja who were fighting with either Sand or Sound…the ninja of Konoha who were not present in the arena and were on guard duty were naturally stunned to see an armored force of warriors coming to their aid and in the lead was none other than Naruto who was still in his armor and wielding his sword.

As the fighting intensified…Naruto was still in the lead of the offensive strike to eliminate the enemy force…he then spotted none other than Teuchi and Ayame moving to safety when he spotted a band of Sand ninja getting ready to ambush the two…he quickly moved in, letting his soldiers form a defensive phalanx to block the other invading ninja from getting the drop on him.

Naruto leaped between the father and daughter pair and used several powerful slashed with Holy Talon to cut down the weapons the Sand ninja had with them and quickly took them down with several powerful kicks with the Boundless State. He turned and Teuchi and Ayame gaped at him for a second until Ayame recognized him.

"Naruto-kun?! Is that really you?!"

"Yeah…you and your dad had better leave quickly Ayame-san, I'll be fine!"

Teuchi nodded and so did Ayame as they moved out…Naruto hoped that his sensei Iruka had helped get the kids out of the area and into safety…Naruto then decided to get a bird's eye view of the fighting and knew that he would not have enough time on his hands as he needed to join up with the team to get to Sasuke and help him defeat Gaara…

He leaped into the air and landed on a nearby tower and called out his orders to his troopers…in full view of just about everyone in Konoha…the Konoha ninja looked on as the Sound and Sand ninja were being pushed back with heavy losses and this allowed them time to rally a stronger defense…the Konoha Jonin watched as Naruto shouted out commands that instead of being lost in the sounds of battle were heard loud and clear in a calm…authoritative voice that the summoned warriors obeyed in response and moved in to crush their opponents with absolute lethality and obedience…

Kakashi had to admit that the image of Naruto commanding his summoned army in the front lines and on the tower like a seasoned general was certainly something he was not going to forget anytime soon. The other Jonin were surprised indeed…they thought they had seen everything the blonde kid now had in his arsenal…but this was certainly unexpected…the villagers who were able to see what was happening were very much in the same boat.

To see the former clown commanding an unknown army with skill was something else entirely as the Konoha ninja were given a chance to gather their wounded for treatment and cement their position. The Sound and Sand found themselves being pushed back despite their numbers and that was enough get the Konoha forces organized as the attack had indeed caught them all off guard.

Konohamaru was ecstatic as he cheered his boss on…

"GO GET THEM BOSS!!"

Udon and Moegi were also looking on…along with Anko, Ayame, and Iruka who were able to see Naruto commanding his summoned forces well.

Naruto was in the lead of a detachment of Steel Lancers and Zealots and unleashed a powerful attack at the Sound ninja before him who tried to block his path and attack him as well so they could finish their mission of wiping out the Village of Konoha.

"DRAGON WAVE!!"

The screams of the Sound ninja filled the area as they were either cut apart or incinerated into charcoal. Naruto moved in while his troopers quickly finished off the Sound survivors with quick and precise attacks…the soldiers then swarmed out and engaged all of their foes in brutal hand to hand combat…the summoned warriors were the spirits of those who had fought and died against the followers of the Chaos Dragons, and were incased in a physical shell to fight for the Holy Dragon Champion and as such they were highly experienced fighters and since they were loyal only to the Holy Dragon Champion, they would obey his command without hesitation or fear.

Naruto commanded detachments to form up with a mix of different soldiers to ferret out any Sound and Sand Forces and engage them…along with supporting allied Konoha ninja and rescuing and escorting any Konoha villagers. Naruto then summoned another band of allies to further aide in the battles ahead.

He once more chanted the arcane tongue and summoned the silver green flame and called out another batch of allies.

"SERVANTS OF THE HOLY FIRE!! COME FORTH!!"

Out from Holy Talon came another array of orbs of light and they also took form and from them came a large number of well armed male and female warriors, dressed in armor but seemed to be less heavily armed…along with them were warriors who appeared to be dressed only in robes and wielded staves with strange gemstones on them and their robes were elaborately designed, and the last were a band of female women…both human and elven who were beautiful beyond compare, who were also armed with staves and sword swords and light armor. Naruto quickly gave them all orders and the newly summoned warriors came to the aid of both their own summoned allies and the Konoha ninja…and revealed their true origins.

The newly summoned ones in armor were the militant healers of Dagern, known as the Hands of Cleansing Fire, or simply the Dragon Clerics…their knowledge of anatomy and healing made them valued allies for the armies who sided with the Holy Dragons and the Holy Dragon Champions…they didn't possess the same level of healing prowess of the Dragons or the Dragon Champions, yet their powers were more than worthy and the teachings of the Holy Dragons on healing, rejuvenation, restoration, and curative magic made them more than skilled in healing all but the most critical of wounds…restoring the vitality and bolstering the skills of their comrades in the front lines.

The Clerics were also trained soldiers though they rarely fought in front line battles…for the only reason these healers would fight is to protect the wounded and sick under their care…they fight with the same courage and skill as their more militant kin…but do so only if needed…their skills at destroying the undead creations of the flowers of the Chaos Dragons or banishing corruptive powers and curses however made them utterly valuable in battle…not just for their martial prowess and healing talents but also for their ability to inspire the soul. Their only equals who were not of the militant order where the Healers of the Silver Palm, who healed the sick and wounded but out of battle and were known to be skilled in making healing enchantments.

(Author's Note: Leena is an elf Healer of the Silver Palm…forgot to mention that one)

The female warriors, both human elf who were newly summoned suddenly began to sing lovely songs in the fighting and for some amazing reason…the ninja of Konoha began to fight even more fiercely and with greater skill than before…while the Sound and Sand were seemingly losing their will to fight and some began to flee from the battle. The same happened to the summoned warriors under Naruto's command as they fought even more fiercely.

They were known as the Song Maidens of the Golden Voice…taught how to summon magic from the soul and the tone of their voices and how to shape the magic they summoned with their skill at music and song. They were known to be able to inspire their soldiers to fight with greater courage and skill and on occasion, have been known to turn the tide of a fight merely by singing their songs…which serve to inspire and bolster the souls of their comrades. They are poor warriors however and only have little skill…but such is their talent that soldiers of Dagern would die willingly to defend them. In exchange…the Song Maidens would help tend to their wounds…both in body and spirit…making them as welcome as their more militant kin.

Their voices had an opposing effect on their enemies however…despite the beauty of their voices, along with their own physical charms, the enemies of the Song Maidens suffer a breaking of their spirit when they sing and seem to be weakened by their songs…though this does not stop them from trying to silence the song of the Song Maidens.

The newly summoned soldiers with robes and decorated staves began to move and fire blasts of powerful Wind, lightning, Earth, Water, and Fire at the invading ninja. The Sound and Sand were getting their asses kicked by these new fighters who were not in the same league as either Sword Adepts, the Zealots, the War Blades, the Steel Lancers, the Falcon Eye Rangers, or the Fire Heart Archers.

They were the Silver Star Mages who were students of the arcane magicks and studied how to manipulate the arcane powers of the elements to support their troops…having devoted their lives to the pursuit of perfected elemental magic and magical combat…these intellectual mages were not the strongest fighters in the lands of Dagern…most were skilled only with staves, daggers, and bows…but their magical prowess in the battle field was certainly welcome…and while they were not the strongest physical fighters…their spells have certainly played a part in keeping the hopes alive of the soldiers who fight in the field…for even the most basic of their spells can be helpful in battle.

--

The Sound ninja were not liking the news that they were getting and decided to speed up the process of summoning their siege weapon…they had planned to wait until all of Konoha's ninja forces were too isolated and broken to mount an effective attack so the snake summon could leisurely wipe them out and so could their allies and fellow ninja…but now with this unknown summoned army at the command of one Konoha ninja and the chance that they would be forced back…made them decide to summon the snake creature now.

This might help turn things around for them and finally accomplish Orochimaru-sama's plan for the utter annihilation of Konoha.

--

Naruto was not giving up anytime soon as he continued to lead his soldiers and their supporting allies…the combined Sound and Sand ninja attempted to take him out so as to deprive the summoned army of their leader….but a large detachment of the summoned soldiers quickly surrounded Naruto on the tower and defended their commander with unmatched ferocity as the ninjas died trying to attack Naruto and should any attack manage to get past the defensive phalanx of soldiers…they were cut down by Naruto's own attacks.

The blonde quickly began to move out from the tower as his body guards followed him off the tower as he gave the orders to the Fire heart Archers and the Falcon Rangers to unleash a massive barrage of arrows on the incoming Sand and Sound ninja…some survived…the rest were not as lucky as they were cut down fast and hard. Naruto then ordered his Archers and Rangers to take defensive positions on the roofs of the buildings and the nearby walls, while they supported by the Dragon Clerics, the Song Maidens, and the Silver Star Mages. The Sword Adepts, the Steel Lancers, the Wild Forrest Warriors, and the Zealots were to attack from the front…while supported by the Dragon Clerics, the Song Maidens, and the Silver Star Mages as well.

As soon as he was sure that his summoned army could hold their own against the invading ninja, Naruto spoke to Holy Talon.

(I have to go and help the others…can I just leave the army like this?)

(("Do not worry Master Naruto…the army will continue to operate and fight even if you are not around at the moment. The only way for them to vanish if they are all 'killed' or are summoned back into me…"))

(Do I have to leave you behind?)

(("No Master Naruto…they will be fine…as long as my energy reserves last…they will remain here until either defeated or sent to sleep by you. They can hold their own here until you have no need for them to remain."))

With that known, Naruto gave some last minute commands to his soldiers and those were to hold the line and let Konoha recover their strength and then force the combined Sound and Sand forces out of the village…the soldiers all shouted their agreement with their leader's orders and Naruto left them to do their duties…the soldiers and their supporting allies showed how deadly they were as they all moved in concert with one another and many of the Sound and Sand ninja were slain.

This was enough for the evacuation to reach it's end and it was now time for the ninja of Konoha to fight back and force away the invaders to their village with the aid of Naruto's summoned warriors. On the roof of the buildings were the archers decked out in heavy armor and leather armor to bombard the enemy from the air and the ground troops with their various weapons cutting down the invaders…making the streets of Konoha run red with the blood of the invaders as Naruto quickly caught up with Sakura, Kin, Shikamaru, and Pakkun, Kakashi's dog summon who could talk, and amazingly enough…Shino himself was along for the ride.

The Genin team moved out in order to find Sasuke fast before he was placed in too deadly a situation…even for him.

The Snake Summon then arrived and quickly tore it's way into Konoha…but if it was expecting an easy run into the village and crushing it under the orders of it's master and it's summoners…it was mistaken as it was suddenly bombarded by arrows and crossbow bolts, along with throwing axes, and mystic arcane spells as well…the soldiers summoned by Naruto were more than ready to face the Snake Summon, alongside the Konoha ninja and the battle was getting more intense as the combined Dagern/Konoha forces clashed with the combined Sound/Sand forces.

--

Unknown to them all, even Orochimaru…the events that were happening in Konoha were serving to awaken another power in the land..a power that was of pure evil and terror…the only power to rival the holy power of the Holy Dragon Sword….Holy Talon's only known equal was being awakened from it's own slumber…by the events that were now happening in Konoha…

--

Far away from Konoha…a deep distance away from the battle…

((("…war…")))

Deep in a cave…near the mountains…buried deep in the stone and earth…

((("The air…it's rank with it…It's beautiful")))

In the deepest part of the cave…filled with fire as molten rock and glowing crystals that cast a blood red and golden glow in the area…the rivers of liquid stone further added fuel to the hostility of the place…

((("I want to spill blood…I want to rend flesh…")))

In the middle of the cave was a tall pillar of volcanic rock shaped in the form of a claw reaching up to the sky…and on it's middle was the shadowy form of a sword and it seemed to glow…almost blood red…

((("Seek me out…my chosen one…seek me out…")))

As if reacting to the voice…the lava in the cave suddenly began to grow more intense and boil even hotter…casting an even more sinister glow in the cave and resulted in the increase to the power of the sword as the weapon was now being covered in a more intense glow of blood red…and black shadow…

((("And we shall conquer this wretched world and bathe it in blood!!")))

In the middle of the hand guard of the shadowy sword…metal parts in the shape of an eye-lid suddenly opened and out came a blood red reptilian eye with a black slit…the eye pulsed as if it was alive and glowed with a dark red glowed…pure evil…

((("I await you…MY Dragon Champion!")))

Death Fang was awakened…

--

To be continued…

Author's notes:

Sorry if some of the content's too thick or whatnot…but packing several Naruto episodes and adding your own work is not exactly easy to do…but I'm happy that it's finished.

If you desire any corrections to be done, then say so in the reviews and I'll make the needed changes to the story. I've been rather busy with so many ideas…both for my fanfics and real life so forgive me if it took me a while to get everything in the story fully organized and prepared.

It seems the invasion is underway and pardon me for the long time…because making an army from scratch is not exactly a simple matter and therefore I hope that the summoned army under Naruto's command is worth reading about…and it seems that we've hit a crucial point in the story…

Death Fang is awake…

The Chaos Dragon Sword will not yet be featured…but it's awakening will have reverberating effects in the Naruto world soon enough…and as to who will it choose to be it's master…THAT remains to be seen…so if you have ideas or suggestions…please say so…remember…only the most evil in the Naruto world may be able to command Death Fang.

There is also another interesting question that has to be answered…In the original series…Kin was sacrificed by Orochimaru to control one of the deceased Hokages…but in this story…she is not with Sound anymore but on the side of Konoha…su it begs to be asked…just who did Orochimaru use as a sacrifice in Kin's place…

Anyone here care to wager a guess?

That's all for now…I'll be out for a bit to get all my material worked out…so hang on and wait as I burn the midnight oil on this and my other works.


	15. The Will of Fire Part 1

Naruto - The Twin Swords

Disclaimer: I have no ownership of Naruto and all associated media of said series

Chapter 15

Part 1

The will of Fire

( ): Thoughts

((" ")): Holy Talon's voice

((( ))): Kyuubi's voice

--

'_Death and Life are part of the chain of existence…one can't exist without the other…Life End in Death, there is no denying that…'_

"_But from Death…comes Life…just as the trees die eventually, they will then become the soil where new trees will grow. And the life they give back to the Earth is remembered.'_

'_All mortal living beings seek immortality…some by dark and sinister means…and ancient power…but immortality is truly earned through spirit…and in the deeds one does and the legacy they leave behind in the hearts and minds of others.'_

'_That is true immortality…to be remembered forever for generations to come'_

Teachings of a Dagern scholar…

--

"Damn he moves fast…"

Naruto commented as he, Sakura, Pakkun, Shikamaru, Shino, and Kin were moving through the woods in tracking down Sasuke along with Gaara, Temari, and Kankurou. The small force was too large to say the least…but none of them had the will to count Shino out just yet and he did say that he was after Kankurou to settle an old score…no doubt not getting the chance to face the Sand ninja in the match.

"No kidding…what happened back there…what sort of thing was that arm that came out after Sasuke-kun and went back inside?!"

Sakura asked as she recalled seeing that ghastly…monstrous arm that came after Sasuke when he had used Chidori on Gaara's shield.

"I don't know…but I do know that Sasuke is in big trouble if we don't get there in time Sakura-chan!"

Naruto hated to lie in front of Sakura…but he couldn't say anything about what Gaara was…a demon container like him, he had to hurry before Gaara's mental state broke to the point that he would become a berserker, as Holy Talon had put it. The blonde ninja knew that this was going to be a seriously dangerous situation as Gaara was now over the edge…and that made him a dangerous foe…however, the Sand siblings and Sasuke had quite the lead on them and they all would have to move fast in order to reach them all in time or else things were going to get messy.

That was not the only thing as well…he had a feeling that is Sasuke's back was to the wall…he would be forced to rely on his Cursed Seal…Kakashi's warning on the matter was of very serious concern for Naruto as that would allow Orochimaru the chance to claim Sasuke's body and soul for his own…and in return…gain the Sharingan. He vowed never to let that happen and he was going to do just that.

As they made their way through the forest…it was then that the dog summon Pakkun sniffed the air and gave a growl of warning to the rest of them.

"What is it?"

"We've got pursuers…at least twelve Sound ninja closing in behind us."

The others gasped at the announcement as Pakkun began to tell them to try several techniques to evade their current pursuers at the moment and while it seemed that their plans had worked…it turned out to be a mistake as Pakkun then told them that their Sound pursuers were still after them and that they were getting even closer.

"Damn it…of all the things we don't need!"

Kin then spoke to Naruto.

"Can you summon more of those soldiers of yours to help us Naruto-kun?"

Naruto shook his head and decided against it as they couldn't afford to slow down and let Sasuke by himself against Gaara or else he would be killed…not mention that he needed to reserve his powers to battle Gaara.

"It would delay us and even if I can summon a detachment of them to come to our aid…it would take too long for them to get here…we're on our own."

Shikamaru sighed as he began to think up some solutions before this A-rank mission went down the tube and he was not in the mood to lose the situation at the moment. He thought it over and weighed the options and as soon as he was done analyzing the situation he spoke as they continued to move from branch to branch.

"We can set up and ambush to level the playing field."

Naruto nodded.

"Good idea there Shikamaru…but there's a catch to that plan you have is there?"

The Nara clan member nodded with a bit of a nod.

"The way to set up and ambush needs two things working for it, the runner has to be able to make zero noise in order to avoid being caught by the targets and be the one to spot the enemies first so the ambush can play out. The second is the find a good location so we can ambush the pursuers and do enough serious damage to finish or cripple them and then vacate the premises before the enemy has any reinforcements behind them to come in and follow up with the attack."

"If we don't do those things right…then those ninja…who are no doubt Jonin rank ninjas trained by Orochimaru would easily wipe us all out like we were nothing but dirt to be swept off a floor. There are some things we've got working for us in that regard…with the dog's nose, our knowledge of the terrain around Konoha, and the distance we have…this can work out."

Kin and the others nodded…with the exception of Naruto…he had a feeling that it wasn't that simple and his thoughts were correct as Shikamaru gave out another observation as he worked on what could very well work against them all.

"On the other hand…they might know the land just as well as we do…since Orochimaru taught them all…and since he is from Konoha, he must know the land well and no doubt told them all the possible places for a set up an ambush, and they no doubt will be prepared to counter any attempts since Orochimaru no doubt trained them for it…Given the fact the squad's composed of a still possible idiot, a dog, a female ninja with little to special traits, a still untrustworthy Sound Kunoichi I knocked out, a bug man, and a big coward like myself, then one of us will have to stay behind and set things up to resemble an ambush."

Kin and Sakura were not happy with the way Shikamaru described them….while Pakkun gave a very unhappy growl and a few swear words…no one knew if Shino was offended since he was not making any comments, and neither was Naruto…he decided not to dwell on things as they moved on, he had learned a lot from Holy Talon and knew that Shikamaru was right on all accounts, but there was more to this than just setting things up and he then asked a question the moment they slowed down.

"That being the case…who's going to stay behind? I can guess for a fact that if one of us stays behind…she or he is dead."

Shikamaru sighed and replied.

"I'll do it…I was the one who came up with the plan and I'm the one who's got the higher chance of surviving this. Besides…you all know that my Shadow Possession Jutsu is perfect for this kind of situation."

Sakura was not entirely convinced…she knew that Shikamaru wasn't exactly the kind to like to stand and fight.

"How can we be sure you might not decide to run away at the last minute?"

Kin was not as convinced either…

"I'll have to agree with Pink-hair here, you're jutsu worked well on me in the Preliminaries and you did get the one up on that fan wielding wind Kunoichi from Sand…but I doubt you could stand up to that many Sound ninja…not to mention the fact they may know how to counter that jutsu."

"What did you call me?!"

Kin merely smirked at Sakura…further angering the pink haired Kunoichi, however Naruto was not going to let their new argument stop them as he spoke gently to the two Kunoichi but with authority….the authority of not just a Konoha ninja, but a Dragon Champion as well.

"Calm down you two…we can't be distracted right now…Shikamaru won't run away…I can promise you that. He's the only one who can pull this plan off…after all he is right about his family jutsu being ideal for this situation."

Shikamaru smirked at that word of support from Naruto.

The two Kunoichi looked at Naruto and nodded, their argument placed aside for the moment as they sensed that Naruto was right. Though there was no doubt that Sakura was not going to let Kin slide off easily with that comment she had made about her hair.

Naruto then turned to the rest of the group, but before he could move on, Shikamaru spoke.

"By the way…thanks for the vote of confidence…besides Naruto…you have more power than anyone here in this group at the moment…if anyone can get there to Sasuke in time before that guy Gaara loses it completely…it's you…so don't you dare waste time and get yourself killed…got that?"

"Got it…I'll see you later Shikamaru."

"Count on it."

As the rest of them moved on…Kin gave a backward look to where they had left Shikamaru and decided to fall back and help that guy out…because she felt that it was far better for her to be there than being with Naruto, Pakkun, Shino, and Sakura as her skills were not that needed…besides…if anyone can go toe to toe with Gaara, it was Naruto.

Naruto turned as he felt Kin move back and he looked at the former Sound Kunoichi and wondered what was she planning…a sliver of fear made it's way into his heart and he feared that maybe she would side back with Sound…but he trusted Kin and she knew that as well as she spoke to both of them when they turned to look at her.

"I'll catch up with you later…I'll make sure that our Shadow user gets out of this mess alive."

"What are you doing?!"

Kin smiled a bit and replied.

"Paying Naruto-kun back for saving my life and giving me a chance for a new life…don't worry…I'll be fine."

Naruto looked at Kin and saw that she meant every word…and Holy Talon did tell him that she had every intention of getting back with them as soon as the ninja from Sound behind them were dealt with. He gave her a smile and she smiled back as she left to help Shikamaru…leaving Sakura alone with both Shino and Naruto…along with Pakkun. The pink haired Kunoichi was not happy with the situation…but they had little time to argue as they made their way to help Sasuke…

"Be careful then…Kin-san."

The former Sound Genin smiled and left…Naruto turned to Sakura, Shino, and Pakkun and spoke.

"Let's go."

Shino didn't hesitate and left ahead and since he was at full level of chakra and stamina…he was already ahead of the others and Naruto let him take the lead as Shino was an excellent tracker in his own right, he had a feeling that Shino was with them for a reason.

--

Back in Konoha…

The battle raged on as the combined might of the Sand and Sound forces found themselves being held back by the summoned armies of Dagern under the command of Naruto and Holy Talon, along with the newly reinforced ninjas of Konoha…who had been able to rally and reinforce themselves…given time by the valor, courage, and ferocity of the summoned soldiers under Naruto's orders.

Several of the Steel Lancers were able to force back a handful of Sand ninjas and then slam into them and cut them down before they could recover…but some of the other soldiers were not as lucky as the debris being flung about by the Snake Summon crashed into them…'killing' them and allowing the Sound ninja to inflict casualties on the summoned soldiers…however, the soldiers were not giving up as the Sound ninja force was attacked by Sword Adepts and War Blades…the two forces cut down the opposition while being supported by the Falcon Rangers and their other comrades.

The Silver Star Mages unleashed storms of fire balls, chain lightening bolts and more at their foes…while Dragon Clerics would move about and heal the wounds of their allies…both fellow Dagern soldiers and Konoha ninja.

The Snake Summon was being besieged by the combined forces of the village of Konoha and the Dagern Army, but they were not able to beat the creature easily due to it's size and while the weapons and spells hitting it were wounding the creature…it was not giving up as bodies of both Dagern soldier and Konoha ninja were being knocked about and sent flying…but the Dagern soldiers were not out of the fight just yet as Dragon Clerics, Silver Star Mages, and Song Maidens unleashed their full powers and the results were really explosive as what had once been thought as a quick and simple plan of eradication made by Orochimaru was made into an all out battle…

Several Sand ninja were fried into cinders when they were hit by a massive chain lightning spell from one lone Silver Star Mage and another band was blown away wind ball strike. The Silver Star Mages were then flanked a small band of Zealots, Sword Adepts, and Steel Lancers…along with some of the Falcon Rangers. In Dagern history…the reserve soldiers protected their support troops and rarely left their side unless the battle was dire…that was what made the men and women of various races who followed either the Holy or Chaos Dragons and their respective Dragon Champions were strong and enduring.

It became apparent what set them apart from the ninjas of both Sound and Sand was the fact that they were trained to endure the storm and fire of warfare and with their weapons, training…and armor…they were more than a match for the agile ninjas…who despite being faster than them…didn't have the endurance and protection of the Dagern soldiers…allowing them fight longer and harder as well…not only that…

The support from the Dragon Clerics, the Song Maidens, and the Silver Star Mages were more than adequate to make things even harder for the ninja invasion forces as the mages not only cast powerful offensive spells…but effective defensive ones as well. The Dragon Clerics' ability to heal wounds was also a boon to their allies as this allowed them to maintain themselves in the battle field…while there were no Medic Nins among the Sound and Sand…and since the Dragon Clerics were more than capable in beating the living tar out of anyone trying to kill them…the Sound and Sand were having a hell of a time trying to eliminate the Clerics…the Song Maidens' powers through their voices inspired the Dagern soldiers and Konoha ninja to fight with greater ferocity and skill…and with the songs' weakening effects on the invasion force…things were getting really bad for the invasion forces.

The Snake Summon was the one that did the most damage to Konoha as it crushed through the ranks of the defenders…this gave the Sound and Sand ninja the chance to even the score as numbers of the summon warriors from all the groups were there…but instead of bleeding…the summoned soldiers merely lay there and seemed to be asleep…that unnerved the ninja of Sound and Sand a good deal as despite their best efforts to cut through the armor…and succeeding…the summoned soldiers merely fell to the ground and lay there.

Morino wondered just how they were going to stop that monster summon…their unexpected yet not unwelcome allies proved to be able to go and stop the creature despite their casualties…but they seriously needed something powerful to stop the creature before it tore the village apart. The special Jonin was with several other ninja as the Snake summon managed to knock aside another band of Steel Lancers that tried to stab it's body with their heavy spears…along with several Zealots and Sword Adepts…Those warriors who were too badly 'injured' merely lay there…but the others got up and roared their battle cries and attacked once more.

"Those warriors that kid Naruto summoned have helped us greatly…but unless we get rid of that Snake Summon…we'll be over-run."

--

Jiraiya looked and sighed…he had gone back to see the barrier and knew that there was no way he could attack it and help Sarutobi…but he could help save the village from that Snake Summon…and he was going to do just that.

And he had the perfect summon to deal with that three headed serpent.

--

Sasuke managed to track Gaara and his siblings as he kept on the move…he however knew that he would have to be careful in this battle…he had no doubt in his mind that either Kankurou or Temari might stay behind and lay an ambush for him so they could buy Gaara enough time to fully recover and then things were going to get really problematic.

He stops and grabs a bit of sand…noting that there were some elements that were off in the sand…he realized that with Gaara the way he was…he was closing in on him and his siblings. He smiled a bit to himself and forced away the image of what he had seen in the arena before and continued his pursuit.

(I won't let you get away from me so easily Gaara…I don't know what power you had there before…but I will not be beaten here and now…I will beat you…one way or the other.)

--

The Sound ninja who were all in Jonin-level were NOT happy as they had been fooled by none other than Shikamaru as he had used fake foot and paw prints with some sticks and was able to restrain them with his Shadow Possession Jutsu, however…Shikamaru was in a bind as he realized that two of the Jonin had managed to evade his trap…his fear was realized as that meant that those two free Jonin would no doubt be moving in on his current location. And to make things even worse…was the fact that his chakra was not yet up to snuff to hold the current ten in it.

(Damn…I got to find them fast or I've had it…)

Shikamaru quickly used his Shadow Possession Jutsu to force the ninja to attack the area and that then gave him the chance to use the Shadow Possession Jutsu on the eleventh Jonin…however the other Jonin suddenly came right at him with a kunai in hand..however, that was when several Senbon suddenly came out and landed around Shikamaru and then the Jonin shook his head and missed the Leaf Genin as he seemed to be totally off balance for some reason. That allowed Shikamaru the chance to move and grip the twelfth Jonin…he was wondering what the heck had happen but when he saw the Senbon with the bells on them…he quickly made two and two together and turned a bit to see none other than Kin herself who was smiling at him.

"What the heck are you doing here?"

"Making sure you didn't decide to turn tail and run."

Kin leaped over and managed to land a powerful kick to the side of the head of the Jonin that she had managed to weaken with her use of her trademark Senbon and her own Genjutsu…the very same one she had used on Shikamaru. She then took out her kunai and got ready to fight as the Jonin got to his feet, and as expected…he was able to counter the Genjutsu Kin used and faced the two of them…he glared at Kin and spoke.

"So...the little traitor bitch shows herself…Orochimaru-sama was curious as to where you had gone Kin…and now he will know that you sided with his enemies…so just before we kill you, do you mind telling us why you betrayed Orochimaru-sama?"

"I had my eyes opened…and I was rescued by someone here in the village of Konoha from being used as a mere pawn!"

"You speak of that blonde Naruto? Hmm…I can see now why he was labeled a threat by Orochimaru-sama…if he can make you turn on your village…then he must die…after we're done with you…then we'll hand over his corpse to Orochimaru-sama…I'm sure he will enjoy paying back Naruto for injuring him."

Kin saw red at that as she heard of what Orochimaru would do to corpses and the thought of Naruto being subjected to that form of desecration, no way was she going to let that happen and with that in mind she quickly fired several more kunai and Senbon at the Jonin.

"DON'T YOU DARE LAY YOUR FILTHY HANDS ON NARUTO-KUN!!"

The Jonin moved away and quickly attacked as Kin managed to defend herself, the two clashed with one another…but Kin knew that her level of skill was not enough to best a Jonin…and that was true as she was knocked back and had a slash on her arm from the kunai of her foe.

Shikamaru groaned as he was reaching his chakra limit as his Shadow Possession Jutsu was now longer able to fully restrain the eleven Jonin he had been able to trap before. He barely had enough to help Kin as the Genin managed to lure away her opponent in the trees above.

And just his luck that his chakra had just run out…and the Jonin knew it as well.

"Looks like you've run out of chakra kid…and from what I can see…you've got nothing else under you're sleeve."

(Damn it, so this is how my life's going to end…all I ever wanted was to live a simple…quiet life, I'd be a regular ninja, a regular living for myself, be paid like one, marry a simple girl…not too pretty or too ugly, to have to kids, a boy and a girl…then I'd retire once my daughter was married and my son was a successful ninja, and live the rest of my life playing shogi or go and then die before my wife did…and now instead of all that…I'm in this mess…man, why did I get involved in this?)

Shikamaru turned to look at the Jonin and his Shadow Possession faded and now it was time for the Sound Jonin to make their move. The lead Jonin called out to his comrade.

"Hey…when you're done with that traitor up there…come down here and deal with this punk and take his head."

A form suddenly came down and Shikamaru got himself ready for face death…but he suddenly recognized that chakra signature. As soon as the smoke cleared out…there was not a Sound Jonin there…but a Leaf Jonin…and a very recognizable one at that.

Asuma grinned as he carried his defeated foe in one hand while Kin was right next to him, clutching her wounded arm but also smirking back at her former village comrades. The former Sound Genin was at dire straits when Asuma showed up and saved her life…and she quickly informed him of the situation and he decided to get involved.

"Sorry…but you're comrade's out of the game at the moment."

Kin replied with a smile on her face as she held her wounded arm for a moment and then took out another kunai in her still working arm.

"Right you are…so I finally caught up with the rest of you…including you Shikamaru."

The Leaf Genin turned and spoke to his sensei.

"Asuma?! How did you get here?!"

"That's a dumb question to be asking your sensei you dolt! I thought you were smarter than that."

"Hey…quit making such annoying remarks."

"Hah…if I wasn't wounded or injured…I'd kick you in the butt for that remark."

Asuma smiled and quickly tossed away the unconscious Sound Jonin and quickly went to work on the other eleven. Three of them got decked out hard by the Leaf Jonin, one had his face hit by Asuma's trench knives…namely the brass knuckles part, the other got cut down by the knife part by one of the blades…while the third got hit by both weapons as Asuma hit with both knuckles and blade…the Jonin tried to take him out with their kunai…but it turned out to be a replacement jutsu as they hit only a log with their weapons.

Asuma came down and smashed his legs into the chest of another Jonin and introduced a powerful heel kick to the side of the head of another Jonin…knocking him out cold while sending him like a missile and knocking out another of his comrades…two more tried to leap over Asuma with weapons drawn…but he was able to take them out and managed to eliminate the remaining Jonin as Shikamaru and Kin watched the battle…Kin had to admit that Shikamaru's sensei's skills were impressive as well.

"Now if only you were as get go as your sensei…you would go places…you know that?"

Shikamaru glared at Kin who smirked back at him.

"Women…you can never figure them out…"

Asuma finished off his foes and grinned back at Shikamaru. The Sound Jonin were totaled and the Leaf Genin sat down and groaned.

"You did great Shikamaru…take a break…you've earned it."

"Thanks….gaaahhh…that was too much work!"

"Quit whining already. You do know we still have to catch up with the others right?"

--

Naruto and his group continued their pursuit and Naruto was getting really worried about what might happen if they didn't reach Sasuke in time before Gaara lost full control of himself and gave over to the Demon Shukaku…but knowing his team-mate's desire to be stronger…the blonde ninja knew that things were going to be really bad if Sasuke went beyond their range.

(Sasuke-teme…don't you do anything foolish…that Gaara is no ordinary foe…)

He didn't want to even guess what would be the outcome of the fight if Gaara allowed himself to be utterly taken over by the demon residing inside of him.

(Sasuke-kun…please be all right…)

--

Ahead of Sasuke…

"Come on Kankurou…we've got to move faster!"

Temari shouted to her sibling as she, Kankurou and Gaara made their way through the forest. The two managed to get their distance…but they knew that they were being followed by Sasuke…Kankurou growled at Sasuke's persistence…while Temari realized that his time…they had other pursuers on them.

(More of them…four of them…great, we have five pursuers now…)

"All right! Hang on!"

--

Sarutobi got ready as he saw the kunai with tags on them in Orochimaru's hands…seeing the First and Second Hokages brought to life in such a manner angered him to no end…but now he put his anger aside and realized that now was the time for him to show just what he was capable of doing despite his age.

Orochimaru smiled at that look and got ready with the kunai…

"That army Naruto-kun summoned might have halted my plans for now Sarutobi-sensei…but I will not be denied my chances…now let's begin shall we?"

--

Back in the Forest…

Temari checks the ground through placing her ear on the branches while she and Kankurou paused to check just how far their pursuer was…the blonde used her chakra to improve her hearing and determined that unless they slowed him or her down a bit…then whoever was in the lead pursuer position would be right on top of them.

"I guess a few traps are in order…I'll be right back!"

Kankurou sighed and quickly moved on ahead while Temari got some wire and got ready to set up an ambush…

Minutes later…Sasuke cursed himself for making the rookie mistake of letting his guard down as he stumbled into one of the traps Temari had managed to set up despite the time and distance between them…he should have guessed that they would have made some traps to slow him down…but he had hoped to get to them before they had the chance of doing just that.

Picking himself up from the explosions…he quickly made his way back to the pursuit…not willing to be out done like this.

--

"What were those?"

Sakura asked as she and the others moved on. Pakkun naturally was able to tell just what the heck had just happened.

"Trip wire traps and explosive tags…they certainly don't want Sasuke pursuing them…"

"Do you think he's?"

"Don't worry Sakura-chan…Sasuke's not the kind to be slowed down by that method…knowing him and that drive he's got…he's probably moving on and catching up with Gaara and his siblings."

"I hope you're right Naruto-kun…let's go."

(I hope this Naruto kid's right on the money…cause I have a feeling this is merely the beginning of one heck of a fight.)

--

Back on the roof in Konoha…

The ANBU captain looked on with his subordinates…one of them had slammed into the barrier before and had died in flames…and since their original plan of dealing with the Sound Elite had failed…they had no choice but to stand by and wait and hope that the Hokage would be able to hold on until they had found a solution to the situation they were currently in.

(Hokage-sama…hang on…)

Orochimaru smiled and then decided to humor his former mentor on something.

"Are you curious as to who this came about Sarutobi-sensei? How did I manage to resurrect the First and Third?"

"I do not care…I will stop you no matter what method you used to commit this sacrilege of the dead!"

"Well let me explain either way…at you will know who it was done when you die…you see…my Edo Tensei Jutsu relies on not just drawing out the souls of the chosen ones I have resurrected…but the use of a living human sacrifice…the sacrifice namely allows the spirits to mold the bodies into their own…and with these tags…I can erase their personalities and make them my own slaves…naturally…they will have all of their inborn abilities when they were still alive in this world…quite ingenious actually…I have to work for nearly two years to master this jutsu."

"You have truly fallen Orochimaru…the sacrilege of the Hokages…and this…I will make you pay dearly for it!"

"Come now sensei…as I were to recall, you used to tell Jiraiya that he should be like me more often…remember…now…enough talk…you have no idea what it feels like to know that you will kill the one you once called sensei. Now then…attack!"

The First and the Second Hokages…now nothing more than puppets launched their attacks on Sarutobi, the elderly Hokage knew of his weak points…but he was not going to give up like this and let Orochimaru destroy the village he himself had protected years before in his prime and now…he will not fail this fight no matter what would happen. The first unleashed his barrage of attacks while his brother the Second Hokage followed up, the two showed why they had the ability to be Hokages as their punches and kicks were too fast for normal eyes to see properly…however Sarutobi was not the kind to give up and quickly made the needed hand seals and unleashed another jutsu.

"KATON, KARYUU ENDAN!!"

The Dragon shaped projectile of fire moved in and forced the First to move away, but his brother the Second was skilled with the Water Element…to the point that he could very well summon water anywhere and unleashed his own jutsu to counter the technique of his own former student Sarutobi.

"SUITON, SUJINHENKI!!"

The massive wall of water immediately blocked the Third's Karyuu Endan as Water naturally defeats Fire and with that, the Second quickly unleashes his own attack as a follow up while Orochimaru was looking on with utter glee and amusement.

The Third then summoned the counter and used his hand seals.

"DOTON, DORYUHENKI!!"

The massive wall of Earth came from the roof and blocked the massive barrage of water and allowed the Third to get away from the flood, but the First naturally attacked and quickly got Sarutobi with a few well aimed hits…but the elderly Hokage didn't become the Hokage and the 'Professor' for nothing as he evened up the odds a bit with counter attacks of his own. However the Second turns the ground into water and quickly drags the Third down into the water, however, the Hokage counters and is back on his feet…however, the First is far from finished as he unleashes yet another devastating attack and the one technique that had made him one of the most famed members of the clan he belonged to…not to mention a rare and powerful jutsu.

"MOKUTON HIJUTSU JAIKAI KOUTAN!!"

(Damn it…I should have known he would use that jutsu…it's his blood line trait after all.)

Sarutobi was then caught by the roots of a tree… a tree grown from the chakra of the First Hokage and the branches quickly caught him due to his lowering speed and then began to strangle him. The Third managed to hold on but knew that he would have to hurry and quick if he wanted to avoid being choked to death…he quickly made some hand seals and summoned an ally of his…while the trees quickly grew everywhere on the roof of the arena building.

"Looks like this fight is over eh sensei?"

Sarutobi glared and replied.

"You forgot the first lesson I see…"

"Oh?"

"Never think it's over! SUMMONING JUTSU!! MONKEY KING ENMA!!"

The smoke filled the area and the place moved as if hit by an explosion and suddenly before Orochimaru and his Hokage puppets, the Sound Five and the ANBU…the new arrival was a massive monkey who was decked in a regal and functional ninja uniform and seemed to be highly intelligent and stro9ng…Orochimaru however had a very clear idea as to who this new comer was.

"I should have known…the old Monkey King Enma himself…"

Enma looked at the three as he went a bit closer, but his gaze was directed only to one in question…Orochimaru himself…if the animal summon was surprised to see the resurrected Hokages…he was not showing it as he glared darkly at Orochimaru.

"You again…I should have known that this was going to happen…"

Enma then turned and spoke to Sarutobi with disappointed resignation.

"I told you Sarutobi…you should have killed him when you had that chance all those years ago, that foolish choice you made to spare him…look what that decision has brought on you."

"I know Enma…but now I intend to follow through this time…I will kill Orochimaru…even if it has been too long since then."

"It's already been too long old friend…but I guess that there's not much left for us to do now is there?"

"Quickly Enma! ADAMANTINE STAFF!!"

Orochimaru glared as he knew the implications of that order and quickly turned to his two puppets.

"STOP HIM NOW!! HE MUST NOT TRANSFORM!!"

The two Hokages managed to rush up there and get ready to attack, but Enma…despite looking far older as well…showed his powerful strength and an overhead fist sent the Second Hokage smashing to the ground, while the First was kicked aside like a toy. The Monkey King Summon was now ready for a true as the ANBU looked on in awe as they had never hoped to see a Kage level battle in their life-times. Orochimaru smiled a bit and then summoned out Kusanagi…the only weapon that could still harm Enma even in his staff form…however the Monkey King then noted something was off…

"The Kusanagi seems…different now…it may seem like my own eyes deceive me...but it looks as if the Kusanagi has been damaged somehow…even broken."

Sarutobi looked on and smiled a bit as he noted that the Kusanagi was lacking something in itself…

"I see Naruto's attacks have done their work…you may have re-forged the Kusanagi Orochimaru…but now…it's power is not the same as it used to be…I can tell that the power Naruto used has left it's mark on your sword."

Orochimaru glared at his former sensei…and had to agree…the Kusanagi was never the same after Naruto had broken it in half…with a good portion of it's once unbreakable blade shattered by whatever technique Naruto had used… a portion of it's power had been depleted and lost to him. Thankfully, the said sword was not under Sarutobi's control.

"Maybe so…that brings me to another plan I had…I know you know more about the sword than you let on sensei…so before I kill you…I will KNOW all there is to know about that beautiful sword."

Sarutobi snorted and replied.

"You're not that arrogant are you Orochimaru? You should know by now that Holy Talon will NEVER obey you…as I recalled from talking with Naruto…it nearly incinerated you and even your healing abilities were nearly spent by that one incident."

Orochimaru winced at the memory…though he had recovered…the feeling of the white and golden flames consuming the right side of body was still fresh on his mind…but he put those thoughts aside for the moment.

"I have not forgotten…but as soon as I know all about it's powers and how it was made…from you sensei…then I will make a sword that will rival that one…better yet I will find a way to corrupt that sword and it shall belong to me."

Despite the seriousness of the battle, Sarutobi couldn't help but grin as he got ready with Enma in hand in his staff form.

"You have no idea of what Holy Talon is at all…do you Orochimaru? Then here's something to make sure you understand…it's a weapon that far exceeds anything that exists in the world we are in…the fact that it broke the Kusanagi in half, summoned Dragons, armies, and nearly killed you in battle shows that it is NOT some mere toy for you to play with…it is more than a living sword…but the very symbol of divine power…power neither you…nor I could ever hope to master. Only Naruto is chosen to wield it's awesome might…and I doubt that it's creator will ever make another…nor make one for you."

"Really? Then I will persuade him or her to tell me…before I give that person a slow and painful death. I am very…persuasive after all."

"Holy Talon's master will NEVER bow to your will Orochimaru…and you will NEVER find him…and if you do kill me…you will still fail in that new plan of yours."

"We shall see!"

The two clashed as Sarutobi used the transformed animal summon in both defensive and offensive maneuvers while Orochimaru blocked and attacked at the same time. However the Hokage knew that he couldn't afford to relax and his worries prove to be accurate as he was attacked by the First Hokage. However, he was not giving up as he managed to use an explosive tag and then he did the same thing to the Second before he was knocked aside…he was exhausted and he knew why.

(I would have been able to beat Orochimaru…back then…when I had the stamina and the chakra reserves…I could have used Kage Bushin to even the odds and use my chakra to keep it up…but I am not that same person anymore…my years are long past me…)

Sarutobi looked at Orochimaru as the former student gloated and taunted him…but he was not listening as he thought back on that fateful day he found out about how far into the depths his former student had fallen…and he recalled how saddened he was…however he knew that this was not the time to be weepy and with a roar of fury, the elderly Hokage attacked his former student and that allowed him to get him in a position where Enma managed to release his hand from his staff form and managed to grip Orochimaru's neck. The Snake Sannin was being strangled by the animal summon…but he suddenly turned into a pile of mud and managed to escape and then Sarutobi realized that there was only one option left…it was suicidal and it would result in his absolute death…but to finally atone for his actions and to stop his former student…it was worth it.

(I will stop you…even if I have to use the one jutsu I swore to myself to never use…)

However…he suddenly noted that Orochimaru had something to say to him…considering the blasted smug look the man. He then noted that the limbs of the Hokages had been regenerated…making him realize that normal ninja tactics would be useless on them both and that extreme measures had to be undertaken to defeat them.

"By the way Sarutobi-sensei…here's another Jutsu I would like to show you…I have finally mastered it after all this time."

What Sarutobi saw in the next few minutes was enough to further show him how evil Orochimaru had become and his rage further increased. Orochimaru laughed even more as he relished this battle…and this further angered Sarutobi as Orochimaru showed his younger body.

"You really are a demon now! This was the very reason I chose to never have you become Hokage…especially the lives you've sacrificed and ruined to master that vile jutsu."

He recalled the day that he and a small squadron of his fellow ninja infiltrated Orochimaru's hidden research lab to find out if his former student was truly responsible for the kidnappings of a considerable number of villagers…and there…he saw the remains of his own people…and the utterly remorseless nature of his former number one student as he planned to use this very jutsu to cheat death and gain immortality to master all the jutsus that existed in the world.

"I care little for that foolish title Sarutobi-sensei…but after I kill you…I will transfer my soul and mind to Sasuke-kun and then NOTHING will stop me from accomplishing my dream."

The First Hokage then summed a massive tree to fill the entire dome and there as he heard the horrible truth from Orochimaru and saw it for himself…Sarutobi felt the anger….as Orochimaru's former teacher…he had hoped to turn his student from this path, but that night…as he and Enma destroyed the lab and all of the horrors within…he realized that it truly was a horrible mistake to let Orochimaru live…

(I will do this…even if I die…I will never let you succeed Orochimaru!)

"You may have managed to master that jutsu Orochimaru…but I know one jutsu that you never had known…and this will be the one I will use to kill you!"

--

Back in the Forest…

Pakkun and the others moved on and he got a whiff of the scent…and stopped.

"What is it now?"

Naruto and Sakura stopped as the dog sniffed the air to be sure about something and then gave his answer.

"Sasuke seems to have slowed down…and if that's the case, then he must be facing someone from the three we're pursuing…and judging by the smell…it's a female ninja he's fighting."

"That must be Temari he's fighting…come on…we've got to move."

--

Sure enough…

Sasuke looked on as Temari was before him…the eldest of the Sand Siblings had decided to stay behind and stall Sasuke's advance…he knew well enough that she was not someone to look down on and while he had not seen the battle between her and Shikamaru…he knew well enough that ranged combat with that fan and wind is what she was the best at.

(This is going to be something…I can't waste too much of my chakra to take her out…she probably stayed behind to buy her brothers time to recover…I've got no doubt she's not going to let me past her that easily….I guess I have no choice then.)

Temari on the other hand was in a situation of her own.

(I used up a good portion of my chakra fighting that lazy Genin Shikamaru…I have to keep him from knowing that and buy Gaara and Kankurou time to recover…at least I get to fight a better looking guy than that lazy one…shame it's not Naruto Uzumaki I'm fighting…as much as I dislike losing…losing to that hunk isn't that bad.)

"So I get to fight you Sasuke Uchiha…and you were the one who followed us…so…let's get down to this fight shall we?"

Temari unleashed a massive barrage of wind at Sasuke who used the trees as cover and he contemplated whether to use Chidori to quickly incapacitate the blonde Sand ninja…but decided against it as he might need to use it on Gaara…he wondered a bit if that meant having to fight Kankurou and while was not familiar with the way Gaara's elder brother fought…he knew that he couldn't afford to be careless at the moment.

Temari upped the ante as she used one of her trademark techniques to flush Sasuke out of the area.

"NINPOU KAMAITACHI!"

The wind began slicing into the trees…leaving massive gashes on them and slicing off weaker branches…Sasuke moved out of the area to avoid being turned into sushi by air pressure and kept on the move as Temari kept on attacking with the said technique…however…it didn't take very long for Temari to even up the odds once more between him and her.

"NINPOU FUUSAJIN!"

The Dust wind pinned him down near a tree and Sasuke realized that the only way he was going to get past the Wind Mistress of Sand was to take that fan away from her so he can take her out quickly.

"KATON HOUSENKA NO JUTSU!!"

Temari quickly moved out of the way of the number of fireballs coming right at her and moved along to get a better angle of attack and used her fan to unleash a gust of wind at Sasuke to further disrupt his balance…however Sasuke was not going to let this go down quickly and used yet another family jutsu of his clan.

"KATON GAUKANKYUU NO JUTSU!!"

Temari dodges the massive stream of fire coming right at her and quickly used her previous jutsu to make Sasuke move and right into her trap as he slipped on the sand left behind by her secondary attack, and she quickly capitalized on that mistake to throw a pair of kunai and they struck Sasuke right on the back..she sighed a bit as she heard the groan and she landed near Sasuke and decided to assess whether he was dead from the two kunai buried in his back…but her face changed to shock as the body of Sasuke suddenly poofed and revealed itself to be a log.

"A replacement jutsu?!"

She had no time to recover as she spotted and explosive tag that was already lit and she quickly moved away as the tag exploded, she was then thrown backwards and hit the tree…she recovered and saw that Sasuke…the real one merely snorted at her and went away.

(That guy's good…but he's a real wise-ass!...Damn it…he's going to catch up to Gaara and Kankurou soon…I have to hide before the other pursuers behind him find me…or I've had it….be safe you two.)

Temari…despite her injuries managed to find a place to hide…with her chakra drained…there was no way she could make an ambush to stop the others that were behind Sasuke and as such, she decided to rest and hope that she would be able to recover enough strength, chakra, and stamina to reach her siblings in time.

--

Orochimaru was intrigued at this and smirked at his former teacher as he had remodeled the body back to his older form and he replied to Sarutobi's words.

"A jutsu that can kill me? And a jutsu that I know NOTHING about? Then show me this vaunted jutsu…Sarutobi-sensei!"

"Gladly!"

The ANBU and their leader could only hear parts of the conversation as the trees summoned by the resurrected First Hokage had blocked their sight to the inside of the roof dome…and they only prayed that whatever jutsu their leader had in hand…it would be truly enough to finally end the life of the traitorous monster Orochimaru.

Sarutobi then created three clones to even up the odds with the three foes he faced as he began to make the hand seals needed to use the jutsu…this was the very same jutsu that his fellow Hokage…the Fourth used to finally end the bloody rampage of the Kyuubi…and he knew just what the price of this jutsu was as he cast the jutsu.

"SHIKI FUUJIN!!"

He managed to survive another assault as the First Hokage and concentrated on the jutsu than that and Orochimaru's further taunts. Behind him was the Death God itself and the devilish entity carried it's knife in it's mouth…and sure enough…he sensed his own soul not in the grip of the Death God and in moments…the arm of the Death God pushed it's way into his soul's back.

"AAAAUUUUUGGGGGHHHH!!"

The pain was great as while he was not physically harmed by the jutsu…it was then that he decided that since the jutsu was done…he now had to make his move and sure enough his Kage Bushin rushed out and quickly caught two of his targets…revealing none other than the First and Second Hokages…the Darkness that had flooded the area faded and in that moment Sarutobi managed to break Orochimaru's hold on the souls of his former teachers as he bade them farewell as their bodies began to break down and return to the dust and earth that formed them. He vowed to give his life…recalling their words to him when he was younger. And when he looked at the piles of ash, he spotted the faces of both Zaku and Dosu…both Genin were dead as their souls had been lost in the Jutsu started by Orochimaru…the callous way he sacrificed his own agents and villagers sickened Sarutobi.

"You used your own people as pawns for your own gain…I will never forget that."

"I will kill you yet sensei."

The two fought once more as Sarutobi used Enma in his normal staff form and Orochimaru used the Kusanagi to fight back but the fight was quickly drawn in as Sarutobi was able to knock aside the sword and Enma reached for Orochimaru but was blocked by the snakes summoned…however that allowed Sarutobi to grab Orochimaru and get him ready for the Death God to extract his soul.

The very second Orochimaru felt the spectral arm of the insidious Death God enter his body…a feeling of pain filled his being…pain that while not equaling the pain he felt when holy Talon's flames burned him was enough to make him fearful…after witnessing what had happened to the previous foes…he knew that unless he stopped his former sensei from using the jutsu, he would die for sure as the arm began to pull back and take out his soul.

Orochimaru knew what had to be done and while his control over the Kusanagi was not the same after it was broken by Naruto and Holy Talon, he was not going to give up. The sword flew right at Sarutobi's back and Enma…now in his normal form managed to grab the sword…but the weapon cut deeply into Sarutobi…however what stunned both Enma and Orochimaru was the fact that Sarutobi didn't budge…even with the sword sticking out from his chest.

"Sarutobi…"

"Why didn't you dodge old man?"

"There was no need to do so…for Shiki Fuujin Jutsu takes the very life of the user anyway. For you see….the price of the summoning of the Death God for this sealing jutsu is the soul of the user in exchange for banishing his foe's own soul into the waiting maw of oblivion Orochimaru…even if you…didn't use your Kusanagi to stab me in the back…I am still going to die anyway."

Orochimaru tried to escape but a cold realization hit him as he felt his body begin to freeze up.

(My jutsu…I can't use them!!)

"This just was developed by the Fourth Hokage…the Great Hero who stopped the bloody rampage of the Kyuubi…I will die once this seal if finished…but I will die knowing that I will be taking you with me into hell!"

"This is…the jutsu that bested the Kyuubi then sealed him up inside Naruto-kun."

"Take a good long look at your own soul Orochimaru…for inch by inch it will be taken from you, and as your body dies slowly from the extraction you will be alive long enough to see it taken and bid it farewell as it will be sealed forever in the stomach of the Death God…"

"What?!"

(My body…it's not moving…I…can't move my body!)

"But do not think that your suffering will end…for your soul and mine will be bound there in everlasting hatred and unceasing combat for all eternity until the very end of this world! You will never find rest or peace in the stomach of the Death God…a fate you so richly deserve you traitorous devil…now prepare to die and be the food of the Death God!!"

Orochimaru looked on at his former teacher and saw that he meant every word and then saw the Death God take it's knife and reap off the souls of the dead, namely that of the First, the Second, Dosu, and Zaku and with one slash of the spectral knife it carried, the Death God severed them from the world of the living and began to feast on them as they entered his mouth…it then directed it's hungry and demonic gaze right at him.

Orochimaru fought back his fear and called forth his anger and hatred and shouted back at his former teacher.

"You old fool! I will not cower like a frightened child! I will kill you yet!"

With that he managed to force the Kusanagi to slowly push it's way through his former teacher's back. Sarutobi groaned in pain but was not going to give up and lose this battle…too much was at stake for him to give up now.

--

"So…I finally found you."

Kankurou glared as he spotted Sasuke facing them and Gaara was still not ready to fight yet…a seriously risky situation if he ever saw one…it was then that Temari showed up…somehow the young woman had managed to get enough strength and stamina to reach her brothers…but she knew that there was no way she could fight Sasuke and protect Gaara at the very same time…Kankurou knew that to be true as well and got ready to fight. He was happy his sister was still alive but she was low on chakra and was not going to be able to fight at her best.

"Sorry Kankurou, I guess I failed in delaying him."

"At least you're alive…and every second is enough for Gaara…now…"

He then handed Gaara to Temari and spoke to his sister.

"Take Gaara…I'll see if I can't get this pest off our backs permanently."

"But Kankurou…"

"Look sis…don't argue with me on this…you're low on chakra and you'll only injure yourself further…and you'll get in the way in this state."

"But…"

"Don't argue…get Gaara out of here…I'll catch up with up you and him when I deal with this pest."

Temari realized that Kankurou was right and she would only be a hindrance in this fight…she then nodded and took Gaara with her, while Kankurou got ready to face Sasuke…and while he had to admit that Sasuke was no slouch…having wounded Gaara…he had no doubt low chakra having fought not just with Gaara, but Temari as well…and while Kankurou was not that skilled a tactician…he knew that he had an advantage as he had not used up his chakra just yet.

Sasuke looked on and saw Kankurou take off that puppet of his and he gave a slight growl.

(This isn't good…his chakra level is at it's highest…he must have forfeited his match while I was away…and that means he's at a full tank while I'm down to half already…I have to get past him without wasting what's left of my chakra…)

"You may have beaten Temari…but this is far as you go!!"

Sasuke got ready…but suddenly out of nowhere came Shino…apparently the bug user had left behind both Naruto and Sakura while they had watched Kin stay behind to aid Shikamaru. The bug user looked at both of them and spoke to Sasuke.

"You should get going Sasuke…this fight is mine."

"Shino?"

"This one tried to weasel his way out of a match with me…and if there's one thing I despise…it's not having a fight with my chosen foe…go and get Gaara."

"What the hell are you doing here?"

Shino faced Kankurou and replied.

"It's fairly obvious isn't it…the Chuunin Exams may be postponed with this invasion…but you and I STILL have a match to finish…and you are not walking away from this one."

"How did you find us?"

"I planted a bug on you earlier…the female bug emits a very faint scent…so faint that not even that ninja dog summon can smell it…but my bugs can…the pheromone drives the male bugs nuts and they'll follow it no matter where it is at the moment. But enough about that detail…Gaara is your real target…not this one…he on the other hand is mine"

Sasuke saw that reasoning with Shino was out of the question and smiled.

"All right then…good luck Shino."

As soon as Sasuke left…Shino looked at Kankurou and Kankurou looked right back at him. The two traded words and that was the end of that as Shino got himself ready. Kankurou knew that this fight was going to be something he was not going to have an easy time with since this guy Shino had some unique skills and the bugs freaked him out as well…he wasn't scared of bugs as a kid…but the way this Shino guy used them was a bit unsettling.

Pakkun smelled the air and told the two ninja following him that Shino had engaged another member of the Sand Siblings and while Naruto worried that he might have engaged Gaara, he was told by the ninja dog that Gaara's smell was too far away and that he was accompanied by a female and chased by Sasuke…with that in mind…both him and Sakura decide to take the long way aside to let Shino do his thing.

--

The battle was now about to begin…that much Shino knew as he faced Kankurou…the Aburame clan heir knew a good portion of what the Sand Sibling was capable of doing with that doll weapon of his that was still wrapped in bandages behind his back. Kankurou wasted no time and got out his puppet and attacked.

Shino knew that being attacked by the puppet was a bad idea…but that was proven even more when the puppet unleashed several hidden blades from different parts of it's body and from what Shino smelled and with the aid of his bugs…there was strong poison there on those blades as well…if he got hit…then he was in major trouble.

He was able to dodge the attacks well, but knew that his best chance was to engage Kankurou and fast so that he could get that puppet of his out of the way for him to defeat Kankurou. He was able to close in and see that while Kankurou was skilled as a puppet user…the focus required to control his puppet Kurasu meant that he was weak in close combat and he managed to attack but Kankurou evaded the attack and got some distance.

(Damn…he found out my weak point…but as long as I make him keep his distance…the advantage is still with me here.)

He came close to finishing off Shino…but the wily bug user was able to even the odds with his own Bushin comprised of bugs and this fight was proving to be tough for the middle sibling of Gaara and Temari. However he was able to hit Shino with a blast of his puppet's hidden poison gas weapon and he now had the advantage…however Shino was able to use his bugs to gum up Kurasu's joints and render the puppet unable to move…

Kankurou however was not going to give up just yet as he detached the head of his puppet and showed that he could control the puppet regardless of having to disconnect from them…and with Shino affected by the poison as he was on his knees…it was going to be an end to this fight.

"Now I've…what the?!"

Kankurou was shocked when he felt his body begin to lock up and he felt his stamina apparently beginning to be drained. He saw the chakra strings on his hands fade away and then he spotted the bugs on his hands…the bugs were taking out the chakra from him but how did that happen.

"What's going on?! How did they?"

"How did my bugs get to you…I think it's obvious…weren't you paying attention?"

"What the hell do you mean?!"

"I hate explaining the same thing twice…that punch I threw before…I wasn't missing…I merely had to give you a passenger…when I attacked I made sure to place a bug on your forehead…and it's the kind that all the other bugs LOVE to track down."

"You put a female bug on me…"

"Good guess…now our fight is over."

Kankurou fell down and was out for the count as his chakra was eaten by Shino's bugs.

Shino sighed and felt his own body begin to get sluggish as he was still affected by the poison in his body…Shino however decided to rest for now and use his chakra to kill the poison and allow his bugs the chance to force the poison out…he didn't have that much training in that sort of thing…but it was better than nothing.

--

Ibiki and his fellow ninja looked on and blocked several debris from their faces as the giant Snake summon attacked the village…ripping apart buildings and killing more of the Konoha ninja, and sending their Dagern allies. Ibiki hoped that they had some back up apart from Naruto's summoned army…but things were looking real bad.

However they heard a voice shout out and it was a summoning jutsu and then a massive explosion occurred and one of the heads of the Snake Summon was crushed.

"YATAI KUZUSHI NO JUTSU!!"

(That jutsu…I know that one!)

"My, my, Ibiki…you've grown…what have you been eating these past few years…you used to be such a little squirt last I saw you."

Ibiki looked to see a massive toad with swords on it's back and a certain someone he recognized quite easily.

"Jiraiya-sensei!!"

"One of the Sannin?! All right!!"

The other ninja nearby who were on the side of Konoha cheered as Jiraiya…after making the usual introductions quickly finished off the Snake Summon. As soon as that happened…the Konoha ninja began to get back into the fight as the Dagern soldiers came back into the fight.

Jiraiya then turned to Ibiki and quickly asked.

"Where's the Third Hokage?"

Ibiki pointed to the still present barrier and Jiraiya did not like the looks of that situation and decided to help with the defense…once the invaders were pushed back…he would get moving and help his sensei in beating his former team-mate.

--

Elsewhere…

Temari shook her head and was now seeing Sasuke and Gaara face each other…she had tried to heal Gaara, but he knocked her aside and she was out of it as Gaara spoke to Sasuke and from the tone in her brother's voice. She knew that things were about to get hairy…and when Gaara began to scream she knew what that meant as fear fell on her heart and mind.

Sasuke looked on with shock as Gaara's gourd began to meld with his body to create the same monstrous arm that had grabbed him back in the arena and this time he knew that there was going to be nothing that would stop Gaara from unleashing his full power on him and whoever he got his sights on.

Gaara now wanted to goad Sasuke out for a fight and this time he talked to the Uchiha as he continued to transform, he then decided to goad Sasuke even further and spoke on how he knew that Sasuke seemed to have the same eyes as he did…but unlike him…Sasuke had friends and a purpose and he planned to make his name known…to be the one who killed Sasuke Uchiha…the last of the Uchiha Clan and then he would kill Naruto to further show his goals…to be strong.

Sasuke had no idea what was going on here and spoke as he managed to avoid Gaara's murderous rampage all over the place and he spoke to the enraged Sand Sibling.

"Why the heck are you like this?!"

"I will kill you…for you are the first to cause me pain…the pain that I have long wished to feel…and I will kill you to prove that I have a reason to exist!! This is a battle to the death Uchiha!!"

Sasuke knew that the time for talking was over and they fought one another and he knew that his best chance was to use Chidori and it was his only chance to slice through the Sand form that was covering Gaara but he had to time it just right to get a solid hit on Gaara…if he missed then he was in real trouble now.

With that in mind…Sasuke began summoning his chakra and then the Lighting chakra and once he gathered the energy needed he faced Gaara. Gaara roared with glee and attacked…using his monstrous arms to move and attack Sasuke. Sasuke then unleashed Chidori and in a moment the two ninja slammed into one another. Gaara intended to crush Sasuke into a pulp with his Shukaku arm and then he would revel in Sasuke's death.

The Chidori cut right through the Shukaku arm and Sasuke hoped that it was enough…however…he was stunned to see that his last ditch attempt to finish Gaara was worthless as Gaara laughed manically and had recovered his sand arm. The sand that composed the gourd continued to cover Gaara until it made him even more like a demon beast and a tail finally appeared.

Sasuke was in a bad strait as he realized that his last attempt at Chidori was now wasted and he would only have to rely on his normal methods of attack. He recalled Kakashi's warning when he had been teaching him the Chidori

--

Flashback…

"Remember Sasuke…at you're current chakra power level, you can only use Chidori two times each day…if you attempt to go beyond that…you will severely damage your chakra reserves and the Chidori won't function properly and you will be unable to use your chakra."

"At best, you're chakra will be reduced to zero…and at worst…you will die. And even if you will survive…the damage will be severe indeed. So the bottom line Sasuke…is NEVER to try using it more than two times."

End of Flashback…

--

Sasuke gritted his teeth together as he attempted to use his shuriken and kunai…sadly the weapons couldn't cut through Gaara's sand armor namely in his bestial form and even with his family jutsu…namely the Katon Goukakyuu No Jutsu which Gaara shrugged of with no ill effects…and with one swipe of his sand form tail. Gaara was angry and began to insult him to see if he had enough power to continue fighting him.

"You're weak Sasuke…you may have the eyes…but you don't have the drive and power to beat me…and you can never kill the one you seek with that power…you are a weakling Sasuke Uchiha!!"

(Damn it! This guy's really angering me…that's it…I will beat you Gaara…even if I have to use the seal!!)

Sasuke knew that his plan was going to be a high risk one as the Cursed Seal would no doubt be even more controlling of him, but he decided to use it to amplify and re-power his Chidori…as he did so, the familiar rush filled him as the flame patterns appeared once more and this time. But as he tried to summon the same Chidori…a a massive blast of pain hit him and he realized that Kakashi was right and his body collapsed as his chakra fizzled out.

Gaara roared and attacked…but just as he was about to hit Sasuke and crush him…

" DRAGON BREATH!!"

Gaara turned in time and block with his sand arms…but the blast was enough to send him reeling as he grabbed a nearby branch and got himself on a tree and faced his new attacker and his smile became more feral and bestial.

"You…"

Sasuke turned to see Sakura rushing up to him with a dog ninja summon who he guessed was Pakkun, Kakashi' personal nin-dog summon. He turned and saw Naruto with his sword drawn and facing Gaara, the blonde turned and spoke to him.

"You okay Sasuke?"

"Yeah…you made it…"

"You didn't think I'd let you go on alone do you?"

Sakura saw the flame patterns but was surprised that Sasuke was not acting like a monster, and so was Naruto, but the blonde ninja placed that aside as he faced Gaara and spoke to Sakura and Sasuke.

"You guys better move out…Gaara's got to be stopped, you're out of chakra Sasuke…let me handle this guy until you're back on your feet."

Sasuke wanted to stay into the fight, but his common sense won over his pride and agreed with Naruto. Gaara roared and replied.

"You will stay here Sasuke…you and your pink haired team-mate will stay here and watch me rip Naruto to pieces and scatter him all over the place!"

Sasuke hoped that Naruto would make it out alive…he still wanted to fight Naruto

--

Naruto looked at the now transformed Gaara…he was covered in sand that took a very much bestial form and the Sand Genin and container of the Demon Shukaku was raving mad as he looked at Naruto who was next to Sasuke who the others were tending to. Naruto glared at the still transforming Gaara and vowed to defeat the Sand Sibling no matter the cost…

He turns to Sasuke who was still out of it as Sakura tended to his wounds, and Sasuke thanks her for coming in and nodded…there was a nicer side to his rival for the time being…and now it was time for him to fight with all that he had in his body and soul. With mind clear…Naruto placed Holy Talon in an attack position and growled out at Gaara.

"Come Naruto Uzumaki!! FIGHT ME!!"

Naruto quickly leaped towards Gaara who lashed out with his massive sand arms but Naruto quickly slashed aside that limb and landed on a tree and quickly pushed himself forward as Gaara regenerated the slashed off limb and attacked once more at Naruto. Naruto moved away at the last moment but Gaara moved his sand arm and sent Naruto slamming into a tree…his armor held…but Naruto was not out of the fight as well as he got up and flipped over as Gaara slashed with his sand arm and cut the tree in half.

Naruto fired several shuriken at Gaara who blocked them and moved his hand away…but to his surprise Naruto was right in front of him and smashed a fist right at him with powerful force…knocking him back, Gaara was able to right himself and lash out at Naruto with a gust of wind…but Naruto suddenly slashed downward with Holy Talon and out came from the sword an arc of pure energy that slashed through the air and bite right through his chest armor…spewing sand all over the place as Gaara roared in pain.

Naruto was about to finish the battle…but Gaara attacked with one of his sand arms and smashed into Naruto and smashed him hard near a tree…and Gaara was about to crush Naruto…but Naruto quickly released Holy Talon and the sword glowed as it spun itself and slashed off the sand arm and severed Gaara's control over the sand that held it's master on the tree. The Sand fell off of Naruto and the ninja got the sword back as he charged and in mid leap…spun like a top and forced Gaara to move away from his position as Naruto came right at him and slashed the middle of the tree in half. Naruto pulled Holy Talon of the tree effortlessly and turned to slash off Gaara's next sand arm attack. Naruto charged but slipped on the sand there and Gaara attacked with a descending strike from his arm…intent on crushing the blonde ninja…but Naruto looked up and unleashed another spell to help him.

"DRAGON FIRE BULLET!!"

A sphere of flame appeared before Naruto and fired out with massive force as it smashed through Gaara's hand and ripped through it with little to no effort…allowing Naruto to get up and charge once more at Gaara and this time attacked with a sword technique as he dashed and leaped towards Gaara with his sword at level like a wing.

"ARC EDGE!!"

Naruto moved in and unleashed a powerful slash that forced Gaara back and Gaara saw the edge was merely inches from his eyes…the blow was powerful enough that if it had connected…it would have sliced out his eyes and his face….Naruto landed and before Gaara could react, the blonde ninja began to attack hard and fast as he slashed and stabbed at Gaara…the Holy Dragon Sword slashed past Gaara's defenses and was worrying Gaara as he moved back once more and used spikes coming from his body to force Naruto back and then he lashed out with his new arms and managed to get some good hits on Naruto who was sent flying to the trees…and breaking several branches aside. Naruto however was not out of the fight as he managed to land nimbly on the tree and got back to his feet and faced Gaara once more but not before he charged and unleashed several kunai with explosive notes at Gaara.

Gaara reeled from the explosions and laughed manically at Naruto who had some wounds but was still on his feet.

"YOU ARE STRONG…BUT I AM STRONGER!! I DON'T FIGHT FOR OTHERS LIKE YOU!! THAT IS A WEAKNESS!!"

Naruto however was not giving up as he summoned both his chakra and the powerful magical reserves of Holy Talon and his body was covered in a golden halo mixed with silver and blue and it nearly blinded the others in the battle ground…even Gaara had to cover his eyes and as the light faded, the people looked on and they were all awed as Naruto was bristling with pure Dragon Fire and chakra…a river of power that defied all odds and Naruto spoke out.

"Then you truly know nothing of Konoha…TAJUU KAGE BUSHIN!!"

In a moment literally thousands of Kage Bushin appeared all over the place. Naruto wasted no time as he and his clones attacked all at once…

"DRAGON CLAW BARRAGE!!"

The attacks shredded Gaara's sand form and Gaara roared in pain as the attacks ripped through his sand armor and form and he managed to kill several of the clones, hoping to find the real Naruto and take him out fast…but every time he thought he had the blonde ninja in his grasp…it turned out to be yet another Kage Bushin and that was beginning to really wear his patience thin. He then unleashed spears of hardened sand from his body and the weapons managed to kill more of the clones that Naruto released…evening up the odds for him once more

The real Naruto however was not killed and he then came close enough and summoned a sphere of explosive magical fire that covered his fist and slammed it right in Gaara's chest.

"BLAST STRIKE!!"

The explosion was enough to send Gaara slamming into a tree and smashing his way through some of them and as he got to his feet….his body was dropping sand by the bucket loads and he was in pain…he thought the pain he suffered from Sasuke's Chidori was painful…but Naruto was proving to be in a league of his own as Gaara got up to his feet…he thought back about his past and it made him even more enraged.

"I WILL NOT LOSE TO YOU UZUMAKI!!"

--

He recalled how harsh his life was…no friends, and his own family treated him like an outsider and a monster. His only friend…his uncle then turned on him and lied to him…he tried to love others but they shunned him because of his curse and their own petty mistake…to have Shukaku inside of him and then treating him like a monster…he tried his best and then his uncle tried to kill him…all because of the death of his mother. And he knew know why he was named Gaara and what he was supposed to be.

And after he finally saw the truth of life…he vowed to never be the same again… He had killed all those who sought to kill him and prove that he will always remain here until he was the strongest of all…and now before him was one who planned to defeat him…to destroy him…and he would NEVER let that happen!!

--

Gaara roared out and fired out several blasts of high grade air at Naruto and the blasts hit Naruto with the force of boulders and then he attacked…firing even more spikes of sand at Naruto who blocked and dodged the rest as best he could…but some slammed into him hard and sent him flying…however Naruto's armor held and withstood the attacks and kept him alive.

Naruto kept his calm and focused on stopping Gaara as he cut down several of the spikes heading right for him with Holy Talon and then fired several Dragon Waves to destroy the rest and he then charged while using several Kage Bushin to take the impact of Gaara's sand spears and his arms…the clones faded and Naruto closed in and landed several powerful kicks and punches to Gaara and sliced off another arm with Holy Talon…Gaara roared in pain and anger and launched out another close range blast of air that send Naruto reeling and unable to stand… Gaara knocked him aside with a swipe of his other hand.

But Naruto was not giving up just yet as he got closer to Gaara by using his clones and then with a Dragon Breath to imbalance Gaara… and then with a powerful kick sent Gaara into the air and then all of his clones and him flew into the air…and Gaara looked on and saw Naruto channel his chakra right into his body and the Dragon Fire covered his sword and the clones seem to have the same effects on them and Naruto attacked…turning his body in flight and so did the clones who were close to Gaara and at the last turn…Naruto and his clones attacked.

"HAMMER STORM BARRAGE!!"

Naruto and his clones struck Gaara hard…at the very same spot and at the very same time…this was a variant of the same technique he had used to hit Orochimaru back in the Forest of Death in the previous days…but with the Kage Bushin striking at the very same time…the impact of the blows were impressive as Gaara was sent down to the ground like a missile and smashed through several branches and slammed into the ground hard and literally the shockwaves were enough to uproot some trees and shatter the ground hard.

Temari was awed by the move and despite her fear of Gaara in that state he was in, she was worried greatly for him and when she looked…she was happy that he was still breathing…but Naruto and his clones were not giving up as they crowded on top in the trees and Naruto and his clones charged, intent on finally ending Gaara's rampage.

Sasuke was stunned as he looked on at the battle between his teammate Naruto and Gaara and looked at the power possessed by his team-mate and never expected this level of power to come from Naruto himself

However…Gaara had enough of this non-sense and summoned his full power. In a moment a massive sand storm erupted in the area and knocked aside the clones and knocked Naruto back and Gaara decided to complete the transformation. Naruto coughed out some blood but gathered his wits in time to avoid another attack and he could sense that things were not going to look good and decided to summon some help…he couldn't summon any of the soldiers nor the Dragons since the situation was too far gone and decided to switch to his animal summons and knew just who he would summon.

--

Naruto quickly took some of the blood from his mouth and made the seal…but instead of getting Gamabunta…he summoned a smaller version of the Boss Toad and much to his shock as well as he had hoped to summon Gamabunta and no matter what happened…get his help before things really went down south.

"Who the heck are you?!"

"The name's Gamakichi to you…and why the heck am I here? Did you summon me or something?"

"I was supposed to be summoning the Boss Toad, but I summoned you instead!"

"You were trying to summon my father? You really need to have more control if you want to do that you know."

However they barely had time to finish as Gaara unleashed another barrage of sand spikes at them… the little toad summon screamed but Naruto got in front of him, and quickly cut down the sand spikes with Holy Talon and shielded his new companion. The toad watched Naruto as he cut down the sand spikes and had to admit the boy certainly had skill and guts to be taking the burnt of such an assault. Naruto got hit and this time Gaara got lucky as his spike managed to bypass Naruto's armor and wound him…and that was when Gaara unleashed a massive spike at the two of them and forced Naruto to use another spell.

"DRAGON SCALE DEFENSE!!"

The hexagonal shield came to life and shielded both him and Gamakichi and the sand slammed hard on the shield and broke down as the energy shield made like dragon scales defended them both.

"Thanks…I owe you."

"No problem…but now we've got a serious one!"

The two looked at Gaara who had now completed the transformation was now a giant sized demon raccoon of sand and he was now planning to crush all in his path. Naruto knew that he had no other alternative at this very rate but to summon the Kyuubi's chakra…there was no way he could fight Gaara if he was in that form unless he was planning to get himself killed. With that in mind…he entered his mind to pay a visit to his tenant as he realized that his current chakra level was not enough to summon the Boss Toad and he would need a serious boost.

--

In Naruto's mind…

(((What's with the bloody racket?)))

Naruto was back in the cage of the Kyuubi with the cage bars being covered in the energy that the Dragon wardens used to further restrain the Kyuubi. The blonde saw the same Kyuubi appear in the cage with his eyes glowing red and his toothy grin there once more.

"I'm dealing with a tough foe right now…and I think you know him Kyuubi."

(((Oh really now…then who is this foe you seem to be having problems with brat?)))

"I'm dealing with Gaara of the Sand and he's like me…he has a demon inside him as well."

That got the attention of the Kyuubi right off as his next question indicated. The Kyuubi had sensed something in the air but only faintly as his Dragon wardens had limited his abilities on sensing the situation beyond his cage.

(((Gaara of the Sand, huh? So who's the demon he's got inside of him?)))

Naruto filled in the details and the Kyuubi was laughing and as soon as he was done laughing, the Kyuubi looked at his jailor.

(((Shukaku is still around eh? I never thought that blasted loud mouth was still here in the land of the living…then again…with the Village of the Hidden Sand holding him in that damned kettle for a long time, anything could happen, though how the hell they bound him there in the first place is beyond me at the moment…so you're fighting him huh?)))

"Yeah, pretty much…I need your chakra to summon some allies."

(((Humph, fair enough, just make sure not to lose to Shukaku…that guy's got power…but not the same level as the others and he's too much a loud mouth and I will not have you lose or die by his hand brat.)))

"Gee…I didn't know you cared Kyuubi."

(((Don't get me wrong brat…I just don't want to die with the fact you got beaten by the weakest of my kind and I didn't do a damn thing to stop that to keep me from biting the knife early. Now tell your wardens to loosen their grip so I can give you what you need.)))

Naruto spoke briefly with the Dragon Warden statues and the energy that reinforced the cage bars that kept the Kyuubi imprisoned disappeared and out came the chakra of the Kyuubi and it surrounded Naruto once more.

--

Back outside…

As soon as he felt the chakra of the Kyuubi flow into his body…he helped Gamakichi on his shoulder and began to redo the summoning jutsu once more, hoping that this would be enough to turn the tide. Sasuke and Sakura, along with Pakkun and Temari watched as Naruto was enveloped in an explosion and out from the explosion came out the largest toad that they had ever seen in their whole lives.

"How did Naruto-kun do that?!"

"Impossible…"

"This fight's not between ninja anymore…but between forces of nature…"

"An animal summon…there are few Genin I know who could have the chakra to summon one…and me among them…but that guy summoned an animal summon of that size…"

Temari was stunned…sure she had seen the Dragon that Naruto had ridden before…but this was totally unexpected to her as such a pair of summoning jutsus must mean that the blonde ninja had SERIOUSLY high levels of chakra to help him.

--

Gamabunta looked on at Gaara in the Shukaku form and snorted as he spoke to Naruto…

"You better have a good reason why the heck you summoned me kid."

"Of course I do Boss Toad! I need your help to deal with this guy Gaara before he wrecks the entire village!"

"Have you forgotten that I still haven't considered you as my henchman or master…if you can drink some sake with me and not faint then we'll talk about this whole master thing."

"Come on Boss Toad…I'm only twelve for Kami's sake…I'm underage for that sort of thing…even if I had been physically accelerated by the sword."

"Well that's too bad…"

"Come on Pops…give the guy a chance."

Gamabunta was surprised the second he heard that voice and he knew fully well who was with Naruto.

"Gamakichi? What are you doing here of all things? I was wondering where you went off to this time."

"I got summoned here by this kid…but then that big guy tried to bully me…came close to killing me too…but this guy saved my hide and even took a sand spike wound to save me and made an awesome shield to protect both of us, trust me dad…this kid has great potential as a ninja. Take my word for it."

"I see…and this fellow in the Shukaku form tried to hurt my boy eh? Well then Naruto…I'll skip the sake drinking part until you're older then…for now I'll show you what it means to fight with honor, and just so you know…my son's approval of you means a LOT to me and that is enough."

Naruto smiled and then decided to take out Holy Talon and got ready as he, Gamakichi, and Gamabunta faced off with Gaara and the Shukaku.

The battle had just went into overtime…

--

To be continued…

--

Author's notes:

Gah…what a day…sorry for all the delays but I did say that I needed to take a break while I cooked up some new material and I have been busy reading some PMs sent to me and I have been planning on working on my older fanfics…so here is part 1 of chapter 15 and I hope that it's all right for you readers…I have had a ton of things on my mind and it's a miracle I don't split at the seams.

We'll have to wait and see how this battle will turn out and then after the second part of chapter 15…we'll have a filler that will still be part of the overall story and here's it's introduction trailer.

--

Trailer:

Naruto faced Gaara and the two looked at one another and Gaara couldn't help but be amazed at how fast Naruto had recovered from the battles merely a few days ago…but then again he was a strong man…having the power to beat him and sure enough…open his eyes in a way to what life was like when one lived for others than for one's self. He was rather curious what Naruto was doing here.

It had been a day since the village Council of Sand had issued their formal surrender to Konoha…and they were now rebuilding and it was surprising to find Naruto here of all people. However Gaara didn't mind it too much as he looked at Naruto as his equal…and a friend of sorts.

"What brings you here Naruto?"

Naruto grinned and replied.

"A gift for you Gaara and it's something I know you're going to like."

"Oh?"

The next day…

Gaara woke up and opened his eyes and for the first time in his life…he felt whole and restored. He looked at his hands and they were not shaking in nightmarish fits like before… and he then got off his bed and walked out to see the sun rising from the walls of his Village and for the first time in his life…he felt happy to see the sun.

And he recalled Naruto's gift…the gift of a Dragon seal that helped him control Shukaku and more… Gaara dressed in his new garb and walked down the stairs of his room…but spared a glance as a mirror…his circles were still there but he didn't mind it at all as he saw his face untroubled by nightmares and relaxed greatly.

As he arrived, he found Naruto talking with Kankurou and Temari…the two elder siblings turned when they noted Gaara and they were looking at him with surprise…and he merely looked back with a still neutral expression, but it faded as he looked at Naruto and smiled. Naruto smiled back and he asked Gaara a question.

"So…how was your first night of uninterrupted and protected sleep?"

"It was…good…I have never felt so relaxed before, it's the first time in twelve years that I have ever slept in peace without Shukaku causing trouble…thank you for the seal Naruto."

"Hey, it's the least I can do."

Gaara smiled and there was no dark or sinister intent at all…but a genuine friendly smile and his siblings were in awe of it and the changes that Gaara was showing. Kankurou was still getting used to seeing his once psychotic little brother being this calm and serene…while Temari felt her heart go out to her brother and she thanked Naruto came here to give that seal to Gaara and help him. She then had an idea.

"Hey Naruto-kun…do you recall that invitation you gave me back at Konoha?"

"Yeah I do…why do you ask Temari-san?"

"I still haven't tried that ramen you praised so much…so if you don't mind…I'd like to try some."

"Sure…provided your brothers don't mind at all."

Gaara looked at his sister and saw the affection she had for his friend…and didn't mind it in the least. Kankurou had some reservations but decided to nod with Gaara who gave his approval since he didn't want to contradict his younger brother at the moment.

Naruto smiled at that and walked out with Temari following close behind.

--

Hope you like it and hope to get the next chapter out by the time I am done with my other works.

See you all later!


	16. The Will of Fire Part 2

Naruto – The Twin Swords

Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to it's creator and not me…but anything not related to Naruto in this story DOES belong to me….so let's leave it at that.

Chapter 15

The will of Fire

Part 2

( ): Thoughts

(" "): Holy Talon's voice

--

Back in the Forest…

Naruto looked on as his enhanced eye-sight allowed him to spot Gaara who was on the head of the massive demon raccoon that he rightly guessed to be the form of Gaara's inner demon, known as the Shukaku…he had to admit that the sight of the massive creature was certainly a cause for concern for him…to think that the Village of the Hidden Sand had been able to seal that creature in Gaara as a child was a very horrifying thought at how much had been lost for Gaara.

He had no doubts that the procedure must have been truly painful for Gaara's mother and what Gaara had to deal with growing up…but as much as he felt Gaara's pain as it mirrored his own, he knew that unless he defeated…or if it really came to that…killed Gaara, then his friends would pay the ultimate price for his hesitation.

"Let's do this Boss Toad!"

"Aye…now let me show you how a warrior fights to defend those who are his family!"

Gamabunta took out his massive short sword and quickly charged right at the demon sand raccoon and after avoiding an incoming bullet of condensed air, the giant toad summon was able to slice off one of the arms. The sand demon raccoon roared and turned at the giant toad and that was the sign that things were going to get nasty.

And sure enough, the massive sand raccoon unleash a barrage of diamond hard spikes of sand at both Naruto and Gamabunta…and both of them managed to get away as the spikes slammed hard on the ground…ripping apart large tracks of forests as the Lord of the Toad Summons moved away and readied his sword once more…

"Fighting Shukaku of all things will not be easy…however, we should be grateful that the medium of Shukaku has not fallen asleep yet or forced himself to sleep."

Naruto was confused and wondered for a second what it meant for Gamabunta to say those things…until he put two and two together and realized just what it meant…though why he mentioned that was unknown.

"What do you mean by that Boss Toad…Gaara's bound to sleep once in a while doesn't he?"

"Not if he wants to keep Shukaku from eating his soul he doesn't."

--

The battle of the village of Konoha was now on the side of the people of Konoha as their still remaining allies got back on the act and the ninja and the Dagern soldiers began their counter strike as with the defeat of the snake summon they now were able to fight back…it didn't take long for some of the returning Konoha ninja to arrive on the scene and reinforce their comrades. That was the turning point of the battle as the Sound and Sand ninja were being pushed back with high losses on their sides while the Konoha forces were mounting their attack…the older ninja revealed their own jutsus and the results were explosive.

Chouza…Chouji's father unleashed his far more refined Baika No Jutsu and used his massive staff to smash aside several bands of Sound and Sand ninja, Ino's father Inochi used his own Body Possession Jutsu to turn several Sand ninja against each other, while Shikamaru's father Shikaku came on the battle and used the Nara Clan's Shadow Possession Jutsu to take out several more of the Sand Ninja and Sound…the ANBU arrived in full force with Uzuki in the lead and soon the newly arriving reinforcements began to even up the odds.

Sarutobi grinned as Orochimaru's once smug expression faded into worry as he could sense the turning of the tide of his invasion plans…however, he knew that despite the growing momentum of the battle the attacks of the snake summon had weakened the village considerably and the battle had grown as more fires spread and buildings were torn asunder, he knew that now was the time…his death was growing near…and his death was making him lose his chance to fully extract the soul of Orochimaru….but now he decided that if he couldn't take Orochimaru with him…then he could try the next best thing…a fitting punishment for one obsessed with jutsus.

--

"What do you mean Gaara can't ever sleep?"

"What I mean is that with the Shukaku inside of him, Gaara cannot sleep at all due to the fact that if he does…then Shukaku would invade his mind and soul and eat away at his personality, and every time Gaara lowers his guard for even an hour of sleep, then the Shukaku would eat away at him until nothing remains of himself."

Naruto was horrified by the thought as he saw Gaara and saw the full result of what the process had done to him…the lack of sleep in fear of being consumed in his own sleep by Shukaku, the pain of being rejected and reviled by his own people, even his family, the attacks on his very life, the pain of being betrayed and hated by those who were close to him, and the lonely life he had afterwards all made sense to Naruto why his foe was like this.

"But why doesn't he have any way to contain that demon?"

"From what I understand, the seal techniques used by the Village of the Hidden Sand is not totally perfect and many previous ninja of the Sand Village that contained Shukaku had the same problems…and since this has continued for a very long time until this kid, so that would mean they have known about it but did nothing."

Naruto looked on as Gaara then made several hand seals and then he noted that Gaara suddenly seemed to become limp…as if he was asleep.

Gamabunta saw the very same thing and gave a sigh of discontent.

"He's done it…he's used a jutsu to force himself to lower his mental shields…the Shukaku is now free…we're going to have a heck of a fight on our hands now!"

--

And sure enough, Gaara fell asleep and Temari moved away as she saw the eyes change on the face of the massive sand demon raccoon, and sure enough, as the others watched…including Sasuke, Pakkun, and Sakura, the sand demon came alive as it roared and shouted in a boisterous and blood thirsty voice…

"I AM FREE!! FINALLY I GET TO BE ABLE TO KILL AND SLAUGHTER ALL I WANT!!"

Shukaku then directed his attention to Gamabunta and roared.

"AND THE FIRST I WILL KILL IS YOU!!"

The sand raccoon then summoned a massive amount of chakra and fired out a massive blast of air right at Gamabunta, and Naruto quickly responded and summoned yet another defensive spell.

"DRAGON SKIN SPHERE!!"

The spell was a far more potent version of the basic Dragon Scale Defense spell and was used to defend much larger areas and was very strong as it blocked the Sand Demon's bullet of chakra enhanced air and the shield withstood and redirected the blast and sent it around itself as the forests around the outside of the sphere were destroyed while the forest inside the sphere was safe and unharmed. Gamabunta was impressed by the display of power and spoke to Naruto.

"Nicely done Naruto Uzumaki…that was quick thinking…now let's see if we can't even the odds!"

"You got it Boss Toad!!"

"I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU DID THAT….BUT YOU'RE STILL GOING TO DIE!!"

The sand Racoon then fired out several more spikes and then another on e the chakra enhanced air bullets, Gamabunta counters with his own chakra enhanced water bullet jutsu that blocked the attack as he leaped aside. Naruto then fired his own blasts as he moved his sword in slashing motions as it glowed with power.

"DRAGON CLAW BARRAGE!!"

The crescent blasts of pure energy slammed into the sand raccoon but they were only able to cause superficial damage on Shukaku as the sand raccoon was massive, unlike Gaara who despite turning into the sand demon was still relatively human sized and was an even target for his attacks. The two fought as best they could…but Shukaku was growing ever stronger and they had to do something fast in order to stop the sand demon from moving towards Konoha….

Gamabunta leaped back as he held his sword while Naruto held Holy Talon in a two handed grip as he studied the situation, Holy Talon and the essences of his fellow Dragon Champions taught him that the best way to defeat a strong foe is to determine just where their key weak points were and then figure out a way to exploit and neutralize the said weakness to defeat them, he then realized something…

(If Gaara has to sleep to allow Shukaku to be able to fight at full power…then would waking him up allow him to control it…or at least stop it?)

(("That could work Master Naruto…normally in battle…in order to defeat a Golem, you have to take out the heart or the controller…If Gaara is somehow awakened…then this demon Shukaku will have to be forced back or unable to fight."))

(Right…)

"Boss Toad…if we were to somehow awaken Gaara…could it seal that demon away?"

Gamabunta nodded.

"That's correct kid…if the medium's concentration is broken then the demon will have no way to remain in the living world…one good blow to waken up0 that Gaara kid is all we need!"

"Then let's go give him one good smack in the head to wake him up!"

The two moved aside as yet another air bullet was fired right at the pair as Gamakichi held on to Naruto's shoulder and the young toad spoke.

"Easier said than done…sorry pops…but there's no way you can hold onto him long enough to let Naruto get a good clean hit…we have to either restrain that thing or grow claws."

"My son is right kid, my hands are not exactly useful for grabbing things and holding on for long… with that, I can't restrain that demon long enough for you give that kid a single blow."

Naruto groaned…but then had an idea…this was a good a time as any to try summoning some more allies…but this time it was not going to be a band of soldiers…but something more suited for taking on a massive foe this size. He then spoke to Holy Talon as he needed the Holy Dragon Sword's aid for this battle.

(Holy Talon…can we summon Dragons to help us?)

(("Yes…how many do you need?"))

(Just enough to restrain the sand demon and get close enough to Gaara and wake him up!)

(("Understood…let's do the ritual…try not to be distracted when you do this!"))

"Boss Toad…I'm going to use a few tricks to help us…keep on evading as best you can!"

"I hope what you have in mind works kid…because this is not going to be easy!!"

--

Sasuke, Sakura, Pakkun, and Temari looked on as they managed to remain in viewing range of the entire battle…however, Temari had been knocked a fair distance away from the battle as she looked on. The two Leaf Genin wondered just how will this battle turn out…Sasuke was still aching over wasting so much chakra while Naruto had more than enough to be a serious threat to Gaara and it made him wonder just how strong Naruto had become.

(Naruto-kun…be all right…)

--

Gamabunta moved as best he could from the attacks of Shukaku as the sand raccoon was closing in and causing all sorts of havoc all over the forest. The chief of all the toad summons wondered just what sort of trick was Naruto coming up with as the blonde was speaking in a totally foreign tongue and seemed to be focusing on something else entirely.

Naruto repeated the last of the summoning spell and opened his eyes quickly as he summoned the allies he had requested.

"DRAGONS OF THE HOLY FLIGHT!! COME TO MY AID!!"

In a moment…Holy Talon glowed deep blue and silver…and as the sword unleashed a flash of light…a pair of giant spheres of light appeared and then began to move and take shape…almost as if they were alive…not mere orbs of light and energy…but living and breathing beings.

The orbs took reptile like forms and from their backs appeared to be massive wings…the orbs solidified the reptilian shape and then the lights cracked away as if like a casing and two massive roars were heard…as Naruto's summoned Dragons were ready to fight.

The dragons were different from one another as one had the color of deep red in his scales and had golden horns that curved backwards on it's head, the scales also had silver lining around the edges of them as the dragon also had several golden ridges near the eyes and the tail had a bone like prong in the shape of a three bladed spear…the creature had four legs and was armed with golden claws as well…it's eyes were deep white…like snow as it roared at Shukaku.

The second dragon was in the color of deep brown…almost like wood or bark…but in the design of scales…there were large areas near the joints and the head that had fur like hair that was in the color of deep green leaves. The creature had only one horn in the top of it's head while there were golden scales on the sides of it's head that were shaped like waves over one another. There on it's tail was a row of the same scales, from tip of the tail to the back of the neck.

Both Dragons roared and flew right at Shukaku…forcing the sand demon to halt it's attacks for a second to deal with the dragons that were summoned by Naruto…Gamabunta was surprised…but placed the feelings aside as he leaped in and waited for the right moment and used his chakra to fire several more of his own chakra bullets to further imbalance the Shukaku.

The red Dragon unleashed a powerful series of fireballs that slammed into the body of the Shukaku, while the brown Dragon released massive blasts of green flame that worked both like fire and air…furthering the imbalance of the Shukaku, the attacks made Shukaku more wary as it's attention reverted from Gamabunta and Naruto to the two Dragons. The Dragons however avoided attacking where Gaara was located as they were mentally commanded by Naruto not to harm the Sand Sibling.

"DAMN YOU!! I DON'T KNOW WHERE YOU TWO CAME FROM…BUT I'M GOING TO RIP YOU BOTH TO BLOODY SHREDS!!"

Shukaku screamed as he fired several more spikes right at the Dragons…who at times were hit and knocked back…but their hardened scales and strong endurance gave them the ability to withstand those blows and keep on attacking as Naruto decided to chance it as now was a better time than any to finally strike at Gaara himself who was still there on the head of Shukaku all asleep.

"Time to take the fight to him Boss Toad!!"

"Good…let's hope that those allies you summoned were enough…but I still need to grip him properly…and my hands are not going to work here…we'll need to combine and use Henge…but I'm not good enough to do that…you need to be the medium and I'll lend you the chakra and you do the Henge…remember…I need a form with claws and teeth!"

Naruto grinned and replied as he made the hand signs…

"I know just the form to use!"

--

The others watched as the Toad charged and was suddenly engulfed in a massive cloud that resembled the technique of Henge and out from the cloud came a clawed arm that had golden red fur and from the cloud came a massive nine tailed fox!

"What is that?!"

Sakura looked on in utter surprise as she saw the form while Sasuke was still speechless and so was Pakkun, though only after a moment as he spoke.

"That form…this is going to be interesting."

--

"I DON'T GIVE A DAMN WHAT FORM YOU USE!! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!!"

The transformed Boss Toad wasted no time and used the tails to rip several trees and use them to block the incoming shots of air from the sand raccoon who was forced to stop the attacks as the two Dragons attacked with both breath attacks, tail and claw swipes and sure enough…the Dragons were able to distract the sand raccoon long enough for Gamabunta in the Kyuubi Henge to reach and grab onto the demon…the Dragons helped as well as they swooped in and latched on hard with their teeth and claws to further restrain Shukaku.

"GO KID!! GIVE THAT GAARA GOOD SMACK!!"

Naruto appeared as the Henge wore off and leaped right at Gaara while Holy Talon was strapped to his back in it's sheath and he was moving in with a powerful blow at the ready and sure enough…he smashed his gauntlet covered fist right into Gaara's face.

"HEY YOU!! WAKE ALREADY!!"

--

The blow was more than enough as Shukaku reared it's ugly head and roared out in frustration and rage.

"DAMN YOU!! I JUST CAME OUT AFTER SIX LONG YEARS!!"

The eyes of the sand demon raccoon seemed to fade in intensity and sure enough as Naruto managed to remain on the snout of the sand demon. Gaara shook himself awake..his jutsu broken… and his rage began to build once more as he glared at Naruto who glared right back at him defiantly as he took out Holy Talon and held it in a one handed grip.

"You….broke the jutsu…"

"That's right! And now…I'm going to stop you from completing this blasted rampage of yours!"

Gaara roared as he attacked with several sand spikes…which Naruto managed to block and cut down with his sword. As soon as he cut down the last spike, Naruto attacked Gaara…

"DRAGON BREATH!!"

The column of high intensity fire came straight at Gaara, and he responded in kind with a sand shield and as soon as he dropped the shield, he spotted Naruto coming right at him with an attack with Holy Talon, Gaara growled and quickly used a hand sign and from the body of the Sand Raccoon came tendrils that restrained Naruto.

The blonde ninja and Dragon Champion was gritting his teeth as the sand held him fast and he couldn't move as Gaara readied a powerful sand tendril that took the shape and edge of a sword, no doubt intending to cut Naruto into ribbons…the weapon came down as Gaara shouted.

"NOW YOU DIE!!"

The weapon however…despite being hardened by Gaara into a diamond like edge only sent out sparks when he tried to cut Naruto as the Orchaelium made plate armor and chainmail held the blow and withstood it…showing the metal's near mythical resilience to damage and Gaara roared in anger and decided to take Naruto's head clean off. The sand sword came towards his neck when Gamabunta unleashed his tongue…the appendage belonging to the boss toad sliced through the sand that held Naruto and protected him by wrapping around the ninja…Gaara roared and shouted out his rage.

"YOU CAN'T STOP ME!!"

The sand began to cover Naruto from the inside and Naruto focused his powers once more and in a moment, he sent a mental message to Gamabunta. The boss toad was surprised for a moment at the message but agreed and released his tongue and backed away. And as soon as he did so…a powerful blast of light appeared and Gaara was blinded for a moment as Naruto appeared….free of the sand and glaring as he was surrounded by a glowing white membrane like aura of energy. The energy didn't last long as Naruto was suffering from his previous wounds and injuries, Gaara roared out and summoned even more sand swords and lashed out at Naruto…Naruto managed to cut down many of the sand blades that came at him, and as soon as that was done, he decided to summon the chakra of the Kyuubi to get that one final blow to stop Gaara cold. The blonde ninja was then surrounded by the red-gold chakra of the Kyuubi, Naruto then moved aside as spikes came at him along with sword tendrils, he cut them all down as he rushed towards Gaara who then summoned his own sand weapon….a sand sword and blocked the descending slash…the sand weapon lasted only a moment before Holy Talon cut through it and Naruto landed a powerful uppercut with his free hand on Gaara's chin and then followed up with a powerful reverse spinning heel kick that struck Gaara hard….

The result was complete as the sand raccoon began to break down and in moments…the sand demon's form returned to being normal sand as both Naruto and Gaara fell to the ground below…

Gamabunta looked on with satisfaction.

(Naruto has improved well…he still has much to master as he is still a Genin, but with the aid of that power he wields and his unique abilities…he can achieve his dreams no matter the odds…it was a worthy battle to witness and while I wish I was able to see this fight to the conclusion…my chakra is already low and I cannot remain here indefinitely.)

"Gamakichi…time to leave."

"Sure thing pops…"

The two vanished and as they did so, Sasuke and Sakura, along with Pakkun made their way to where Naruto and Gaara were. High on the tree tops…both Gaara and Naruto looked at one another…Gaara's mouth gripping blood and his face cut by the claw gauntlets before…Naruto had wounds and bleeding in different parts of his body and his face was bloody too…the two ignored the wounds and faced each other as Naruto re-sheathed Holy Talon and spoke.

"Let's end this!"

Naruto and Gaara leaped at one another and it was there that Naruto saw Gaara's weakness…due to having relied on the sand manipulation he was given by the Shukaku…Gaara's skills in Taijutsu were limited and that was shown as he was able to block Gaara's fist with a quick block and parry maneuver and he landed a powerful punch at Gaara, but Gaara was not giving up as he launched another punch that hit Naruto was well.

Both ninja fell through the trees and the battle went still as the Dragons gave a final roar and turned back into their orb forms and disappeared into Holy Talon as they shrunk in size as they flew back to the sword.

That was when Sasuke and Sakura made their way to help Naruto…while Shino in his section of the forest, found his father near him and the Destruction bugs from his father removing the poison, along the way back to reach Gaara, Temari turned and saw Kankurou and stopped to help her brother. As soon as Kankurou was feeling better, the two of them made their way to the site where their brother and Naruto had fallen.

--

Orochimaru looked at the Hokage…his former teacher in anger and rage as he saw that his forces were now in utter retreat as they had suffered heavy casualties and were now on the run…he vowed to avenge his loss and punish the cowards who didn't stand and fight once he got back to his own village. However, he was not going to go alone as he continued to force the blade of the Kusanagi even deeper into Sarutobi.

The old man groaned in pain but looked on with an utterly confident smile.

"You may kill me here Orochimaru…but your plans to destroy Konoha…have failed utterly."

"Foolish old man! Once I kill you I will personally destroy this village and lay it into ruin! Not even you can stop that!"

"You're foolish….I know that I can't remove your soul completely…you're too stubborn…so I have a much more effective solution to this mess…something that suits the levels of your obsession with jutsus."

"What are you rambling about now you senile old fool?!"

"This…a fitting punishment for your obsession!!"

In a moment Orochimaru saw to his horror his soul's arms and he quickly recognized what was happening…but before he could do anything, the Death God brought down his knife and sliced off the arms of his soul and the pain erupted instantly as he screamed.

"NO!!"

The arm of the Death God retreated as the seal appeared on the body of the original Fourth Hokage and that meant that Sarutobi was going to die from using the jutsu. However the old man merely smiled as he looked at Orochimaru as blood flowed from his mouth. Orochimaru roared as he felt a massive burning sensation and saw that his armed were dying right before his eyes…a pain filled his body as the rot continued to spread…he saw his arms go limp as if dead….

"My arms…my arms….what…MY ARMS!!"

Orochimaru looked at Sarutobi and roared.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY ARMS?!"

"A very fitting punishment, you are no longer able to use your arms…both in making hand seals and other high level jutsu…a fitting blow to one such as you!!"

"YOU OLD MAN…GIVE ME BACK MY ARMS!!"

"Never…you will never succeed now…as the arms you covet are now in the stomach of the Death God."

The pain flooded Orochimaru and was intense…so much like the time his arm had been consumed by Holy Talon's flames and it galled him even more as the truth of his pain flooded his mind.

"You are so foolish Orochimaru…you failed to understand the power of the shinobi…that if you had something and someone to live and fight for…then the power of being a ninja would be yours….that was the most important lesson I ever taught…and you failed to listen…"

Sarutobi felt his heart began to slowly stop beating as his life began to fade…

"I regret not being able to finish you…myself…but I know…you WILL meet your end…my foolish student…"

As Sarutobi fell, he saw Orochimaru swearing and calling to him in anger…but he died with a smile…as he saw Orochimaru when he was far younger and not evil…that was one face of Orochimaru that he didn't mind seeing…he then saw Naruto and smiled even more.

(I leave things in your hands Naruto…be a great man someday…)

--

Orochimaru felt the pain grow in greater intensity as he looked at his dead sensei…his anger and rage was growing, but he knew that he could do nothing but leave…Enma removed the sword from Sarutobi's back and the Monkey King faded away. The pain in his body grew and he knew that he had utterly failed and being the ninja he was…he felt utterly bitter…he had killed his sensei…but he sacrificed all his jutsu…Konoha was in ruins and many were killed…but his forces suffered double the losses.

"OROCHIMARU-SENSEI!!"

The Sound Five Elite were utterly worried for their master and Orochimaru knew that he had to swallow an even more bitter pill…the the taste of defeat.

"Deactivate the barrier…the mission has failed…we must leave now!"

"UNDERSTOOD!"

The four elite ninja who served Orochimaru made the hand sign and shouted release to remove the barrier…in a heartbeat, the shield faded from them and the area and they quickly recovered Orochimaru…the ANBU tried to pursue them…but they were stopped when on of the Sound Five…a male with four more arms fired a web from his mouth that restrained the ANUB.

Kakashi, Genma, and Gai looked on and were surprised that the barrier had gone down. However, they had no choice at the moment as Baki and Kabuto were in the area. Kabuto however told them to wait and see how things would play out and the two left the scene and it didn't take long for all Sound and sand ninja to leave the area…as soon as things seemed better, the three were joined by Kurenai, and Anko, along with several Chuunin, including Ginji Haruno, Chouza, Shikaku, Inochi, Hiashi, and Tsume…the group went into find the Hokage…

And it was Kakashi who saw the one sight he hoped never to see…

The Hokage dead…

--

On the ground…

Naruto groaned as he managed to get to his feet and take Holy Talon in hand…but collapsed and fell to his knees…but he bit back the pain and kept on moving…despite the fact that while his Orchaelium forged armor was intact and undamaged…he was coughing out some blood from his internal wounds and his forehead had a still bleeding cut as well…that sent blood in his eyes…he wiped them away…staining his armor…but he was not giving up yet…

With Holy Talon in hand…he moved himself on his hands and knees towards Gaara…still intent on finishing the Sand Sibling…however, it was not without regret as he recalled the times of his childhood in Konoha…long before he was able to learn the truth of why he was treated that way…and when he met Iruka.

He heard the painful words over and over again…and recalled how many times he shed tears at such treatment for no reason that he knew of. The words hurt more than anything he ever knew in his life and to know that Gaara suffered the same way he did…making them…quite literally siblings as they carried the same burden as being called monsters.

Gaara felt intense fear at this as he saw Naruto coming ever closer to him with Holy Talon in hand…he realized that just maybe his greatest fear was about to come true…that his existence was about to be erased.

Despite feeling so much pain and exhaustion…the sand ninja gathered the strength to shout out a desperate warning.

"NO!! STAY AWAY FROM ME!! I WILL NOT LET YOU COME ANY CLOSER!!"

"It hurts…doesn't it?"

Gaara stopped his attempt and wondered what was going on as Naruto looked at him with a sad understanding look in his eye.

"I know how you feel you know…being alone, cold…in the blackness…and why…because you and I are no different Gaara."

"What are you talking about?! You're nothing like me…"

"You're wrong…I never lied about me having a demon being inside me you know…you saw it's chakra in the arena ring…remember?"

Gaara recalled seeing the blood red chakra that appeared from out of nowhere from Naruto and how utterly different it was to normal chakra. The Sand Sibling then looked to see Naruto removing…quite painfully his armor…starting with the shoulder armor and then the latches to the plate that protected his torso…as soon as that was off…Naruto then removed the chain-mail underneath and threw aside his armor and then he spoke.

"Do you know…of the Kyuubi?"

"The Kyuubi that attacked Konoha years ago? Yes I do…"

Naruto then pulled up his shirt and revealed the seal on his stomach…much to Gaara's utter shock as despite the seal not resembling anything he knew…he could feel power coming from it. Naruto then spoke.

"The Kyuubi was sealed away…in a baby that day…that baby was me…that is why you and I are the same Gaara…like you…I was treated like a monster…freak…and worse. Just like you were…those were the same words I said to Neji in the ring. I grew up being treated as a monster…And I could have been the same as you."

"But there are people precious to me in my village…those people were the ones who saved me from the darkness and my personal hell…they showed me how life is worth living and how to truly care for others. And for that reason… I care for them more than my own life…"

Naruto recalled the faces of everyone he cared for with his heart…his crush Sakura, his father figure Iruka, his other father figure the Hokage, his rival Sasuke, his sensei Kakashi, and those who he trusted and cared for in Konoha. He saw them all…and the thought of his failing to shield them from death gnawed at him like a chain…but he put that aside and managed to rise to his feet, only to fail and land on his face…but he was not giving up as he still held Holy Talon in his hands and crawled towards Gaara…

"And that is why…no matter what happens to me…I don't care…as long as I won't let ANYONE hurt them! Even if I understand you're pain and suffering Gaara…I will stand and stop you from ever hurting or killing them…even if that means that I have to kill you!!"

Gaara was stunned as he saw that Naruto meant every word of it and his eyes told him of his intent…even if he was also at his own limits. He marveled at how strong Naruto was…there was such strength coming from him that it made him look more powerful than even him in his Shukaku form. But he was not getting that strength from killing others…he was not fighting for himself…but for others…he thought for a long time that it was a weakness to fight for others…but Naruto was proving him wrong…yet why?

"Why? Why do you fight so hard for others and not yourself?"

"Because they saved me…they were the very first to care for me for who I am…they are my friends, my family…that is why I fight for them…even if it leads me to death!!"

Gaara looked at Naruto as Naruto forced himself to move on…despite the blood and injuries on him and then thought back on what he learned from his uncle so long ago.

(Love…is love for others the reason why he is so strong? Does he have that much power because of his love for others?)

He saw his uncle and heard his words about love.

"Love? Well…love is the heart's ability to care for others regardless of how things turn out and how things end. Love is a free emotion that lives in all hearts Gaara."

(Is the love for others that he has so strong that it can make him able to defeat anything and anyone?)

Naruto tried once more to get to his feet to finish through…but that was when he sensed the presence of yet another person…only in this case, it was not an enemy.

"Naruto…that's enough…"

Naruto turned to see none other than Sasuke who was still covered by the Cursed Seal…but otherwise alive and safe…and seemingly in control of himself and not under the seal's influence. And that was a good thing to his mind…Sasuke was fighting the control of the seal all the way to the end. Sakura was there as well….relief all over her face as she looked at him…making him smile.

"The battle's over…and Gaara's already out of chakra so there's no need for you to fight him anymore…he can't defend himself."

"Yeah…you did it Naruto-kun."

"Thank Kami….I don't think I can go another…round…"

Naruto fell unconscious at that and it was also at that very same moment that Kankurou and Temari appeared alongside their brother. Sasuke looked at them and while he himself was low on chakra, he was not going to let down his guard when it concerned Gaara's elder siblings, Sakura also reached for a kunai as well…ready to defend her team-mates…especially Sasuke and Naruto…as she knew both of them were exhausted. Temari and Kankurou were ready to strike as well…but that was not going to happen.

"That's enough…it's over…there's nothing left to fight for here."

The two siblings turned to see their little brother utterly exhausted…and in a state that neither of them have ever seen him in before.

(Gaara…)

(He's out of it…I've never seen him like this before…everything in him is used up.)

"All right…"

Kankurou reached out helped his brother to his feet along with Temari. As soon as they had their brother in their hands, they quickly vacated the premises…leaving Sasuke to wait as Naruto slept…he then grabbed Naruto's hand and placed it on Holy Talon…and when he did…a flicker of the healing silver-green flame appeared once more and surrounded Naruto, allowing Naruto to come to his senses and have enough strength to sheath Holy Talon, and fall back to sleep.

Kin and Shikamaru arrived as well…Sasuke then helped Naruto to his feet and helped his team-mate move back to Konoha…while Kin and Shikamaru gathered Naruto's armor…or rather Kin gathered the light as cloth metal plate mail and chain mail pieces and they all left with Shikamaru to meet up with the others.

--

As soon as the Sand and Sound ninja forces were in retreat and the Snake Summon slain…the Konoha ninja who were still alive cheered their victory at beating back the invading forces of Sound and Sand. The warriors summoned by Holy Talon under Naruto's command also cheered and in a flash of light, they all faded back into their original forms and vanished…just as they came…even those among them who were 'slain' by the Sound and Sand ninja returned to their orb-like forms and vanished like that…and it was proven true as Naruto and the rest of the pursuit team returned…

It was then that the dire news came to rest of the people of Konoha…

The news about Sarutobi's death and sacrifice…

--

Back with the fleeing Sand Siblings…

Gaara thought about everything and recalled all that he had learned from Naruto…and wondered if he could be as strong as Naruto…if he gained that much strength by fighting for others…then would it work for him as well.

(Could I be as strong as him by caring for others?)

He looked at Kankurou and Temari and thought back on all the times he had acted like a monster before them, and part of him asked himself why they would still try to fight for him and realized that despite everything…despite his actions towards Temari or Kankurou…and what he said and done…they were his family, they had every right to just leave him and let him fall…but they came for him…and he thought about how he treated them all those years…

(Maybe…the only way I can truly know…is to start somewhere.)

"Temari…Kankurou…"

The two looked at their brother in surprise…there was something utterly different in their youngest brother's voice…no blood lust….anger or the emotions they normally heard…but something else entirely…it was like…remorse.

"What is it Gaara?"

Temari asked as Gaara replied.

"I'm so sorry…for all that I've done to you both…"

Temari and Kankurou looked at one another and sensed that Gaara meant it…

"It's all right Gaara…let's go home."

Kankurou replied for himself and his sister as they all moved on back to their home village.

--

Days later…

The whole village was in mourning at least a day later, they had ignored the rebuilding of Konoha for the moment as the Genin, Chuunin, and Jonin who had managed to survive the battle were now dressed in black for the funeral of the Third Hokage…Naruto was the only one who was carrying a weapon with his funeral clothes…namely Holy Talon. The sword was a part of him and no one…not even Kakashi forbade Naruto to carry the Holy Dragon Sword…after all…the sword contained the power that had helped save Konoha…and since Naruto was it's only master, there was nothing anyone can say at the moment.

As they arrived…Naruto grabbed a white flower and was there along with the others as they all were before the area where the tombstone was located.

Naruto wiped the tears from his eyes as he looked at the grave of the Third Hokage…along with the others…but he kept calm as Holy Talon spoke to him.

(("Master Naruto…he died protecting this village…it's people…he died a warrior's death…a hero's death."))

(It still hurts Holy Talon…he was like a real grandfather to me…and that bastard Orochimaru took him from me!!)

(I know…I know how it feels…)

Naruto was in grief and anger at failing to protect the man who was like a grandfather to him…and naturally with grief comes some anger…and he directed it at his companion.

(How can you know how it feels to lose someone?! You're a sword you know!! You're not even alive! I…)

Naruto realized what he was saying to Holy Talon and recalled the times the sword had been an advisor, a friend and his ally in battle…and here he was…insulting the being that had helped him survive that day on Wave Country…

(I…I'm sorry…I just…)

(("I know Master Naruto…but you must understand why I said I know you're grief. There were times I was in battle with my former Masters…and many of them faced great dangers…and some of those Masters of mine died…in their deaths I was connected to them…when I took a part of their essences…not just to help their spirits and more to live on to teach others…but save a part of them as well. For I grieved deeply for their deaths…all of them…For every Master I lost…I felt sadness…but I knew that they were true heroes and the best way to remember heroes is to honor their lives…achievements, and sacrifices. The Hokage will live on…as long as there are those who remember him and his legacy. That is true immortality Master Naruto…to live in the hearts and minds of those who remember you for all that you've done…and how you live your life."))

(I'll never forget the old man.)

(("And through that Master Naruto…he will truly never die."))

(Thank you…)

(("You're welcome…"))

Naruto turned to see Konohamaru being consoled by Iruka…and he then asked his father figure a very important question.

"Iruka-sensei?"

"Yes Naruto?"

"Why do people sacrifice so much just for others?"

Iruka closed his eyes as he knew that Naruto cared a good deal for the Hokage…more than even he let on. And he could understand Naruto's question…Kakashi who was nearby said nothing at first…but planned to speak to Naruto as well.

"Naruto…those people who die…whether they are young or old…have goals and reams…but most of all…they had bonds with others close to them. And the Hokage did what he knew was right…to protect those close and important to you…no matter the cost…and his sacrifice was not in vain."

"I know…"

"He left something for everyone…"

As the funeral went underway…the mourners placed flowers on the grave of the Hokage and each recalled their own experiences with the wise, old, and yet courageous man who led their village after the death of the Fourth. Kakashi himself visited the monument to see his old comrade Uzuki giving flowers to the monument for her loved one Hayate. As the villagers went on to have the vigil and the nightly commemoration meal for the Hokage, Naruto turned and left the others…he managed to climb to the Hokage Tower…away from prying eyes…and stood before the Hokage monument…he looked at each face and took out Holy Talon and kneeled down.

"I swear…on my life…I will defend the village as both ninja, and Dragon Champion, and I will be Hokage and I will never let any harm come to this village as long as I draw breath!"

--

The next day…

Two hooded and cloaked figures looked on at the mountains…a good distance from Konoha itself and it seemed that they were having a discussion. The figures wore black cloaks of some sort that had crimson clouds and a crimson sun on them. And what appeared to straw hats with flaps in white cloth strips as well.

"Are you sure about this?"

"Yes…we may have to wait for a bit…something is in the air and I don't like it."

"I see….well, if that's your decision, I'm all right by it…by the way…do you think Konoha's already destroyed?"

"No…it is not destroyed…ruined and falling from it's previous glory, yes…but not destroyed. The people there are too defiant and stubborn…and hard to understand at times."

"That's an odd tone…you still care for it?"

"No…I don't have feelings for it…"

"That's good…from what I've heard…this one we're supposed to find has grown considerably…it's going to be a good test to bring this one in."

"We shall see."

--

To be continued…

--

Author's notes:

This ends this chapter…rather short but that is to be expected since there's not much to do for this chapter section. The battle is a bit different from before so I can add some changes to the canon scenes.

On the next chapter, it will be a quick filler/chapter as Naruto gets ready to find a certain blonde Kunoichi who used to work with both Jiraiya and Orochimaru years before after dealing with a few matters. And along the way…we get to see Naruto learn a certain technique…however…with Holy Talon's powers, there might be a couple of new abilities Naruto can combine with that particular jutsu. But I plan to have quite some extra changes to this…one of them is the fact that Naruto is not the same as before…expect the usual fight and another more interesting surprise later…here's a sample.

--

Trailer:

Tsunade was shocked in every sense of the word as she, Shizune, and Jiraiya looked at Naruto as the blonde ninja scratched his head in utter embarrassment…what he had just told them can't be true…can it? They felt fine after the battle and were all right when they looked in the mirror, though there seemed to be a sense of pure physical and mental relaxation that neither of them had felt before, they passed it off as normal recovery from battle exhaustion…but when Naruto told them that he had made a mistake in the rejuvenation spell he had used to heal the two of them, they thought the worst…but what he told them was…

Jiraiya looked at Naruto with silence for a minute and he then spoke.

"Naruto…this had better not be a joke!"

"I'm serious here!!"

"But such a technique and the results….that's impossible! Even Tsunade-sama's ultimate jutsu can't do that!"

Shizune replied as she looked at the blonde Kunoichi and new Hokage of Konoha…who was looking at herself and to Naruto.

"That spell I used did…and that was unexpected…but I think it will work for the best."

Tsunade looked at Naruto and calmly asked the blonde.

"So this spell you made a mistake with…actually… did that to me and Jiraiya?"

"Yes."

Jiraiya saw that there was no lie in Naruto's words or face and he was grinning from ear to ear and perverted thoughts galore filled his brain. Tsunade however did something utterly unexpected of her to Naruto…she reached out to the blonde…grabbed him by the neck…pulled him to her…

And kissed him torridly!!

"TSUNADE-SAMA!!"

Shizune was stunned to silence while Jiraiya was laughing his ass off at the sight…planning to have some really good material to work on his latest novel, Naruto on the other hand blushed bright red and would have passed out from the nose bleed at the kiss the well formed and ample busted blonde was giving him!!

--

I hope that got your attention readers!!

See you on the next chapter!!


	17. Aftermath

Naruto The Twin Swords

Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Naruto and all media involved.

Chapter 16

Aftermath

( ): Thoughts

((" ")): Holy Talon's voice

\" ": Kael's voice

--

Konoha…

Naruto was currently practicing several new moves with Holy Talon in the forest outside of Konoha. The blonde Dragon Champion and Konoha ninja was training as he normally did but with Holy Talon in his command, things were somewhat different as he began to master several more sword skills and maneuvers. He had some time to practice as his home was among those that were not wrecked at the very moment and he didn't need to shape it up too much.

As he moved with each slash and thrust and hit his targets which were training dummies and large boulders…he thought back on recent events…he had to give credit to the Hokage to have planned ahead of time before the Invasion as he had made several letters to the Council, he had recalled that merely a day or two after the funeral…he had been summoned once more by the Council in the Council meeting chambers…and he was escorted by both Ibiki and Kakashi…Jiraiya was supposed to be along but it seemed that the old pervert had far more interesting things on his mind.

Truth be told he was not comfortable with the Council as many of them were not too trusting of him in the least and some outright hated him. However, there were those that were tolerant and sympathetic to his case…and that was a good thing on his mind. However the more intolerant ones were those who got his goat more than others as some of them had some really outrageous demands of him.

--

Flashback…

Naruto looked at the whole Council as they each faced him and he was getting both annoyed and uncomfortable as many of them were staring at him like they were a band of surgeons and he was the test subject for a new surgical procedure, which was bad enough…but the stares they directed on Holy Talon were worse.

He had only recovered fully from the battle with Gaara when he was called into the Council chambers and was escorted by both Ibiki and Kakashi, and amazingly enough, Maito Gai was with them too…all three of them were on his side…either escorting him or sending him to the execution squad, but he trusted Kakashi-sensei and respected both Ibiki-sensei, and Gai-sensei not to ask. As soon as he was calmer…he spoke.

"You summoned me, honored members of the Council?"

Hiashi nodded as he spoke…

"That we did Naruto…we have much to discuss…namely about the events that led to the battle here in the village…and your part in the said events."

"Does this have anything to do with the soldiers I summoned?"

Inochi nodded and then took his turn to speak.

"That's correct Naruto, while unexpected, the reinforcements you summoned proved invaluable in allowing our ninja to rally and prepare when they were outnumbered by the allied Sand and Sound ninja. For that….this village owes you a debt that no doubt will be hard to repay…"

"That's not why we are here in this meeting…this…thing you have…must be understood."

One Council member said with a look of disdain at Naruto…and Naruto saw that but ignored it as he looked at the other Council members. The others directed their attention to him and Holy Talon while the three Jonin were nearby as well. It was then that one of the Elders…namely elder Homura took out a set of scrolls and then handed them to the Council…the members of the Council read the letters and as they read the contents…they turned their attention back to Naruto…Chouza was the first to speak.

"So…this sword was made…by Dragons, and from another world no less…that would explain why it has that level of power. That seems rather farfetched though…"

"That might be true…but it does seem to make sense in the long run…so Naruto…you found this sword in Wave Country…or did it find you?"

Shikaku asked as he looked at the sword…trying to study it visually.

"Actually…it was both…"

Naruto then told them all how he had came into contact with Holy Talon and Kakashi verified the story as well…the Council listened and read the letters left by Sarutobi and compared the letters' contents with what Naruto was telling them and found that everything Naruto was telling them was true. Ginji then spoke…

"This sword helped you save my daughter Naruto…and according to the letter of the Hokage… it chose you as it's master….correct?"

"Yes."

"And how can a sword chose a person? Namely one with your cursed secret?"

One Council member asked with a sneer at Naruto…a look Naruto fought back with intense calm and focus…that made the Council member inch back a bit as Homura, one of the higher ranking Elders in the Council looked at the Council member in question.

"Do not forget that discussion of the Kyuubi is forbidden, even in the walls of the Council chambers…"

"It's all right Elder Homura… but I think it's about time all of you get to hear what I have to say…and I will not be silenced this time…I have waited twelve long years for this chance, and all of you who hate me…you WILL listen to me."

Homura looked at Naruto with some surprise and so did the rest of the Council. Naruto gave them all a level stare and he was going to finally speak his mind…he had spent time learning much from Holy Talon and after learning more about the Dragon Champions of the past, he was more confident about himself…the previous champions were ordinary people who made the choice in extraordinary times and he was now one of them…He couldn't deny the fact that it hurt him deeply to learn how the Kyuubi was inside of him and how this was the reason that he was abused and mistreated by the village…however, he never forgot that there were those who lived in Konoha who he trusted with his life…and that was why he was not going to let the fact that the Kyuubi was inside of him rule his life forever. There was no denying that the Kyuubi was part of him until he died…but now was time to make it clear to those in the Council how hated him that he was NOT someone they could boss around forever.

"I don't deny the fact that the Kyuubi is inside me…and I know about the damage and death the Kyuubi caused…and what the Fourth did to save Konoha from it and how he died…but I am NOT the Kyuubi you so fear and hate…I am Naruto Uzumaki…and I am NO demon! I am flesh and blood and human like any of you, and I was born in this village like the other Genin from my class…that is something no one here can deny no matter what you say…"

"You will stop this nonsense now brat…"

"I AM NOT FINISHED!!"

The Council was surprised at the raised tone Naruto had in his voice, none of them expected this to happen, even Kakashi was surprised at this as well…Naruto looked at them intensely and spoke evenly.

"I have lived twelve years being ridiculed, abused, spat on, insulted, isolated, mistreated…and worse, because of something I had no control over! I was a mere baby when the Kyuubi was placed inside of me! A child…barely able to speak and defend himself…let alone know who his parents were, I don't know if they were alive or dead or if they abandoned me after the Kyuubi was sealed inside of me since I have been alone. Every day ever since then I have been treated like a monster for no reason and seen as garbage. Did you really think I was dumb and foolish all my life to bear all that with a smile? You all have no idea how much I have hated and despised the way I was treated, and you know why? Because you have never lived MY life…what right do you have to place yourselves above me and treat me like garbage and think you're better?! I am not some animal that you can abuse and mistreat all you want!"

Kakashi and the two other Jonin looked on and remained silent, as did the rest of the Council.

"This village is my home and there are those who care about me…Iruka-sensei knew about my secret and the Kyuubi killed his parents…but he took care of me, he treated me as a human being and not as a monster, he was the only person to show me that there was someone who cared. He risked his life to save me from that traitorous bastard Mizuki. And there are also other villagers here I care about, like Teuchi and Ayame. And there is my team, with Sakura-chan, Sasuke, and Kakashi-sensei. They and those I call friends are the reason I never became a killing machine who kills without hesitation…think about that for a moment and ask yourselves…would you prefer to have me as a ninja loyal to the people of Konoha or as an enemy?"

Naruto looked at the Council members who he knew had axes to grind against him and silently challenged them to say otherwise and when they were silent, he spoke once more.

"And if anyone here has an issue about what I said…then him and I can step outside of Konoha and fight one another and whoever makes it out will win this argument. That's all I have to say about that matter…but on the matter of Holy Talon…you should have known already from the old man's letters that Holy Talon and I are connected…and no one but me can use Holy Talon's powers."

The Council discussed matters and while that was going on, Gai leaned in and whispered to Kakashi.

"You're student's got guts Kakashi…that's the first time in Konoha's history that a Genin has ever stood up to the Council…and in such a forceful way too."

"I know…this is actually kind of interesting."

"His youth burns like a flame…no wonder he and Lee get along well."

Ibiki then spoke to the two of them.

"Hey you two…now is not the right time for this….this is a Council room after all."

The Council finished their discussions and then Homura spoke to Naruto.

"I read in the letter that Holy Talon has…what one would call…built in traps to make sure none but you can hold it…care to explain?"

"It's there in the letters, but to be more direct…if anyone who is not evil hearted or intentioned holds Holy Talon but is not chosen…then lifting Holy Talon by your hands will be like trying to lift a mountain…but if anyone who IS evil tries to hold Holy Talon…then what will happen will be the same as when Orochimaru's arm was incinerated…as I have told you before…Holy Talon reacts very negatively to those who are evil trying to claim it."

Hiashi then asked Naruto to place Holy Talon on the table and the Hyuuga clan leader studied the sword with the Byakugan and he admitted that what he could see was impressive…as before…it was unlike any sword that he knew that existed in this world…with the Byakugan…he could see very bright lines of power, but it was not chakra…but it must be the energy called magic or Dragon Fire as Naruto explained.

The Hyuuga leader had to admit that this sword was a true work of art…to be able to break Kusanagi…which no one has ever claimed to doing. He then spoke to Naruto.

"How exactly was this sword forged by Dragons…and this Dragon Lord…Lord Faldren of whom the Hokage spoke of?'

"Holy Talon was forged by Faldren and it was made from one of his scales and one of his own talons…and it was blessed his blood, and magical fire…and also with every Dragon under Lord Faldren, namely in his Flight and those of the others."

"Flight?"

"That's a term for his clan or followers. Every Dragon under Faldren's leadership has contributed to Holy Talon's creation, both in magic and blood."

"Then this sword should be studied. That is why until further notice…this sword Holy Talon should be under the Council's protection for study."

Naruto glared at the Council member and spoke.

"You are not going to take Holy Talon from me."

Ginji then spoke in Naruto's defense.

"I agree with Naruto on this matter, the sword is his and we have no reason to take it from him…and he is the only one who can use it."

"But we must know more…and as the Council of Konoha…we have the authority to have Naruto relinquish the sword to us."

--

End of Flashback…

Naruto gritted his teeth at the memories as he continued his training and as he cut down through another stone which was in the area…Holy Talon sensed the emotions rolling from it's master.

(("There is something troubling you Master Naruto…"))

(Yeah…I'm really in a pissed off state of mind right now.)

(("This wouldn't happen to concern the Council meeting would it?"))

(Those old bastards…they wanted to strip me of you so they can study you?! What nerve…and after all we both did to help save the village!!)

(("That is understandable…I'm not exactly what one would consider common place here in your world…so I am not surprised that they wanted to study me."))

(I know…but still…to ask me to formally surrender YOU to the Council…they might mean well, but those guys have absolutely no right to try and take you from me.)

(("True…but no matter what…they can't take me away from you either way…after all, you are my chosen master and I obey only your commands."))

Naruto loosened his stance and grinned a bit at the truth of that statement…none of the Council could ever lift the sword and that was enough to validate Sarutobi's message that none but Naruto could carry the sword…and access it's limited…but impressive and massive powers. The ones who were against him were not happy and tried to once more to have Naruto formally surrender the sword…but the other Council members forbade that. The meeting wore on until Homura stated that in accordance with the information…Naruto was allowed to keep Holy Talon as the sword was bound to him and none of them could command it.

As he finished his training, Naruto took out a towel and wiped the sweat from his face and he then heard some noise heading towards him…he reflexively got ready to fight…but calmed down when he recognized Kin moving towards him. The former Sound Genin was now formally given her Konoha citizenship papers as requested by Naruto and authorized by the late Hokage…and as she was already a trained Genin, she was formally now a Konoha Genin…though she was not yet placed under the command of a Jonin sensei…not everyone was really welcoming of the former Sound Kunoichi, but Naruto was and that was enough for the former Sound Kunoichi as she trusted Naruto.

"Hey Kin-san…what brings you here?"

Kin stopped and presented a food storage pack and Naruto smelled something that he easily recognized right off the bat.

"RAMEN!!"

Kin snickered at the dopey expression Naruto had as he opened the container and saw her favorite pork ramen and took out the chop-sticks and ate the ramen like a hungry wolf. Naruto ate as much as he could until he recalled his manners and spoke to Kin.

"Thanks a lot Kin-san! How did you know about me loving Ramen?"

"Hehe…how else do you think? I cleaned your room and one point and do you know how many instant ramen containers I found? Twenty-seven containers…so it stands to reason you LOVE ramen a lot."

Naruto rubbed his head and gave a weak laugh until they heard another coming their way and there came Iruka, Naruto smiled as he approached his father figure in the village as the Chuunin whistled at the mess Naruto made while training with Holy Talon and he smiled at his young charge and little brother figure.

"You've been working hard again eh Naruto?"

"Yep! The training helps pass the time plus some new techniques will certainly help me a lot…what brings you here Iruka-sensei? I thought you were helping with the others on rebuilding Konoha?"

"Yes I am…but I came to tell you that we've gotten a message from representatives from the Village of the Hidden Sand."

"Oh?"

"Apparently they had recently found their Fourth Kazekage dead and it's the real Kazekage and his guards as well…evidence suggests that Orochimaru had murdered the Kazekage and his guards days before the Chuunin Exams and took his place…he played both sides and helped orchestrate the attacks both as himself and as the Kazekage."

Naruto growled.

"I thought as much…so how is the Sand Village handling the discovery?"

"Not too well…they are still in shock and the intern Council they have there in their village is working hard to find a good replacement for their leader…"

"They should have Gaara as their leader."

"What makes you say that Naruto?"

"Gaara's not just the son of the Kazekage…but I have a feeling…a thought that sooner or later…he would be a Kazekage the village of Hidden Sand will be proud of. I don't know why I feel that it might happen…but I do."

"Well, that will have to be determined by how Gaara performs and the decision of the Council of the Hidden Sand Village when the time comes to promote a Kazekage…by the way…what do you plan to do later Naruto…you could certainly help in the rebuilding of the village."

"Maybe later Iruka-sensei…there are some things I have to work on for a bit."

Kin then smiled as she packed up the remains of the ramen dishes and knew that she would have to return to the Ichiraku Ramen stand to give back the dishes. Teuchi and Ayame willingly made the meal for Naruto, as Naruto's break-fast food stub had been left by him in the apartment when he went out to get some training in. As she made her way back, Iruka left as well to do his part in the rebuilding…while Naruto decided to train a bit more as he now had the energy of having a full stomach.

--

Later…

As it was now lunch time…Naruto decided to head back home to get the rest of his food stubs. He had been training in both the Boundless State and several more sword moves that another Dragon Champion named Vane had taught him. Vane had been nameless before but it turned out that he was the maker of the Sword Breaker technique that he had used in the Forest of Death to shatter Kusanagi before, Vane had been impressed with the techniques Naruto had developed and he was willing to teach Naruto some tricks of his own. Vane was a War Blade and had taught Naruto some dual wielding techniques when Naruto carried a wooden stick just for a change of pace…and Naruto learned how to master the fighting style a bit.

As he made it back to his home…he began to wonder about what he had learned from Gamabunta days before…about Gaara's insomnia due to the Shukaku being sealed inside of him since he was a baby. He thought about this long and hard and wondered if he could at least let Gaara have some peace in his life…it was then that an idea struck him.

(Holy Talon?)

(("Yes, Master Naruto?"))

(I was wondering about the Dragon Seal that you placed to reinforce the seal holding the Kyuubi…)

(("What is it you want to know about it?"))

(Is it possible to create a seal just like it…so as to shield a person's mind and soul from a force inside the mind?)

(("Yes, that is very much possible…is this for someone in particular?"))

(Yeah…I think Gaara's suffered enough with the Shukaku and he deserves to have some measure of peace in his life…and for what I have in mind, this will do just fine.)

((Sounds workable…but you're going to need some training on how make the seal yourself…so you won't make any mistakes when you make the seal. I'll show you how it's done."))

As Naruto checked his home he found it to be rather clean and all the normal garbage in his apartment was meticulously ordered and then placed in colored containers, Kin certainly cleaned up the place and he had to admit that it was kind of nice that she was helping out in her stay in his apartment and her own home. As he sat in the living room, he sat down on the couch and relaxed as Holy Talon began to teach him how to better utilize the creation methods of the Dragon Seal and how to use it properly.

--

Elsewhere in Konoha…

Sakura sighed as she helped haul several bags of groceries that her mother had been able to purchase from the market. Sakura's mother had volunteered to cook food for the reconstruction crews while her father Ginji was currently on routine patrol with the rest of the ninja who could be spared for the missions of keeping out possible attackers. She had hoped to check out how her other team-mates were doing at the moment but right now there was a lot of work to be done in rebuilding Konoha…she knew that Ino and her own team-mates were doing their part in rebuilding the village and so were the others….except Rock Lee who was still in recovery.

As she placed down the groceries…her mother called her.

"Dear…I happen to have some extra packs of beef dumplings left in the pantry for lunch…I want you to have them for today so enjoy them while their still hot."

"Thanks mom!"

Sakura took the packs after placing the groceries where her mother needed them to be, and wondered just who she could share the food with…naturally her thoughts went to both Sasuke and Naruto, but Sasuke was currently in training and was not in any of the normal places she knew to find him…so she decided to reserve a few of them for him when she had the time to find him and decided to head off to Naruto's apartment. As she did so…she wondered just what Sasuke was doing.

--

Sasuke was currently sitting on the roof of the Academy, the same place where he and the others of team Kakashi had met in their days in the graduation. He had a lot on his mind as he recalled several events patiently as he could, he recalled the battle with Gaara in the ring and how deadly the Sand sibling was. And what he had seen when he fought Gaara…and then the battle between Naruto and Gaara…and he recalled how he had been relegated into the side-lines when he ran out of chakra…

(I couldn't do a damn thing…even with my choice to use the Cursed Seal…I couldn't do anything…but Naruto did something…he fought Gaara…and won…)

Sasuke sighed as he looked at the clouds and wondered what he should do now and he wondered about what he had been able to learn about Holy Talon when he had managed to eavesdrop on the conversation with the deceased Hokage and Naruto and Holy Talon's creator and 'father' Dragon Lord Faldren. He recalled Holy Talon's creator stating about the past battles between his kind and that of their dark kin and also about the Chaos Dragons creating Holy Talon's only rival in power…Death Fang…

He shook his head at the thought and decided to go grab a bite to eat so as to calm himself and think more clearly…there wasn't much for him to do as the compound of the Uchiha Clan was still very much intact and unharmed so he decided to go to the fields and get some exercise in. Afterwards…he would go back to his home and get some sleep…no sense losing his strength by staying up late.

--

"Naruto-kun? Are you here?"

Sakura asked as she opened the door into Naruto's apartment and as she went in…she was amazed to find the place clean and orderly, and for a moment, she had thought that she was under a Genjutsu of some sort…but she sensed none at the moment and recalled that Naruto never used Genjutsu at all in the times she had known him as her team-mate. That then told her that maybe the reason the place looked nice was because of Kin, as the newly instated Konoha Kunoichi might have something of a cleanliness passion…or she was not liking the idea of living in a place that resembled a dump site…if it was either of the two she had no idea yet. But for now…she was interested in finding out just what it was that Naruto was up to.

She placed the dumplings on the table and looked about and sure enough…found Naruto was he seemed to be making some form of seal on a block of wood and chanting in the same unknown language. The seal resembled a pair of Dragons in the color of deep brown protecting a human shaped figure with what appeared to be a large object behind it…that looked familiar to her and there were four characters that were on the sides of the Dragons…Naruto's eyes were closed as he spoke in the language and while she had no idea what he was doing…Sakura could tell that this was a very delicate situation and distracting Naruto was not the best of ideas…she looked as she saw that Holy Talon was nearby and it was then that she saw the glowing eye in the hand guard…she was surprised at first but didn't do anything. Naruto finished the last of the words and with a quick motion…he made a gesture and the seal glowed deep golden and seemed to suddenly come to life as the Dragons began to move in a rotating motion around the human figure and then lines of energy surrounded the human figure…like a cage of some sort and then the cage seemed to surround and guard the figure and the Dragons seemed to return to normal as the golden light faded…the glowing eye in Naruto's sword seemed to close as lids of metal covered it like a closing eye.

Sakura gasped a bit and was surprised as Naruto turned and with eyes open and smiled at her..

"Thanks for not distracting me Sakura-chan…I really need to focus on this seal to get it to work. But what brings you here anyway?"

"My mom gave me a good number of fresh beef dumplings to have for lunch, I figured I could bring some to you and Sasuke-kun…would you like some?'

Naruto smiled at that and replied.

"Of course!"

By the way…what sort of seal is this?"

"It's a special protection seal I was working on…it's for someone in need of one."

"Really? Who is that person anyway?"

"I'll tell you some other time…but I really need to eat something…making that seal work, despite being a trial run is tiring work."

Sakura and Naruto sat down on his table and after saying the usual exuberant blessings to eating, the two began to eat the dumplings. While Naruto relished ramen, he was open to eating other foods as well and the fact that Sakura was with him at the moment made it even nicer for him as well as he munched down on the dumplings. Sakura watched as Naruto ate hungrily…and while he was still a bit messy in eating, the smile on his face told her volumes of how happy he was to have a meal. The two ate their food and it was then that a knock caught their attention and Naruto left the table and went to the door…and when he opened it…he was in for a bit of a surprise…

As Hinata stood there with a small basket in her hands and a blush on her face…

"Hinata-san? What are you doing here?"

"I-I-I um…wanted to…bring you…something to eat…N-Naruto-kun."

Naruto looked at the basket and smelled the food inside quite easily and the smell made his stomach rumble…much to his embarrassment and Hinata's light hearted chuckle. He recalled his manners and allowed Hinata inside and the Hyuuga girl slowly walked in as she realized that this was going to be the very first time she was in Naruto's place. He led her to the dining area where Sakura still was and she was a bit saddened that Sakura was in the same room as her, as she knew that Naruto had a crush on his team-mate…but she was not going to lose now as she shyly presented the basket and when she removed the cover and revealed several rice cakes, some fruits, and also some sashimi and tempura. Naruto had to admit that this was really nice of Hinata to give him a large meal like this by herself. He tried some of the food after asking Hinata's permission, to which she shyly gave and found them to be pretty darn tasty…he had no idea Hinata was a good cook.

After having another bite, he gave his approval to Hinata…

"Wow! You're a really great cook Hinata-san! You'd make a prefect wife to the man you marry someday!"

Hinata blushed profusely at that praise and twiddled her fingers as she looked down and muttered timidly.

"T-T-Thank you, N-N-N-Naruto-kun…"

As Naruto ate the food, Hinata blushed as she looked at her longtime crush and recalled his compliment to her and she felt her heart race as she replayed those words in her mind over and over again. Sakura looked at the two and wondered why she suddenly felt some level of envy and jealousy towards Hinata, she then looked at Naruto and some strange sensations filled her as she gazed at her team-mate.

(What am I doing? I feel jealous towards Hinata…but why?)

(I can't be jealous of Hinata…but yet I am…is it because I…like Naruto-kun?)

Sakura thought about that and decided to put that aside as Naruto continued to eat away. She had to admit that she was seeing Naruto in a different light and wondered about how she should act…sure she was nicer towards him…but could she take it any higher? She decided to just relax and try to sort things out before making a decision on how to handle this situation she had found herself in involving Naruto.

--

Later…

Naruto sighed as he walked out into the field and felt very full…he had thanked both Sakura and Hinata for the wonderful lunch making them smile at him, he then bid farewell to them both as he moved to the field outside of Konoha, but before he did so…he decided to pay a visit to both Teuchi and Ayame to see how they were doing…the two greeted him and Ayame handed him one of the stand's most expensive ramen and all she did was smile and kiss Naruto in the cheek.

Naturally Naruto blushed and asked what that kiss was for…and she replied that it was for saving her and her father during the attack on Konoha. Naruto blushed and thanked her and Teuchi for the food and ate the meal and as soon as he was done, he carried on and made his way to the field…however he suddenly found himself blocked by none other than Jiraiya himself…the Toad sage smiled and greeted the blonde ninja.

"Hello there Naruto…how are things so far?"

"Fine, Pervy Sage, what are you up to?"

"Oh…here and there…just my usual research…"

"You mean peeking at naked woman again? Don't you have anything better to do? It's hard to picture a perverted old man like you as a legendary ninja you know…"

"Hmph…I am merely inspired by beauty…and after all…my novels are loved by all my readers…"

"Yeah…sure they are…now I have to go for a bit…I need to leave for Gaara's village."

Jiraiya gave a surprised look at that announcement and spoke.

"You're going to Suna at this time of the day? May I ask why…since you realize that what you have in mind is a bad idea…."

"I'm planning to give Gaara something…something that could help him with his Shukaku problem."

"Really? Care to tell me what it is?"

"It's kind of hard to explain…so let me shorten the whole idea then….L learned how to make a seal that follows the same one as the one I have…except this will protect Gaara from Shukaku and allow him to sleep."

Jiraiya thought it over and had to admit that it was a very interesting idea…if the seal was the same as what Naruto had to protect him even further from the Kyuubi, then it would certainly be a great aid to Gaara. He thought over it a bit more and nodded.

"All right…so how do you plan to go to Suna? As far as I know, it take some time to get to Suna and you can bet that the Elders are NOT going to let you go out on your own all of a sudden."

Naruto grinned and replied.

"I'm taking a ride…"

Jiraiya looked a bit curiously and put two and two together and smiled as he spoke once more.

"All right…but don't take too long or else every elder is going to be breathing down everyone's neck looking for you. By the way…when you get back…I have a proposition for you."

Naruto was confused and made an assumption and glared at Jiraiya and pointed his finger at him.

"I AM NOT GOING TO HELP YOU PEEK AT WOMEN IN THE BATH-HOUSE YOU PERVY SAGE!!"

Jiraiya laughed and replied.

"I don't need help to do my research Naruto…it's something else…I need your help to find an old friend of mine. You see…the elders came to me a few hours before and asked me to be the Hokage and trust me…I have no intention of being Hokage…for one thing…I prefer freedom and no duties other than what I love doing…but I know someone who can be a very capable Hokage…"

Naruto thought about it and then recalled something that he had heard from Sakura about the Sannin…there was no way Orochimaru was going to be the one Jiraiya had in mind and since there was only one other Sannin on record, that one must be the one Jiraiya had in mind.

"You're referring to your team-mate Tsunade right?"

"Good guess…how did you know?"

"Sakura-chan told me about it one time in the Forest of Death. So she's the one you have in mind to be Hokage?"

"Yep…she's got the brains and the blood line to go with it…I volunteered to go and look for her…and while they wanted to assign some Jonin with me, I told them it's better that the Jonin remain here to help with the protection of the village…I already have a person in mind to help me in my mission."

"Oh really? So who's the unlucky character who's going to accompany you?"

"Hehehe…I'm looking at him."

Naruto's eyes widened at that statement and gave Jiraiya a look.

"Why the heck did you pick me?! I have a lot of things left to do here in Konoha…I don't have time to waste accompanying a dirty old man who might start peeking at women again!"

"I picked you for a reason Naruto…and it's not because of your personality…I picked you because you are going to learn a jutsu that can beat the one you've seen Sasuke use…"

"What? You're going to teach me a jutsu that can rival the Chidori?!"

"Of course…it will be a personal jutsu for you…that is what I am going to offer to you…if you want to come along that is. If you don't want to…I might as well teach Sasuke the jutsu…"

Naruto thought about it and had to admit that having his personal jutsu was a very interesting technique, which he could use in conjunction with Holy Talon's powers and that was further incentive…besides, it would give him something to equalize with Sasuke when they fought and he didn't have Holy Talon with him. He had seen how Chidori works and had to admit that it's a powerful jutsu and to have something to rival it was certainly a very tempting idea…and when the time came for him and Sasuke to face off, he would have something to help him in the fight to prove he's a ninja equal to anyone…even his team-mate.

"All right…I'm in…but you'll have to wait for me tomorrow…I still have to test the seal when Gaara goes to sleep."

"Good, don't take too long."

With that, Naruto repeated the same commands as before and when the ritual was finished…Kael appeared and the Sky Dragon greeted it's master/summoner with a toothy grin.

\"Is there something you need from me Master?"/

"A lift would be nice…I need to go to the Village of Hidden Sand."

\"Consider it done."/

--

In the village of the Hidden Sand…

"Come again? What do you mean you want to be Kazekage Gaara?"

Kankurou was surprised at their brother's announcement as he and Temari looked at Gaara who was staring out the window of their home in the main Kazekage residence. They had been able to make it back and Gaara was allowed to recover on his own…some of the villagers and even members of the Council were surprised a bit when Gaara seemed…different, though they were still somewhat uneasy about him. Gaara paid it no mind and seemed to be deep in thought at times…though he was more sociable with the two of them and even Baki…and like them and the others, the Jonin was surprised at Gaara's behavior.

"I meant what I said Kankurou, I will do my best to take the title of Kazekage."

Temari was very curious about this as well and decided to ask her youngest brother a question.

"Gaara…you seem different ever since that battle with that Naruto guy…what happened?"

Gaara turned and faced both his siblings and replied.

"I had my eyes opened to something I thought I would never see…he was…is the same as me."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Naruto Uzumaki…had the same life as I did…he has a demon sealed inside of him as well."

Kankurou's eyes widened at that remark and so did Temari, and the middle brother was the first to say something.

"Are you saying that he's…"

"A demon container like me brother…yes…but he's different…very different. Even after being reviled and hated by others…he still wants to protect the people, he wants to save them, and because they were precious to him…I used to think such things were weaknesses, they made you soft and easy prey…but he was able to beat me with all that he had…he was even willing to die for them because they were precious to him…and that gave him the power to beat me. He understood me…because he and I are the same, and he told me so when he showed me his seal where his demon was being held inside of him…he had the Kyuubi inside of him…and we all knew what happened then when the Kyuubi attacked Konoha…that is why many must have hated him…yet he was strong…not from hatred…but by love…. And it was love for others, not for himself."

"Gaara…"

"I want to be that strong as well…and I want to make up for all the times I was being a monster to everyone here in the village…if he could be strong for others…then I want to be like that as well."

The two looked and saw that their little brother meant every word…Temari and Kankurou watched as Gaara turned his attention back to the window as he looked at the village of his birth, and as he did so they each looked at one another and wondered what the future held for Gaara.

It was then that they had received a message that the village of Konoha had accepted their unconditional surrender and at that moment, there would no longer be any hostilities between Konoha and Suna. Temari sighed and was thankful that the attempt at peace was accomplished and she decided to think on other matters, namely on what Gaara had told them…she would have never guessed that the blonde ninja who she met was the same as her youngest brother…before this sudden change…Naruto was Gaara's total polar opposite…and to know that he had done the impossible and defeated Gaara was a mark of how skilled and powerful the blonde was…she had seen his power before and to know that he had actually changed her brother made her even more intrigued and interested in him…not only did he look handsome, and powerful…but he was a positive influence on her brother Gaara as well.

It was a shame that he was not around for to show him her appreciation…she still recalled his invitation to her to try some of the ramen from his village.

However…it was then that an alarm came out and all three of them rushed out of the building along with the ninja of the village, all armed and ready for anything…anything that is, except a massive reptile with wings coming right at them. The ninja were about to attack…but the Sand Siblings and even Baki, who had arrived as well, recognized Kael as the same dragon ridden by Naruto when he arrived at the arena days before in Konoha, and as the dragon came closer…they spotted Naruto riding behind the creature. Gaara then turned to Baki and spoke.

"Tell the others to calm down Baki."

Baki looked at Gaara and seeing that Gaara was serious about this, turned and gave the order…the other Sand ninja were still unsure but they were not going to go forward and contradict Gaara and as such, they lowered their weapons as the Dragon landed before them and Naruto got off from his mount and walked over to Gaara…and much to the surprise of everyone Gaara looked at Naruto in way that was…respectful.

"Naruto Uzumaki…what brings you all the way out here?"

Naruto grinned and replied.

"Figured I'd drop by and say hi…not to mention hand you a gift…you mind if we talk somewhere else?"

Gaara thought about it and nodded.

"Doesn't sound like too much to ask…though I recommend you tell your dragon to not be here…you're attracting quite the crowd."

Naruto noted that as large numbers of villagers were staring in utter shock at the presence of Kael in the village…along with other matters. Naruto turned to his Dragon mount and Kael nodded in agreement and took off and then flew away from the wall of stone that surrounded the village of Suna from the high winds that passed through the desert on a regular basis. As the dragon left Gaara accompanied Naruto while Temari and Kankurou followed.

Later…

"Are you serious?"

Temari asked Naruto as the blonde ninja and Dragon Champion explained the reason why he was visiting. He had been given something to eat and drink as it had been a long journey from Konoha to Suna…even on a Dragon's back. Naruto ate the food readily and as he finished…he explained about the Dragon seal that further contained the Kyuubi inside of him and explained that he had created a seal that could help contain the Shukaku even further and allow Gaara to fully control the sand demon raccoon. Needless to say, Gaara was somewhat surprised, while Kankurou was naturally wary of this whole thing.

"That I am Temari-san…I've been working on the seal and I am quite sure it will be able to shield Gaara from Shukaku and allow Gaara more control over him."

Kankurou looked a bit skeptical at that idea as he was somewhat familiar with how hard it was for their own village to seal a demon properly and he was not quite sure that the seal would work on Gaara, and that was one of the reasons why he asked this question to Naruto.

"Are you sure the seal you have in mind will work? As far as I know…there's been no seal to contain…well, the Shukaku."

Since there were only four of them, they were allowed to talk freely, and it was also then that Temari tentatively asked Naruto a question.

"Naruto-kun…Gaara told me and Kankurou that you…ah…"

"Have the Kyuubi inside of me? It's true Temari-san. You saw the chakra of the Kyuubi in the arena before when I fought with Neji before. And yes…my life's been the same as Gaara's but I have others with me who mean a lot to me…and I have no doubts that Gaara will find people important for him to protect as well. And the seal I have is double protected by the Dragon seal…the very same seal I made for Gaara and I can assure you…it works perfectly…the only thing I need is Gaara to agree to this, once he does so…the seal will adapt and bind to him quickly. You see, it only works at full power if the one to be given the seal is willing."

Naruto then directed his attention to Gaara who thought about it and had to admit the offer was very tempting…the ability to finally control the demon within him for nearly twelve years was certainly something that Gaara wanted…and to finally be allowed a measure of peace in his life was certainly something that he wanted more than anything in his life. He thought about the offer more carefully and decided to ask something important.

"What else will the seal do?"

Naruto thought it over and Holy Talon's explanations to him about the seal's powers and what could be the effects when given to a person. He thought back during his time back in his apartment in Konoha when he was making the seal and had asked the question of what sort of magical powers did Holy Talon possess.

--

Flashback…

(("You wish to know about magic Master Naruto?"))

(Yeah…exactly what sort of powers do you have anyway?)

Naruto was busy working on the seal's first methods when the question came to his mind…he recalled the instances where he used the powers of Holy Talon in his battles…but he decided to try and get a much better understanding if he was ever able to even up to the soon to arrive user of Death Fang and he knew that while he was a Dragon Champion…compared to the past champions…he was still somewhat unskilled as they were. And so it would be a lot more effective if he knew just what other abilities he had. Holy Talon was pleased with hit's master's question and decided to teach him the fundamental basics of magic.

(("This might be a long discussion Master Naruto…"))

(Go on…I always wanted to know ever since I got to have you by my side.)

(("Very well…as you know…the magical source of my abilities which are now yours is from Dragon Fire, as Dragons of either Holy or Chaos sect are creatures born of this magic's very essence, magic is as natural to them as eating is to you Master. There are several branches of magic that exist in me, there is elemental magic, namely Fire, Water, Earth, Air, and Energy, the other branches also include Mind, Body, Life, Nature, Vision, Summoning, Transmutation/Enchanting , and Divine. Now each branch of magic is present in all Dragons though some are more skilled at a certain branch than others, only Lord Faldren can command all branches without any difficulty as he is the leader of all Holy Dragons. "))

(("There are a large number of spells that are under my control and yours…but as before some higher level spells are not allowed for you to use until you are talented and strong enough to use them effectively without fear…though I suggest that you limit your use of the high level spells as they are taxing on the reserves of Dragon Fire I have in me…if you use one…say summoning Lord Faldren himself in combat, which I must say is only as a very desperate resort, it will deplete me of my power and I will need a large amount of time to recover my reserves. On the case of a Dragon seal…it has a tendency to become interdependent when it is needed, in simpler terms if the right incantation and spell is used…the seal will evolve to host an amount of Dragon Fire…allowing another to cast spells using Dragon Fire. This also works with the seal you're making for Gaara."))

(What do you mean?)

(("The seal as I have said, has a tiny reserve of Dragon Fire…to power the seal itself along with the will and strength of the one with the seal. If you so choose to improve the seal and bless it with a certain amount of power and if you so desire…infuse or enchant it with a magical branch…then the person in question will have a simpler mastery of the said branch."))

(That person can use magic?)

(("Yes…more or less…it can also give some greater physical traits if you so wish…Dragon Seals are only used if necessary Master…for their use can be abused by others…so that is why make the seal only if you have complete faith in that person and he or she is truly trust worthy to possess the seal."))

(So it's like the Cursed Seal that Orochimaru placed on Sasuke…only it's not going to be evil?)

(("In that respect, yes…and since it does not corrupt others in the same fashion as the Cursed Seal…it is safe to place on others…however, I cannot be sure how it would react if you attempt to place the seal on your team-mate…doing so might place averse consequences on him."))

(It will not harm Gaara?)

(No Master Naruto…it is perfectly safe for him.)

(That's good…)

--

End of Flashback…

"It can help you control Shukaku like I said…but it will also be able to regulate his chakra and control it while preserving your personality by shielding you from it's influence…so you can be yourself even when you are using Shukaku's full power."

Gaara took in that new information and thought it over and after some time…he gave his answer.

"I agree…you can place the seal on me."

Temari was surprised and Kankurou was worried about what this meant…sure he would want Gaara to finally be able to control that thing inside of him and if the seal works…then all the better…but only IF it works…and he was not sure about that yet. As far as he knew…there was nothing in the village that could help Gaara control the demon inside of him, and there was a chance that the Seal Naruto had would fail.

"Are you sure about this Gaara?"

"I have to agree with Kankurou, Gaara, if this fails…you know what might happen to you…and this time…you might…"

"I know Temari…I know what will happen all too well…but I will do this, if this will help me in finally being at peace and being in full command of the Shukaku for the first time in my life…then so be it…and I will never allow myself to fall again. You have to trust me as much as I trust Naruto to do this."

Temari sighed and felt a great deal of anxiety and fear as she thought about what could happen if the seal failed and Shukaku got loose in the very heart of the village. She turned to Naruto and stared at him darkly.

"Naruto-kun…I am going to let you do this to Gaara…but if this fails…and you are still alive and I am as well…so Kami help me I will beat you to a bloody pulp."

Kankurou gulped and recalled that while his sister was the more peace loving among them…she can be very temperamental when she was riled, and he too looked at Naruto.

"I still don't trust you…but I trust my sister Temari…if you get this wrong Naruto…then I'm going to be the one to beat you up even further if she's done with you…get me?!"

Naruto nodded and as he and Gaara left to the room to begin the seal he whispered to Gaara.

"Don't take this the wrong way Gaara…but Temari-san can be scary when she's mad."

Gaara gave a smile and a slight chuckle at that.

"Yes, she can be…before I…well…before I became what I was before…she used to scare me too when she got mad."

--

Elsewhere…

"Damn…the pain is immense…."

"I'm sorry Orochimaru-sama but this kind of injury is something not even my talents can cure."

Orochimaru groaned as he sat down…trying all manner of medicine to counter this pain…but it was too much even for his vast knowledge to counter…and Kabuto saying that even he couldn't sure this condition wasn't doing much to alleviate his mood.

"I killed my sensei…and all it cost me were all my jutsu and my arms…if only I had been able to get the Sharingan before…but Itachi was stronger than I was…my chakra might have nearly beaten him…but his Sharingan is at it's peak and more…"

Kabuto nodded as he too knew of the Sharingan's powers.

"That is true…but as you have said…Sasuke is still a viable option for you…and with the seal you have placed on him…he will be tempted indeed."

Orochimaru smiled at that…but gave a slight frown…

"Be that as it may Kabuto…I still need my body fully restored…and I know of only one person with the gift needed to defeat the effects of the old man's jutsu…a Medic-nin who's talents and abilities are without match…she even possesses a jutsu that even I envy…"

"You mean your fellow Sannin Tsunade? But that will not be easy…even if she is not in Konoha…or has loyalty to it at the moment…she will not be so easily coerced to help you Orochimaru-sama."

"True…but there are some things about my former team-mate I know that can be of…use to me."

--

The next day…

Gaara opened his eyes and saw the sun's light filter into his room…he felt his body and looked at his hands…there was no sign of any sand around his bed and no blood or destruction either…and he turned his head to see that it was already seven in the morning. The Shukaku container slowly rose out of his bed and sat there for a moment… he recalled the seal being placed on him…he prepared himself for the pain as Naruto chanted and placed the seal…but there was no pain…just a simple warmth and then a quick flash of heat that last for a moment and then it was over…he then went to sleep in his room, and for the first time…managed to sleep without using any jutsu…

He vividly remembered seeing Shukaku roaring towards him as it normally did in his dreams…but suddenly bars of glowing energy seemed to appear out of nowhere and block Shukaku…he recalled the demon's attempts to shatter that cage…but to no avail…the cage surrounded him and it was then that two Dragons of brown color like earth appeared and surrounded Shukaku's cage. He saw the one of the Dragons turn and speak to him.

(Rest now Gaara…we shall watch over the demon and protect you.)

And Gaara slept…and for the first time since being born…Gaara was not attacked by Shukaku and he felt his personality heal and mend for the first time in twelve years…it was a good feeling.

He looked at saw the sunlight and blinked a bit to get used to the glare…but he reveled in the warmth the light brought in as he got off his bed and then got dressed in his new garb…as he finished, he saw the same black bags under his eyes in the mirror…but they were not that black anymore and his eyes showed him relaxation and peace…two things he never had in a long time. As his gourd reformed on his back he looked at himself once more and went down the stairs and made his way to the main room.

He found Kankurou working on his puppet and Temari cleaning her fan, and as he arrived, Naruto appeared in the room, having been given a place to stay by Temari in the village, namely one of their hotels. The blonde greeted them all and to the amazement of his two siblings Gaara greeted Naruto with a smile…

A smile that didn't hold any of the usual negative emotions and blood thirstiness they were normally seeing in his smile…but a very friendly one…that was enough for them to get up and stop what they were doing. Naruto smiled back and asked Gaara a question.

"So? How was your first night of uninterrupted sleep?"

"It was worth it…your seal worked perfectly Naruto…last night was the first night in twelve years I ever got to sleep peacefully, thank you."

"You're welcome…after all you've gone through Gaara, you deserve to have some peace in your life. I have to be heading back to Konoha today…I'm supposed to be accompanying the Pervy Sage on a mission to find one of his team-mates."

Kankurou, and Temari, even Gaara was curious about that term. Kankurou was the first to ask.

"Who's this guy you're calling the Pervy Sage anyway?"

"His name's Jiraiya and he's one of the Sannin…he's the guy who writes those perverted novels that my Jonin sensei Kakashi has on hand most of the time."

Kankurou's eyes widened at that and he had a surprised look in his eyes.

"You know the author of those novels?"

"Yep…why do you ask?"

Kankurou scratched his head and gave a weak smirk and replied.

"Oh nothing…well…good luck on whatever it is your doing."

Gaara smiled a bit and nodded in agreement.

"Good luck in that mission Naruto…and knowing you…it will succeed."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence Gaara!"

Gaara then smiled at Naruto and laughed a bit…making Kankurou and Temari look at him with utter surprise. Kankurou was still trying to get used to seeing his once psychotic and demented little brother being this calm, cool, relaxed, and friendly. Temari felt warmth and happiness for her brother and also gratitude to Naruto for making this happen and she wanted to thank him and it was then that she recalled the invitation that he had given her before when they first met.

"Naruto-kun…do you recall the invitation that you gave me when we first met?"

Naruto thought about that and remembered the invitation he gave to Temari to try some of the ramen that he loved so much, he nodded and answered the question.

"I haven't forgotten about that Temari-san, do you want to go to Konoha and try it out?"

"Of course…I wouldn't be asking if I didn't want to you know."

"That's great! But I can't exactly have you come along if your brother don't mind."

Gaara looked at Temari and Naruto and gave a smile and nodded his approval, and while Kankurou was not liking the idea at the very moment, he decided to agree since he was sure that Temari was more than capable in defending herself on the off chance that Naruto Uzumaki got too frisky with his hands…he knew full well how Temari acted around perverts. Not to mention he was not going to tempt fate and disagree with his younger brother at the moment.

As Temari and Naruto left the building, Naruto made a mental command and sure enough, Kael revealed himself once more. The sky Dragon had taken refuge outside of the walls of Suna and had arrived to pick up it's master, the villagers were stunned as the Dragon returned and landed in the open area to await it's Master…on the way…Naruto decided to ask Temari a question…concerning Kankurou's reaction to him being a traveling companion to the Pervy Sage.

"Temari-san…can I ask you something?"

"Sure Naruto-kun, what is it you want to know?"

"How does Kankurou know about the Pervy Sage being a novelist?"

Temari chuckled and then whispered in Naruto's ear.

"That's cause Kankurou's got a considerable collection of those novels himself. He's a big fan of Jiraiya's writing."

THAT got Naruto's attention as he didn't figure Gaara's big brother to be the perverted type like his sensei Kakashi, the mere thought of the tough talking and rough and tumble Kankurou having perverted tendencies like his teacher Kakashi was certainly unexpected. He looked at Temari's mischievous look and saw that there was no lie in her words in the least and that meant that the guy did have a collection of those trashy perverted novels.

"Are you serious?!"

"That I am Naruto-kun…as far as I know…my brother's got at least sixteen of those trashy books as well."

"How do you know that anyway?"

Temari grinned and replied.

"I caught him reading one a long time ago, and I managed to locate his stash at some point…but it's my brother's life so I never bothered to tell him that I know about it…and neither should you…he's rather touchy about that stuff and the novels are all in pristine order. He takes care of them like his puppet as well."

As the two of them got on the Dragon's back, Kael greeted Temari who was still getting used to the fact that the dragon she was riding on could talk back to her like a normal person, it didn't take too long for the two to arrive at Konoha as Kael set down in the fields nearby. And afterwards…Naruto bid his dragon companion farewell. The two made their way to the stand and Naruto paid for Temari's meal and she had to admit that Naruto's praise of the meal was well warranted.

As they finished their meal of ramen, Temari smiled as Naruto seemed at ease and she saw the way Teuchi and Ayame cared for Naruto and saw that their affection for him was genuine and it made her see that this was one of the reasons that Naruto was not the same as Gaara. She noted that Ayame had a deeper look of affection towards Naruto and that made her feel a bit jealous but decided not to act on it for the time being and as she tried another meal along with Naruto, she got see the blonde ninja in a different light as he reveled in his favored food.

As they finished…Naruto decided to take Temari for a walk and while they were doing so…Temari turned and smiled at Naruto.

"I wanted to say thank you Naruto-kun…not just for the meal…but for being able to help my little brother Gaara…you're the first friend my little brother ever had and you've done him a great service by giving him that seal."

"You're welcome Temari-san…by the way…do you want me to escort you back to your village? It is a long way from here after all."

"No need…I can handle myself just fine…but before I go…"

Temari then reached forward and kissed Naruto right on the lips, surprising the blonde ninja as Temari held the kiss for a few minutes and then leaned back and blushed as Naruto did as well. She smiled and spoke as she took her leave.

"Take care Naruto-kun…"

Naruto ran his hand on his lips as he recalled Temari's action and had to admit that the Wind Mistress of Hidden Sand was not a bad kisser. He was lucky that Gaara and Kankurou were not around….even if Gaara was a friend to him, he didn't know how his friend would react if he saw that…and he didn't even want to guess what Kankurou's reaction was going to be.

Later…

Naruto arrived at his apartment and was greeted by Kin who was curious why he was not around, and she was not happy with the fact that he wasn't around in the house as she and the others were waiting for him…when Naruto asked just who she was referring to, it was Sakura, Ino, and Hinata. The three girls had gone looking for him when he disappeared for nearly an entire day and they were rather worried, they had asked help from Kiba and Akamaru, along with Hinata's cousin Neji. And even Tenten was there as well at the moment.

Naruto wasn't expecting this much company in his apartment and decided to explain his absence…though only partially as he was not sure about how they would react if he told them about the Dragon seal and Gaara's condition…when he said he was going with Jiraiya to find Tsunade and convince the Sannin's team-mate to be Hokage…they were surprised as this was totally unheard of for a high ranking ninja to take merely a Genin and a single one at that on such a mission. They wished Naruto the best of luck and he thanked them for that as he decided to pack as much food and supplies as he needed and they had to leave as they had their own duties to perform…Hinata was going back to training, Kin had to help in the defense of her new home, Sakura had to help her mother and father, Ino had to help her family as well, while Tenten had to help check on her recovering team-mate Rock Lee.

--

Sasuke was busy on his training when he spotted a hawk coming at his direction with a message container. He opened it and read the message and it was for him to meet up with Kakashi later…

(I wonder what he wants from me this time?)

Kakashi was busy on several matters and had been busy sharpening his own skills at the moment…and he turned to see Asuma and Kurenai having a bit of a discussion. The two were all right at the moment and while Kurenai had respect for Asuma…he wasn't entirely her type at the moment. But they worked well as a team and she respected his close combat skills and he in turn respected her Genjutsu.

As the two approached…Kakashi then noted something else…two hooded figures wearing clacks of some sort and straw hats as well with side coverings and writing that he couldn't see just yet…one was taller than the other and carried what appeared to be a bundle of some sort. Something was off about the two…he had wanted to chat to Sasuke about some matters concerning the situation with his battle with Gaara a few days before…but these two…

Asuma and Kurenai had arrived and were about to chat with Kakashi when they too noticed the new arrivals…the three Jonin wordlessly agreed when they saw each other to track these new arrivals.

One of them turned and then spoke to his taller partner.

"We're being followed…it seems we're going to have to deal with them."

"Good…I'm spoiling for a fight."

--

Konoha's main gate…

"Where is that kid? He was supposed to be early today for the trip…I hope he didn't pick up Kakashi's habit of being fashionably late…."

"Hey Pervy Sage!!"

Jiraiya sighed as he spotted Naruto with Holy Talon on his back in it's sheath and Naruto was wearing a modified version of his older clothes and had a large backpack with him as well, and from the bulges on the back pack in question…there was a lot in the bag as well.

"Took you long enough squirt…you ready to get going?"

"You bet I am! Let's hope this team-mate Tsunade of yours is easy to find."

"She might not want to be found…but that's the beauty of it."

"Exactly what does Tsunade look like anyway Pervy Sage? I don't have a clue as I've never met her before."

"She's around my age at the moment…but she's gotten a way on how to avoid being seen as an old lady."

"Oh?"

"You'll see soon enough…what else did you bring in that bag anyway?"

"Food, clothes…the usual…and I left behind the plate armor in my apartment…only brought the chainmail….it's tough and lighter…plus walking around in plate mail can be distracting…at least the chain mail is easy to hide under clothes…so let's get moving Pervy Sage! The sooner we find Tsunade, then I can learn that new jutsu you promised!"

"Yeah…let's get going!"

--

To be continued…

--

Author's notes:

Sorry for the long delay…my internet connection's kind of jumpy at the moment and it was rather annoying to have the internet denied to you for several days. Anyway…we're about wrapped up this chapter and filler at the same time and we get down to the more interesting stuff as a certain Uchiha renegade and a former Mist Swordsman ninja go after Naruto and Jiraiya after dealing with several Jonin, NOT in a lethal way mind you, and then we're going to see an interesting fight later in the next chapter…

As we have another battle high-light…Sharingan VS Holy Talon… and of course Kisame is going to be involved in this fight as his sword Samehada squares off with Holy Talon as well…a two against one special!! And will the Kyuubi play a part here…well…you'll have to find out won't you?

How was the explanation on Holy Talon's powers with Dragon Fire and the Magical Branches involved in each? It's not the best as I have been busy with other matters, so forgive me if it's a bit off at the moment. But I do have the time to make some short synopsis of each branch.

The elemental magic branches speak for themselves…but the other branches do need some explanation.

Summoning is obviously for summoning powerful allies…from groups of spirit soldiers…to an entire spirit army…along with other Dragon allies…however the highest level spell in this category will be revealed soon enough.

Life is healing magic…Naruto's use of the green-silver flame is the first step of tis Magical branch, but there are spells in this category that are truly powerful but are also very taxing and must be used only in truly dire situation.

Body is a branch dedicated to improving the body in several ways…like and unlike Life magic as it does not heal in the truest sense…but unlocks the hidden power in the caster's body.

Mind is the same as Body…but deals with the mental attributes and talents of it's master.

Focus deals with realms of vision…both in the world of flesh and the world of magic…and even time and space…a good example of this branch is the Dragon Eye itself. Another example is the Piercing Vision spell Naruto had used before.

Transmutation/Enchanting is a branch that can create one thing from another, and or can imbue something or if needed…someone with a level of power that in time will be theirs to use…The Dragon Seal of Gaara is one such form of Transmutation/Enchanting, though more on the Enchanting aspect.

Nature magic delves into nature itself…the very essence of the living world and works with Life Magic…it can summon nature allies such as animals or spirits, commanding the branches of the natural world to aid and shield others…or to imbue certain gifts temporarily into others. Naruto has not used this yet.

Divine combines all the named branches and is considered the hardest of all to use and it is also the most taxing as combining several branches is considered difficult by most if not all standards.

Vane is yet another Dragon Champion who is now teaching Naruto some moves of his own making… and is a member of the War Blades…he was a skilled fighter of the War Blade Order and earned the name the Twisting Storm… Like all War Blades…he sacrifices his ability in defense for extra offensive power and as a talent for being able to parry and attack in a fluid and lethal fashion…a slight understatement among the War Blades

And in this fic has taught Naruto some dual wielding techniques to further improve Naruto's combat repertoire when the time comes to face multiple foes…and we will get to see how much Naruto has learned from his new Master and fellow Dragon Champion…

And don't worry the Rasengan will be here soon enough… but here is a taste of a dual wielding Naruto…

--

Trailer:

Kisame moved aside as Naruto slashed with Holy Talon and left a massive tear in the wall behind the former Mist Swordsman…but as he came out with his own slash…both he and Itachi was surprised as Naruto produced…another sword out in the open and the sword cam e close to skewering Kisame in the stomach. Kisame managed to move away…but Naruto went on the offensive and lashed out with several attacks and managed to parry Samehada and land a powerful kick on Kisame's chin and then slashed with both swords…slicing into Kisame though missing him.

Kisame moved back and saw his cloak had a massive X slashed into it…right where his organs were…had that blow connected…it would have gutted him and spilled his organs all over the floor.

Kisame looked at Naruto spun both swords and then got into a peculiar stance with the two swords ready…one in each hand as Naruto glared at him and Itachi.

"If you two renegades think for a second I'll be easy prey…you're way out of your depth…BRING IT ON!!"

--

Oh yeah…before I forget…I have plans of posting a new chapter on some of my other fics soon so I hope you have the time to check out the others.

And on the topic of who's the girl I will pair with Naruto…I'm staring to swing to the harem idea…but I'll make sure to do it well enough, okay…but don't think I'm going to let the guys in the story have no love interests as well…I want to be fair to the guys…and if you really want to know HOW I'm going to do that…

Then let's just say that…some individuals are going to pay the Naruto world a visit…and they will certainly catch the eyes of the men, if you know what I mean.

See you later!


	18. Crossroads

Naruto - The Twin Swords

Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Naruto or the show itself. If I did…I would quit writing about stuff like this.

Chapter 17

Crossroads

( ): Thoughts

((" ")): Holy Talon's voice

--

In a nearby temple…

Ring!

Ring!

Naruto was busy praying to the Gods in the temple as he and Jiraiya were taking a bit of a rest break on their trip to the area where Tsunade was supposed to be. He hoped that they found this lady soon and while Jiraiya said that Tsunade was a very attractive woman…Naruto still had his doubts as he did recalled that Jiraiya did state that she was at his age too…even if this Tsunade was supposed to have some way to avoid being seen as an old lady.

"Hey Pervy Sage?"

"Yeah? And how many times do I have to tell you…the name's Jiraiya…not Pervy Sage!"

"Yeah, sure…so anyway Pervy Sage…what sort of student was the Fourth like./..and I'm talking about how you and him get along…you know…"

"Oh…you mean what was he like when not being a ninja? Well, for one thing…he was respectful of his seniors and always had a courteous air about him…even had a good sense of humor when it came to him and like before…he was a genius…and a once in a generation find. You look like him in a way and that is kind of surprising."

"What?! I look like him?! I didn't know that!"

Jiraiya looked at Naruto with a bit of a disbelieving air.

"You mean you've never looked at a single photograph of him the whole time you were in the Academy?"

"I had…other priorities…"

"Yeah…I heard as much from some people I know…but anyway…the reason I said that is not to bloat you up to think you ARE the Fourth Hokage you know…you resemble him only…but you have the chance to be a Hokage in your own right."

Naruto thought about it and replied.

"I guess so…so you and the Fourth were…"

Jiraiya sighed and replied.

"He was my greatest student…my trusted and strongest protégé and quite the fighter and genius. If he was my blood son, I would never stopped praising him in front of everyone in the village. And when he became the Hokage…well, to know that was the greatest moment of my life…but sadly…"

Naruto nodded and sat down next to the Sannin and touched his stomach…

"The Kyuubi…I'm sorry then…for…"

Jiraiya shook his head and smiled at he patted Naruto on the head.

"Don't fret squirt…he did what he knew was the right thing…and I do miss him…but I know that he lives on even if he's not here in the land of the living anymore…and someday…you'll learn the reason…besides…you have a chance to be a great man yourself…you were able to control the chakra of the Kyuubi in the arena and that is a great feat in itself."

"Okay then…but if you taught the Fourth…and I knew from Sakura-chan that you, this Tsunade…and even that snake bastard Orochimaru were students of the Third…what was it like?"

"Hahahaha…well, you could say that back then…I was a young buck…full of bravado and guts, so were Tsunade and Orochimaru…and the Third was pretty young himself..probably in the younger days of being a man. Speaking of which…since you've trained under Kakashi Hatake…that would mean you went through the bell test…am I right?"

Naruto nodded as he reached into his back-pack and took out a candy bar and as he peeled the food item…he talked about his own experiences with the said training system and grimaced at the memory of being tied up on the tree stump when he failed the test.

"…and I really got hungry being tied to that stump for nearly three hours…it was a good thing Sakura…and even Sasuke fed me…and we passed."

Jiraiya was also munching on his own food bar and he turned with some surprise at that.

"So…you actually went through that too?"

"What do you mean?"

Jiraiya shook his head and replied.

"Never mind that for now…in the mean time I think it's time you get some training in with your sword Holy Talon…come on, you do want to master it right?"

Naruto sighed and nodded as he got up and finished his food bar and took out Holy Talon from the sheath and began to train himself once more but not before doing some the prescribed exercises taught to him by Holy Talon. As he finished his warm ups and began to train once more. Jiraiya began to think about how things were back in his day when he was about Naruto's age…

He recalled saying that he was going to win the bell test when he and the others were given it by the Third Hokage back then…he recalled how he had failed miserably like Naruto did and how Tsunade taunted him back then. Orochimaru…was different then…it was so long since he ever recalled the older days…he then recalled his discussion with the Third on his peeping habits and how the Third acted…

Jiraiya chuckled at the memory and looked at Naruto as the blonde began to train a bit more and had to admit that he saw the same in himself in Naruto…at least to some degree and that was enough for him to chuckle even more…at least Naruto matured a good deal ever since finding Holy Talon.

The Sannin spent some time thinking about all that had happened since those long and far away days of his youth. He then decided that they should get on moving as they needed to find a place for them rest and recover…along with him getting to meet some lovely ladies…though how he was going to deal with getting women when Naruto was along with him…was still going to be a bit of a test for him.

--

Back in Konoha…

Kakashi moaned in as he lay down on his bed while Kurenai, Asuma, and Gai were there…he looked at them and was happy at least that they all were able to evade the two Akatsuki…he thought back on what had happened before…

As they were able to intercept the two…it didn't take long for him, Kurenai, and Asuma to recognize one of the strangers first. It was none other than Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki. Kisame was another renegade ninja, but this time, hailing from the Water Country and was like Zabuza…but was quite different from the ninja he and his team had fought with before as Kisame was resembling a human shark with what he knew was another Mist Seven Swordsman weapon…the Sharkskin or the Samehada. Kurenai was still reeling from the Genjutsu reversal that Itachi had done and Asuma had been injured by Kisame…the real test for him was facing the full might of the Sharingan…and he knew that he was way out of his league at the moment. While he was told by Itachi that he was very good at using the Sharingan…he was not on the bloodline and thus his body couldn't handle the demands of the Sharingan for long, and it was true indeed…he was then subjected to the Tsukuyomi and had been tortured by Itachi for what seemed like three days in the Genjutsu…but was only a minute…he had suffered a great deal from the blow. However…it was there that he recalled his conversation with Jiraiya concerning Naruto's fate…

He told Kisame and Itachi he knew about Akatsuki and he asked if they had targeted Sasuke…Itachi said no…they were after the Fourth Hokage's living legacy…Kurenai and Asuma had no idea what that was about…but he did…

Gai arrived just when things were dire and saved their necks from Kisame and Itachi, Itachi had ordered Kisame to capture him and kill both Asuma and Kurenai when Gai showed up…Itachi himself called the retreat after Gai explained how he had trained on a way to counter even the Sharingan by merely looking at Itachi's feet…something he had developed over the years of their 'rivalry' and while he had a hard time dealing with Gai…his respect for the Jonin was high and the results of his lethal fighting style was seen. Kakashi rested and thought back on the conversation before with Jiraiya as he rested from his ordeal.

--

Flashback…

"It's been quite a long time Jiraiya-sama…I didn't expect you about until Naruto mentioned something about a Pervy Sage…what brings you back here? More ideas for that novel you have in mind?"

Jiraiya however looked at the village and sighed.

"Might be…but that's not the only reason…I want you to know that I will be taking over Naruto's training for the time being…"

"Oh?"

"Yes…you're a great teacher Kakashi and Naruto will no doubt learn a lot from you…and from what I've heard…he treats you with respect…though not in the normal fashion. But there is something that I have to do in order for Naruto to be at the top of his game…"

"I see…"

"You know that another reason I left the village was to keep track of Orochimaru…which is why I am not in the Bingo Book…the research I do is real, but is also my cover in keeping track of Orochimaru's movements…earlier…he had been working alone…gathering jutsu that interested him and using various medical jutsus and surgeries to prolong his life to reach his dream of mastering all jutsu…but then…he joined an organization."

" He joined an organization? I didn't think someone like Orochimaru would be the kind to side with others."

"He isn't…this organization is very different, they are called the Akatsuki."

"Akatsuki?"

"Yeah…they are all ninja…and not the usual rookies and basket cases either…they are nine other S-ranked ninja…all deadly in their respective arts and are all renegades from their countries and villages. Normally they did only the usual cloak and dagger work, like mercenary ninja, while that is regular for most if not all ninja groups…these guys, being S-ranked ninja aren't the kind to stay that way forever, and recently…"

"Recently…they have been targeting others…like Naruto…"

"What do you mean?"

"I'm not entirely certain of either how or why, but they have recently been making forays into other countries in pairs and gathering jutsus to master…along with hunting down others like Naruto…and not because of who he is, but what is inside of him."

"The Kyuubi…"

"I'm not entirely sure why or how they would get the Kyuubi out of the blonde kid…but it would make sense…considering the limitless amount of chakra that the Kyuubi has within itself. If they succeed in this matter…then you can bet that we are going to be in the fight of our lives at that point and time…and the technique will kill Naruto."

"I see…"

"I need you to focus on Sasuke…since you have gotten much better with the Sharingan…you have a finer chance of teaching him than anyone else at this point and time. I will deal with Naruto's training…he has to realize that since he is what he is…he has to be ready and watching his back at all times if he wants to live longer in this world. And I will do my best to prepare him for when the time is right for him to defend himself from them when they come after him…for now…your duty is to Sasuke…and to make sure that you do what you cant to prevent him from being tempted to side with Orochimaru."

--

End of Flashback…

(Jiraiya-sama was right…Akatsuki is after Naruto…if they remove the Kyuubi…Naruto will die…I pray that what we've agreed on will be enough to help Naruto.)

However…he had no idea that his previous plans to talk to Sasuke were going to backfire…for as he was asleep Sasuke came into his room and seeing Kakashi asleep and the three other Jonin, Kurenai, Asuma, and Gai, began asking what was going on…until Aoba…another Konoha ninja came in and mentioned what happened…the very second Sasuke heard his brother's name…he raged and rushed out to find Naruto…who was the one Itachi was after.

Gai shook his head while Kurenai admonished Aoba for his rashness. Asuma then spoke.

"Someone had better follow Sasuke…knowing how much hatred he's got for that Itachi, he's going to get killed and Kakashi is not going to let that happen if he was awake."

Gai nodded and got up and spoke to the two other Jonin.

"You two better stay here…since I'm the only one to match the Sharingan at this point and time…I'm better suited for this."

"Go on…but be careful either way Gai…we'll have backup on the way as soon as we can."

"Got it…but we'll need to have the medics come here to check on Kakashi when we can."

Gai quickly took off and he was able to get an idea of just where Sasuke would go.

--

In Konoha…

Sasuke was running as if he was being chased by a demon…and in some cases…he was, the demon of past memories…the very second he heard about Itachi being in the area and pursuing Naruto…he brain went on overdrive…he had been practicing with the Chidori for some time and had decided to locate Kakashi and find out just what was it that Kakashi wanted to say to him…but when Kakashi was not around the next day..he became concerned and went to his house…but now that he heard the his brother…the one man who he wanted kill personally for a very long time was in the area…he lost all thought of talking to Kakashi and went off to Naruto's place.

As soon as he got there…Sakura and Kin came out of the room and he rushed up to the two Kunoichi and spoke.

"Sakura! Where is Naruto?!"

Sakura was surprised at the urgency at what Sasuke was saying and wondered just what was going on at the moment and so was kin…as far as they knew…Sasuke normally didn't bother on where Naruto was and would normally wait for him to show up and to have this happen was certainly unexpected and odd.

"He's not here…"

"Where is he?!"

"Hey man…will you calm down a second and tell us what this is about?"

Sasuke turned towards Kin and replied.

"I don't have time to talk…it's important I know where Naruto is!"

Sakura then spoke as Kin glared back at Sasuke.

"He took off with one of the Sannin, the one named Jiraiya for a task…I have no idea where they would be going right now…"

"How long have they gone?!"

"At least several hours or so…what's going on Sasuke-kun?"

Sakura never got an answer to her question as Sasuke quickly took off and headed for the gate to talk to the current gate guards and find out in which direction did his team-mate take and try to reach them all so he can finally take out the one man he had vowed to face and kill.

--

Speaking of Naruto and Jiraiya, the two were currently reaching another outlying town and were now being observed by none other than Kisame and Itachi…however…the two Akatsuki members kept their distance at the moment and were seemingly studying their targets…normally they would have attacked…but seeing as it was one of the Sanin they were fighting and not a normal ninja…they were cautious.

"Never thought we'd have to contend with one of the legendary Sannin of all things."

"True…he is on an entirely different level than you or I Kisame…"

"One of the Sannin and him of the three no less, this will not be easy if he's around to protect that kid we came here to get. If we get beaten or killed by him…then the Mist Seven Swordsmen and the Uchiha Clan will have their names driven into the mud…or worse."

"True…but there is always an old saying that applies to anyone Kisame…'Even the greatest fighters have a weakness.' And I know already just what Jiraiya's weakness is…this will be a simple move…though it will still have to be done in a hurry."

In the town being approached by Naruto and Jiraiya, a very beautiful woman in a party dress in the sleeveless make was walking about on her usual beat when she noted something was getting her attention as a pebble fell before her feet. She looked about and for a moment…heard a faint voice…then her stare went blank.

--

In the town…

"What are we doing here anyway Pervy Sage?"

Naruto asked Jiraiya as they arrived at the town and things seemed to be normal…Naruto had to admit that the place was certainly lively and clean too….not like the mess Konoha was at the moment. The people were chatting and moving about…doing shopping, delivering things, selling goods, gambling…the usual stuff. What were they doing here was beyond him at the moment.

"Simple squirt…we're going to rest here for a while, and while here…I can get some info on anyone who's possibly seen Tsunade…considering how she looks she would no doubt stand out in a crowd like this."

"Okay…but what am I going to do…are you going to teach me that jutsu you promised me before? Cause I'm really interested in learning it now."

"In due time…besides…there's not much for you to have privacy here and this technique I'm going to teach you isn't what I call discrete. We'll find us a good place to call home for the time being and get some info."

They arrived in a hotel and Naruto had to admit that the place certainly looked be in good working order….clean, well maintained and more.

"So what do I do now Pervy Sage?"

"Well…I've already gotten us a room so you can bunk down there for the time being…getting info with you around is going to be a hard thing to do and I need some privacy."

"Is getting Tsunade's location the reason you're going out…or are you planning on being a pervert again and look for a woman?"

"That's my business squirt…"

"I knew it…no way am I going to let you go alone and get into Gods only knows what!"

The argument was stopped as a woman arrived on the scene and stopped before the entrance of the hotel…getting both Naruto and Jiraiya's attention and the moment the woman looked at the pair with a sexy come here gesture they were liking this…showing that while Naruto was still a kid…he was quite an admirer of the female form. The woman continued her actions and Jiraiya gave Naruto the keys and Naruto was far from pleased as he was sent to the room. But he decided to agree and get some free time to learn more about Holy Talon's powers and abilities which he could put to good use. So despite his dislike of the whole situation…he let Jiraiya have his way for the time being and went to the room.

--

Some distance away…

Sasuke arrived in the town…moving as fast as he could and his whole thought was to hunt down and kill Itachi. But he had to locate the place where Naruto and were staying in at the moment and that was not going to be easy to say the least as the town had several hotels and he quickly made his way into tracking the right one down…but in his hurry to find Naruto and Jiraiya and face Itachi for the first time in years since that fateful night.

He thought about his day when he had asked his brother Itachi to help him with his training and how he had seen his brother as the better one between him and his father. Itachi promised to teach him the technique some other time and after the usual tapping on the head which was his habit…he left the house they lived in. He recalled his discussions with his father and mother and then his chat with both his uncle and aunt. He recalled his day at school reading books and practicing his shuriken throwing. And that night…he recalled heading home…seeing a man in the top of a pole on the street, he rushed to see who that person was but when he got there…there was nothing…

He then heard shouts and curses…and screams…he rushed there quickly and to his shock and horror he saw fellow Uchiha dead…the street was covered in blood and weapons were everywhere. He ran through the road and saw bodies of everyone who was of the Uchiha clan…his clan and then he saw his uncle and aunt dead.

He rushed into his home and saw no one there…he prayed that his family was somehow missed by the killer or killers who did this…and he hurried to try and find his father and mother after leaving behind his shoes and bag. He searched the rooms but then heard a shout that he recognized easily and rushed to the meeting room of the Uchiha Clan screaming for his parents. He heard his mother scream for him not to enter and he then heard the sounds of death and he froze…trying to fight the urge to run away. He opened the doors and he saw his mother and father dead…he walked in and saw someone approach…he backed away…fearing that it was killer or one of them…but to his relief…it was his brother Itachi…he rushed to his brother hoping to find out what was going on…

But he got the greatest shock of his life…when his brother threw his own shuriken at him and cut him on the left shoulder…he fell, hoping that what happened was not true…his brother would never hurt him like this…but he was wrong as his brother looked utterly different from before, he had the Sharingan on…but it seemed permanent for some reason. He tried to speak to his brother…to figure out why he did what he did and what was going on. But Itachi told him he did it to gain a powerful heritage of the Sharingan…the Magenkyo Sharingan…

.And in a moment…Itachi made him relive the entire massacre all over again from the very beginning…and he recalled his brother's words that day…

Sasuke focused himself and sought out Naruto and Jiraiya…

--

Naruto was busy talking with Holy Talon in the mental link they had to one another and was in the process of learning some new basic level spells when he heard someone knocking on the door and he knew that he only had one person to bunk with and that was the Pervy Sage.

(Maybe that girl dumped him or something…)

However…Holy Talon then spoke to him urgently.

(("Master Naruto! That's not Jiraiya at the door! It's someone else…someone with a great deal of power and something dark as well…the person's not alone either…there's another with him…someone not entirely human to say the least."))

(Could it be Orochimaru?!)

(("No…the power if different…similar to the power I sense in Sasuke…be ready."))

Naruto nodded and placed Holy Talon on his back and pretended to think that it was none other than the Pervy Sage before him…he opened the door and found himself face to face with someone who looked like Sasuke…but older and dressed quite differently from his old team-mate.

(This guy has the same eyes as Sasuke…but they seem to be active all the time…that's not right…Sasuke has to summon the Sharingan to use it properly. And as far as I know he's the only Uchiha left alive and Kakashi's not a blood member of the Uchiha…could this guy be a survivor from the clan massacre that happened years before?)

He then heard another walk out and sure enough the guy next to the new-comer was tall…very tall and carried a bundle on his back…but Naruto had no problem seeing was a sword wrapped in cloth.

"So…this is him…hard to believe this one is the container of the Kyuubi I've heard a lot about."

(What?! That's impossible…how can this guy who's certainly not a member of Konoha know about the Kyuubi?! I thought that no one outside of Konoha knows about me being the container for the Kyuubi…but these two seem to know about it. Something definitely wrong here…)

(("Master Naruto…that man with the cloth wrapped sword…I can smell the taint of blood on him…,it's thick…and his aura is evil…he's a threat and I can sense the same for this one before you."))

"You've changed somewhat Naruto-kun, but no matter…I still recognize your anywhere…come out from there…there is something I would like you to do for us."

Naruto was wary and did so…not because of orders...but he needed room to move and fight if he had to fight his way past these two.

"It's going to be a problem if this one tries to run away or use that sword of his…maybe I should cut off his legs and arms…so we can keep him with us…is that all right?"

The Sharingan user made no motions and it seemed to be the signal needed by the one with the sword as he raised his weapon. Naruto glared back…defiant as he began to raise his hands to defend himself.

It was at that moment that the Sharingan user spoke.

"It's been a long time…Sasuke…"

The two others turned and there was Sasuke Uchiha looking at them and the Genin spoke in a cold and angry voice.

"Itachi Uchiha…"

Kisame looked and smirked a bit as he spoke.

"Well now…this day is a special one…it's the second time I meet a Sharingan user…only this time I meet one who's a pure blood Uchiha."

(Itachi Uchiha….it can't be… he's got the same last name as Sasuke…but that means that…he's the one who slaughtered his own clan!! He's Sasuke's brother…)

"I WILL KILL YOU!!"

Sasuke said with a cold stare as his Sharingan activated and he stared right at Itachi. Ksiame looked on with amusement.

"He looks similar to you Itachi…just who is this new arrival?"

"He's my younger brother."

"Oh…I was under the impression that the entire Uchiha clan was wiped out…by you no less."

Naruto then recalled the promise Sasuke made long ago to kill a certain man apart from reviving his clan…and he knew here and now that this Itachi was the one Sasuke talked about during their meeting with Kakashi for the first time.

Sasuke recalled his words that night as he tried to find out what had prompted his brother to butcher their whole clan and their own parents, he recalled trying to fight but his brother beat him easily and he saw his father's dead face and his brother's words that he had to live and survive…to hate him, to despise him.,..and when he had the same eyes as he did…then seek him out.

"I only to say this much to you…Itachi…I have lived my whole life hating you…and despising you…and now I will kill you for all you have done!!"

Sasuke made the hand seals rapidly and activated Chidori…which Itachi quickly recognized as he saw the technique before and knew that move to be Kakashi's own personal jutsu. Sasuke charged right at Itachi..intent on ripping Itachi to shreds with Chidori…however, Itachi was not afraid and with amazingly efficient speed and minimal effort…caught Sasuke's arm and redirected the Chidori away from himself. The two brother stared at each other.

(This is bad…if they want the Kyuubi…then so be it!)

Naruto quickly made the seals and mentally ordered his Dragon Wardens to unleash their hold on the cage that held the Kyuubi and allow the chakra to flow out.

Both Itachi and Kisame turned and saw the chakra of the Kyuubi begin to flow out of Naruto and Kisame knew that they were going to be in a serious bind of the Kyuubi's chakra was fully unleashed. Sasuke tried to free himself but Itachi broke his brother's arm and forced Sasuke to his knees…

Sasuke…you bastards…now you're going to get it!!"

"Too late…"

Kisame slashed and Naruto was stunned that the Kyuubi's chakra was suddenly eaten away and he glared at Kisame.

"Hate to disappoint you kid…but my Samehada eats chakra…now with that out of the way…you're not going to be a problem."

Naruto however grinned and summoned his power of Dragon Fire as the white flame surrounded him…startling both Kisame and Itachi as he glared at the two of them.

"What the?!"

(Hmm…that does not feel like normal chakra…and it's not the Kyuubi's…what's going on here?)

"If you think this fight is over…then you're wrong!"

Naruto drew out Holy Talon and the sword opened it's covered eye and the two Akatsuki saw the eye in the hand-guard of the sword glare at them, the eye was reptilian and seemed to radiate great power and Naruto quickly moved in towards them…

"MIRAGE!!"

Naruto faded from sight and the two were surprised as Naruto appeared a good distance from them at the other side of the hall and carrying Sasuke…he gently placed Sasuke down and glared at the two as he held Holy Talon in a two handed grip.

--

Jiraiya sighed as he looked at the sleeping woman on his shoulder…he had some suspicion about this incident and sensed that the woman was placed in a Genjutsu to lure him out and he knew that only one person could have that ability.

(Looks like I've got a young whelp to deal with.)

--

Back in the corridor…

Kisame and Itachi looked on as Naruto faced them and he was not in a forgiving mood as he had Holy Talon in his hands as Sasuke was still unconscious…the blonde now realized that the one named Itachi Uchiha and the only other guy who had the Sharingan apart from Sasuke and Kakashi was the one who not only killed the Uchiha clan, his own clan by himself…but had left Sasuke an orphan like him, and was the one Sasuke had an obsession of killing for a long time.

(How could he do that to his own family…and do this to Sasuke?! This guy…is revolting!!)

"Naruto-san…it would be wise that you surrender yourself now…before we will have to hurt you."

Itachi said as he spoke to Naruto…but as he did so…he was running through his memories concerning the Kyuubi container…something was utterly different with the young man…something totally off in a way that he couldn't quite figure out.

(He's different somehow…like he had been through a lot…and accepted a lot…something in him is different…this capture will not be so simple as I hoped it would be. And that sword…it's power is different…it's not evil like the Kyuubi's but it's something else entirely)

"Better listen to Itachi kid...he's giving you one more chance to come quietly and with all your limbs intact…don't make him change his mind."

"Why the hell should I listen to a man who butchered his own Clan?! His own family?! And turned my team-mate, his very own little brother into this?! I don't know why someone like you Itachi would do such a bloody massacre…and right now I don't care! But if you're thinking that you will have an easy time in capturing me just because the Pervy Sage isn't around and that weird sword can eat chakra…even the Kyuubi's chakra…then you're in for a shock…and I mean that literally!!"

Naruto placed Holy Talon blade first into the ground and then arcs of lighting appeared on the sword and in a heartbeat a storm of Lightning energy from the Energy Branch appeared before Naruto and in his hands and in Holy Talon. And in a moment…Naruto thrust his arms forward and aimed at both Akatsuki members.

"CHAIN LIGHTNING!!"

The spell lived up to it's name as it attacked in a chain like pattern and lashed over everywhere in the room as Itachi and Kisame moved back. Kisame then managed to block the spell with Samehada…and it seemed that the chakra eating sword would suppress it…but a massive explosion occurred and the two were forced back…Kisame got off his ass and Itachi stood up and looked on at Naruto…who was glaring right back at them. Kisame growled and spoke as he aimed Samehada at Naruto.

"That was not what we heard about you being able to do…and that was no ordinary lightning jutsu, you weren't making any hand seals…"

"Hah! If you think Lightning jutsu is all I can do…then you've got another thing coming!!"

Naruto then opened his mouth and seemed to suck in air and then unleashed a massive blast of air right at the two as he was bathed in gold-blue flame. The wind appeared and took the form of several wolves and had their jaws open and howling as they charged right at Itachi and Kisame…all baying for blood..

"WOLF STORM!!"

Itachi then decided to get involved as he stepped forward and unleashed his own surprise as he made some hand seals and unleashed his own Fire Based jutsu.

"KATON! GOUKAKYU NO JUTSU!!"

The fireball slammed into the wolves and dispersed them as it headed straight for Naruto. The blonde ninja however calmed down and quickly summoned his right hand with the same energy…but this time it was deep blue in color and the energy created a massive disc of water that then took a windmill shuriken shape and Naruto tossed it right at the incoming fireball.

"TIDAL SHURIKEN!!"

The large water shuriken slammed into the fireball, unleashing a massive amount of hissing steam as both fire and water cancelled each other out. Naruto gritted his teeth and got ready as the steam blinded him for a few minutes and he tried to be ready for anything…but Kisame beat him to it as the Mist Seven Swordsman appeared and slashed right at Naruto…the Samehada grazing his chest as Kisame grinned…showing his shark like teeth.

"Now I got you…"

Naruto however grinned back and replied.

"Really now? Who's got who I wonder?"

Before Kisame could reply, Naruto quickly summoned more Dragon Fire and this time it was in the color of deep green…Naruto then slammed his hands on the nearby wall and quickly summoned another spell that he was able to learn on the fly from his forays into the powers of Holy Talon.

"ENTANGLING VINES!!"

The walls were suddenly bathed in the deep green energy that resembled the color of a forest of trees seen above. The energy faded and the walls burst as living vines appeared and suddenly wrapped around Kisame…catching him by surprise as they grabbed his arms and held him fast.

"IRON SKIN!!"

Kisame and Itachi then saw Naruto's skin take the hue of metallic grey and somehow resembling metal…Kisame tried to escape but the vines were not going to release him so easily…

Naruto then leaped up and introduce a solid punch at Kisame's face and then followed by a powerful dual leap kick to the chest that forced him back as the steam cleared and Naruto was still there…right in front of Sasuke…hoping to protect his still unconscious team-mate as his Iron Skin spell was removed. Kisame looked on with a frown and spoke.

"I cut you in the chest…you should be bleeding already brat!"

"Heh…then I guess the armor I got on saved my skin then…"

"Armor?"

Kisame then saw what appeared to metal chain links underneath the tear in Naruto's clothes…the armor gleamed in the light and seemed undamaged…which was a surprise as his Samehada could shred through even metal armor…especially armor that looked that full of holes…but the armor was whole and unsullied…not a single nick…

"Surprised? I hate to disappoint you Shark-face…but that weapon you've got is useless to be used against Orchaelium chain-mail!"

Naruto had worn the Orchaelium armor just for the sake of having some protection apart from Holy Talon or Jiraiya and he was happy that he made the choice…and it worked as no one except Jiraiya knew that he had armor on. Itachi looked on and had to admit that this fight had progressed from a simple retrieval mission to an all out fight and it seemed that even without the Kyuubi's power…Naruto was formidable on his own.

But it still made him wonder just where had the blonde container of the Kyuubi gain that much power, there was not much to be said about Naruto in their files…but there was something about him acquiring a strange sword in the Land of Waves a few months back and ever since that mission…Naruto had changed…there were even rumors that his sword could summon armies to fight for him, and those rumors were proven true during the attack on Konoha by Sound and Sand, and even summon living creatures called Dragons that spoke to him and lent him their support and power…and most of all…he heard that this sword Naruto had…was able to break the fabled Kusanagi…Orochimaru's sword…and it had come close to killing the S-ranked ninja and former member of Akatsuki, it had even the power to save one from a wound from the sword Orochimaru wielded.

(If this is the case…then we have to separate him from his sword…if we don't…then this fight will be on his terms and there's a chance Jiraiya would return…I guess it means we'll have to use my jutsu…)

Kisame however turned and spoke.

"Don't use those eyes of yours yet Itachi…I warned you about the strain beforehand when you used it on the Copy Ninja…let me deal with him."

Naruto heard that and roared…

"What?! What the hell did you do to Kakashi-sensei you bastard?!"

"A very special power of the Sharingan that only a true heir of the Uchiha can use, Naruto-kun…don't worry…he's alive and safe in Konoha, though his mental state is questionable in terms of recovery…so I suggest you surrender…lest you suffer that same fate…"

"Never!"

Kisame then attacked Naruto as he leaped back and grabbed Holy Talon and then charged right at Kisame and amazingly enough…began to force Kisame back and away from Sasuke…and get his team-mate some room to recover before anything else happened…Naruto went on the offensive and forced Kisame back with several slashes and thrusts, along with practiced speed flexibility, and power,…making the former Mist Swordsman grin and commend him.

"You've got moves there kid…that's pretty good footwork, agility, speed, and pattern you have…you'd make a fine Mist Swordsman if you were born in my village…heck…I'd even take you as my student If I hadn't left the village before."

"Like I'd work with a sadistic nutjob like you!"

"Ah…you are a loud mouth…maybe I should cut out your tongue too…less chatter."

"Try me Shark Face!"

Kisame attacked and his strength managed to force Naruto back and he had to duck as a powerful swing from Samehada came close to cutting his face and he managed to evade the next strike and then slashed out with a cut towards Kisame's neck…intent on killing his foe quickly…Kisame ducked and was about to attack…but unknown to him…Naruto had grabbed a space kunai he had hidden and used another amount of Dragon Fire on the weapon…

And before Kisame could react as Naruto ducked from his attack, the blonde ninja produced another sword from his other hand.

(What the?!)

Kisame quickly side stepped as the sword came close to skewering him in the stomach and he moved back as Naruto attacked with both swords in a pattern that he didn't recognize but he had no time to determine this as the blonde kid attacked with slashes and thrusts with both swords like a whirlwind and in a pattern that forced him to be on the defensive as he blocked each attack as the blades attacked him in various angles…

(Well now…this is a fighting style I haven't seen before…I've heard rumors about fighters using two weapons at once…but I certainly didn't expect myself to be fighting one who did fight with both weapons…this is getting good!)

Kisame never had this much fun before and decided to even it up as he attacked even more, even that Jonin Asuma, that he fought back in Konoha was not able to give him this good a work out…his strength managed to even it up and so did his agility as well as Naruto blocked and parried…he then managed to scene another parry and give him the opening he needed and he attacked…

Kisame moved away but not before Naruto landed a powerful kick to the face of the Former Mist Swordsman and allowing him to slash right at him. Kisame moved away and saw a massive X where his cloak was and the fact that had the blow connected..it would have spilled his organs all over the floor. He looked at Naruto as the blonde held both Holy Talon and his new sword and he spun them and got into a strange position with both blades ready to attack…

Naruto glared at the two of them and spoke…

"If you two renegades think that I'll be easy prey…then you're both way out of your leagues…BRING IT ON!!"

Itachi then moved in and revealed two kunai in his hands and now it was between Itachi and Naruto as Naruto moved to block and attack as Itachi did the same…Naruto had to admit that this Itachi was certainly different from anyone he knew…he was even faster and deadlier than Sasuke was.

(Man…if this is the guy Sasuke wants to beat so badly…he's going to have to train his butt off if he wants to win…this Itachi's a hell of a fighter!)

Naruto managed to block and strike at Itachi…but the elder Uchiha moved very quickly and was able to evade several of Itachi's slashes and thrusts with the two kunai he had on hand, or rather both hands. Naruto ducked as the ninja armed with the kunai attacked at high speed. Naruto answered back with several slashes and thrusts that Itachi blocked with his kunai and while some of Naruto's attacks missed, the other slashes were close to cut Itachi…Itachi also came close to hitting Naruto as Naruto moved back as one of Itachi's kunai came close to his eyes and Naruto retaliated as he charged at Itachi and slashed with both swords like a scissor and came close to cutting Itachi's chest at the sides…but it was stopped by Itachi's kunai and Itachi lashed out with his other kunai…aiming at Naruto's neck…Naruto blocked with his forearm…which was also covered by chain-mail and Naruto was saved as he gave Itachi a kick that Itachi blocked with his own leg and the two moved back as Itachi took out some shuriken and Naruto got ready to deflect…but Holy Talon warned him of an incoming attack from behind.

Naruto turned and blocked another Itachi attacking him and realized that it was a Kage Bushin and he blocked several more attacks from the Kage Bushin but then the clone exploded and sent him flying backwards…and then Itachi came in and struck him from behind…knocking him down. Naruto however recovered and got up to fight as he attacked both Itachi and Kisame…the two Akatsuki members defended themselves as Naruto attacked the pair like a cornered hungry wolf and nothing was worse than a cornered and hungry wolf. The two moved back and then Itachi moved in and fired the shuriken and Naruto blocked them…but it was then that Kisame attacked with an overhead strike, forcing him to block with both swords and Itachi managed to land a kick on Naruto's stomach…and forced him back and hitting the floor. Naruto got up and managed to get to his feet and went back into a defensive position with both swords at the ready to strike and kill.

Kisame smiled widely and complimented Naruto…

"You fight well kid…even without the Kyuubi's chakra you certainly are no weakling. I've never seen that style you have and it's interesting to see…though I can bet given time you can be even better."

"Kisame is right…all those rumors I heard are true I see…Naruto-kun…you even came close to killing Orochimaru…and that is a feat for a Genin like you. You are going to be a real challenge to beat if that's the case. But even you've got limits, the battle has no doubt tested you and now you can't keep it up…especially if both of us attack you at once."

(He's right…I can manage to fight Shark face and this Itachi guy separately…but both of them are going to be a problem.)

"Well now…you've certainly made quite the impression."

The three turned and there was Jiraiya with the woman Itachi had managed to subvert on his shoulder…asleep and unharmed. Jiraiya turned and looked at Itachi and gave him a stern look.

"I should have guessed that you were the one who had this woman come onto me Itachi. I take it you placed her under Genjutsu using your Sharingan and sent her here to distance me from Naruto…nice try…but it didn't work out the way you planned it."

"I can see that Jiraiya-sama…but how exactly did you figure out my ploy? The woman was certainly the type you'd go for."

"True…but if you're in my league Itachi…the women flock to you…"

"About time you made it Pervy Sage…and knock it off…no woman, no matter how desperate would ever hook up with a dirty old man like you!"

Jiraiya glared at Naruto and Naruto glared back…and Kisame had to laugh at this, while Itachi remained silent the whole time. Jiraiya sighed and he placed the woman gently on the floor and glared at the duo.

"Using an innocent woman as your pawn…I normally would have considered that as one of the most insulting things you can do as a man Itachi…but considering the organization you belong to…I shouldn't be surprised…and I was right…you and your fellow ninja in Akatsuki are after Naruto…and others like him."

"So that's how Kakashi knew…you were the source of information…so I guess hiding is out of the question…yes…to abduct Naruto, it was the order of the highest echelons of Akatsuki."

"Well as you can see…Naruto isn't the kind you can easily capture…and this time you will not be getting him."

"Oh?"

"Because both him and I…are going to kill the both of you."

"All right! Let's do this…!"

"Don't do it…"

Naruto turned and saw Sasuke stand up as he glared at Itachi.

"This fight is mine…MINE!! DON'T INTERFERE!!"

Sasuke rushed towards Itachi…even when he could not use Chidori and tried to attack but Itachi merely attacked with several blows in the body and made Sasuke cough out blood.

"SASUKE!!"

Naruto was about to rush in and help his team-mate with his swords at the ready and he was already readying his next batch of spells… but Sasuke screamed at Naruto…stopping him in his tracks.

"STAY OUT OF THIS!! HE'S MINE!!"

Sasuke glared at Itachi as he spoke to him.

"You're not worth my interest at the moment Sasuke…you are weak…and at this rate you will be weak…let me remind you about why you should kill me…let me bring you back to that night…only this time…you will feel it for an entire day."

Itachi grabbed Sasuke and stared at him and Sasuke screamed…Naruto couldn't take it anymore and quickly retaliated.

"DRAGON FANG STORM!!"

Bolts of energy were unleashed with the swings of both swords…heading right at Itachi…but Kisame blocked the blows and the cloth on Samehada was shredded off…but the sword survived. It was then that the walls of the whole corridor became like flesh…and Naruto was surprised. And so were the others as Sasuke was released from Itachi's grip…

"What the heck?!"

"Relax Naruto…this is my jutsu…welcome you two to the stomach of the giant toad of the Myouki Mountain Rock In…since you two are high ranking criminals…enjoy as your turned into food in the stomach of Iwagawa!"

Kisame swore as the flesh began to surround him and Samehada… Itachi however focused on his brother and spoke to his still reeling sibling…

"You want to know why you are weak little brother? You don't have enough hatred…and you never will and you can never kill me…"

Itachi then turned and called Kisame to hurry as the Mist Swordsman managed to free himself and cut the tendrils coming at them. As they tired to escape Jiraiya spoke.

"Don't bother trying to escape…no one escapes from me in this jutsu of mine."

"We've got to move…at this rate we'll not make it!"

"We will…"

Itachi however found a way to escape as they rushed to a window and saw more tendrils coming at them…he opened his eyes and unleashed a new power of the Sharingan…the Amaterasu Jiraiya felt it and both he and Naruto rushed out and saw a massive gaping hole with black flame eating away at the flesh…Naruto stayed away from it as Jiraiya took out a scroll and used a high level seal and placed away the flame as the walls returned to normal.

"Everyone all right?"

Jiraiya asked as Naruto nodded and he quickly rushed to Sasuke and tried to wake his team-mate up…but Sasuke was unresponsive to his calls and Naruto didn't know what to do at this point and time.

It was then that a kunai came at them and the two turned as Gai came of nowhere and landed a kick on Jiraiya…but as soon as the Jonin realized his mistake he apologized.

After Gai did his explanations and apologized to Jiraiya, they looked at Sasuke and Naruto was still enraged about how Itachi had treated his own brother…like he was nothing of worth at all and it galled him. He got up and tried to leave but Jiraiya stopped him.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"I've got to go after that Itachi! I can't let him get away!"

"Don't even think about it Naruto…Itachi is at a level that you cannot beat…,if you follow him…you will die for sure…even with those skills Holy Talon gave you."

"But I…"

(("Jiraiya is right Master Naruto…you cannot hope to beat him yet at your current level of power…both as a ninja and a Dragon Champion. You can beat him once you have grown stronger than you are now…but until then…you MUST NOT pursue him…"))

"…All right Pervy Sage…but what the hell did he do to Sasuke?!"

"It's the same thing he did to Kakashi when we fought him in Konoha…Kakashi got off lightly…but Sasuke looks to have gotten the worst of it."

Gai said as Sasuke sat there and was coughing some more blood out…not too lethal amounts but showed the damage very well on him.

"Is Kakashi-sensei going to be okay Gai-sensei?"

"I don't know for sure…the Medic-nins can handle most body injuries but the mind's a different matter…that power of the Sharingan attacks the mind and the mind is harder to heal then the body."

"Is Sasuke going to be okay?"

Jiraiya looked at Sasuke and replied.

"He's taken a great deal of mental trauma so I can't be entirely sure…but I do know that this is an even greater reason to find Tsunade…only her skills can even the odds for us at this point and time. And I have no doubt her skills can help the others injured in the battles we had before"

Gai was surprised at that statement and was pleased.

"You're both looking for Tsunade-hime?"

Naruto nodded and Gai was relieved at that news.

--

Itachi and Kisame were moving away and discussing the matters before hand…they realized that they should take their time with Naruto…he was not ready yet after all…and there was the matter of his abilities and that sword…they needed to know more.

--

Elsewhere…

A short raven black haired woman in a kimono and sandals was in panic as she gazed at a suit-case full of money and looked at her companion and gasped. Their other companion was a pig as well, who was wearing a necklace and even had on a vest.

"Impossible…where…where did this money come from?!"

"We're borrowing it Shizune!"

"Tsunade-sama…please think this through…"

"I bear the title of Princess Shizune! I am princess Tsunade…with this we can overturn ANY defeat!"

--

Unknown to all however…another being has now taken a vested interest in seeing the world…and it was not with good intentions…

--

Deep in the earth….

((("This world…so rich…I think it is time to see beyond these crude walls…")))

Deep in the cave filled with lava and blood red light, the shadowy form of the sword of darkness opened it's eyes once more and as the blood red eye opened itself once more as Death Fang began to stir itself once more…the Chaos Dragon Sword seemed to be planning something…and sure enough…the cave began to dim as words…dark words filled with all things evil filled the cave and shadow from the walls seemed to congeal into a pool before the claw like pedestal that Death Fang was buried in…the shadow was like liquid and in a moment…a mound seemed to rise from the pool and it soon reached human height…the shadow seemed to melt away from the form and out before the sword stood a form…resembling a man but it was not human in appearance…

Where flesh should be…was a dark mist…of pure shadow and blood red lines of evil light that resembled…blood…the being wore black and grey armor…an upper torso plate several fore arm guards, with skeletal like hand gauntlets, shoulder guards wrought in the shape of human skulls in a roar, shin guards with spikes jutting upward like teeth, and that was it…it's face was covered by a mask the resembled a human skull but had protruding spikes on it and a crown of bone that seemed to curve menacingly towards the insides. The eye sockets where the eyes should be were replaced with a pair of blood red lights that seemed to flicker…the figure was then draped in a cloak of blood red with a hood as it looked at it's creator.

((("You will go forth…my minion…seek out the richness of this new…unsullied world…and seek out the one chosen by…that wretch Holy Talon…")))

((("Seek him out…and test his…mettle…test his power…if you fail…then fear not…you shall rise again…and when my master claims me…you shall have your vengeance…go now…and spread your terror in this land!!")))

The figure made no motion except to move it's right hand and suddenly a sword jutted from it's shadowy flesh and was now in it's hand…the sword was a double edged blade, long and well crafted, the handle was long…showing it could be wielding by one hand or both if needed by the wielder…it would have been an elegant sword…and is…but it was not made of metal…but pure bone…white as snow…but it seemed to glow like blood…in the blood red light of the cave.

With it's weapon in hand…the figure departed and seemed to move towards the walls…and as it collided…it seemed to melt right through the walls along with it's sword as it cut through the stone with frightening ease.

Death Fang laughed manically as it stayed there…feeding itself on the lingering energies of the corrupted area of it's landing…awaiting the one worthy to claim it…and bathe this world in blood, and bring it's people under it's control for all time…

--

To be continued…

--

Author's notes:

I'll be taking a bit of a break from writing as my arms are really tired at the moment…so far this chapter is finished and as soon as I get feeling in my hands again, I'll be back in the saddle…in the mean-time…please send over comments and reviews so I can check the progress of my work in this fic.

Death Fang has sent out one of it's own agents and what sort of chaos will this new foe unleash on Naruto's world? Will Naruto run into this demonic creature summoned by the Chaos Dragon Sword? And if he does…will he be able to beat it at his level of power?

We'll have to wait and see now won't we?

Here's a little data on the creature:

The Wraith Knight is the physical form of a spirit of an evil man/woman who dedicated himself/herself to the service of the Chaos Dragons and is one of the most recognized and most feared sights in the battle field…they are emotionless beings who are able to kill without any form of moral mercy and hesitation…obedient only to the power of Death Fang and it's makers…and the Champion who commands them. They can be defeated…but only through true understanding of their origins and powers…they are also the most sought after agents of the Necromantic arts and serve without complaint as all form of humanity is gone from them.

And the weapon it carries is but one of many in it's deadly arsenal…


	19. Two Choices

Naruto – The Twin Swords

Disclaimer: I own nothing in relation to Naruto or any related media to the series.

Chapter 18

( ): Thoughts

((" ")): Holy Talon's voice

((( ))): Kyuubi's voice

/" "\: Faldren's voice

--

'_We all make choices…simple ones and complex ones…faced with what some would call the choice of two paths…one can save us…and the other can damn us.'_

'_Sometimes the choices seem so simple…sometimes, they can be truly difficult to understand. But I say that we must not just choose blindly…think the decision through before making the choice…for there is one truth that is certain…'_

'_When the choice is made…there will at times…be no going back.'_

'_The real test is not just to live with the outcome…but to decide with is truly best for those around you, for those close to you…and for yourself.'_

'_Choose wisely and choose well…for everything may hang on that simple but life altering answer.'_

A diplomat's memoirs…

--

Gai looked at Naruto and Jiraiya as he had Sasuke on his back to carry him back to Konoha for medical treatment. The three had managed to gather the funds to pay the hotel owner for all the damage that was the result of the battle waged by them when facing Itachi and Kisame. The hotel owner wasn't very happy with the mess…and Naruto had grumbled at having to lose a good amount of his time in helping with the repairs but decided not to worry about it too much. It was also when Gai told Jiraiya about the incident in the Council room and the Sannin was laughing at the thought of the Council Elders being threatened and losing to a kid Genin…it made him smile a great deal…

"Well Jiraiya-sama…Naruto-kun…I bid you both the best of luck and bring Tsunade-hime back to us as soon as you can."

"We will Gai-sensei…make sure that Sasuke's going to be all right."

"You have my word on that!"

Gai then spoke to Naruto about Lee's condition and his hopes that Tsunade's healing prowess will be enough to fully restore his student to full form and how lee had expressed some interest in learning some moves from Naruto's combat style as well…namely his hand to hand combat skills. Naruto thought about that and replied that it's only if it was okay with Gai and Gai nodded his approval..stating that Lee saw Naruto as a fellow friend and his flame of youth was as bright as Lee's. Afterwards…Jiraiya forbade Naruto from wearing the green body-suit handed to him by Gai and they moved on…however. Naruto began to wonder about several things as they moved onwards to locate Tsunade..

"Hey Pervy Sage…"

"What is it?"

"Just who is that guy Itachi and Shark face working for…and why of all people do they want me?"

Jiraiya sighed…he had hoped to keep Naruto out of knowing his destiny of being hunted by those who coveted the power of the Kyuubi until he was ready…but Itachi and Kisame forced his hand and they did reveal themselves to Naruto…so there was nothing to be gained by hiding the truth from the boy now.

"Those two work for Akatsuki…as you've heard…and it's not a guy…but a band of S-ranked ninja criminals…Orochimaru was once part of the same group before he broke free from them. And they are not after you for YOU Naruto…they want the Kyuubi inside you."

"What?! Why the heck would they want the Kyuubi?"

"I don't know for sure…but considering the power that the Kyuubi has within itself and how much destruction it can accomplish whenever it appears, and it has appeared many times in history…then you can bet that it can't be for a good reason. And since the Akatsuki are all S-ranked criminal ninjas…then you can bet whatever they have in mind for the power of the Kyuubi will certainly be destructive. And that means bad news for everyone in the world…but if they get it.,..then…"

"Then I die…right Pervy Sage?"

Naruto asked as he touched the area where the seal that held the Kyuubi in his stomach was located and was deep in thought. Jiraiya sighed and wished that he didn't have to burden the kid with the knowledge that there were those who were trying to kill him for the demon and to use it to do whatever plan they have. Naruto remained silent and he then replied with confidence and conviction.

"I won't let them take the Kyuubi from me…"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean it…the Kyuubi might be the reason my life has been hell…but that won't stop me…I will be stronger than them all Pervy Sage. The Kyuubi's power will never be in anyone's hands but mine, because I would rather carry the burden of being the container of the Kyuubi and using it's powers and chakra for my own reasons and to protect others who I care about than to let some band of roving criminal bastard ninjas use it to do whatever plans they have. The power in my body will be used for the right reasons this time, and no matter what happens…I will not back down from this…if that is my destiny then I will do whatever I can to surpass it."

Jiraiya smirked at that…

(Naruto…heh…if only the Fourth could see you now…)

"That's a promise I will make and keep…and besides…I have to be ready for my…other destiny as well…"

"What do you mean?"

Naruto then told Jiraiya all he learned and about the existence of Death Fang…the only sword that can rival and match Holy Talon's powers…and the pure evil of that sword and who created it…and Lord Faldren's warning that the time would come that Death Fang would find it's own Master and it would soon be inevitable that he would have the face Death Fang and it's master in combat. As he finished telling Jiraiya…the Sannin had to look at Naruto and wondered how the heck Naruto will handle this new part of his life as Dragon Champion…

The idea that a totally evil version of Holy Talon existed in the world and was waiting for it's own Master…and Naruto being the one destined to face that said master in battle was very uncomfortable to say the least. After seeing some of what Naruto could do with Holy Talon's powers and the abilities it gave him…the idea of a totally evil being having the same power was not something he wanted to imagine…he then thought of what could happen if his old team-mate Orochimaru were to find Death Fang and he shivered at the thought.

(That guy getting his hands on an evil version of Holy Talon is the last thing I want to see before I bid farewell to this world. To think Naruto's got both the Kyuubi to deal with and this…man I've got my work cut out for me…I don't even want to guess the results if any Akatsuki members hold that sword…with Death Fang and the Kyuubi in their hands…this will be a nightmare come true for the whole world…)

"So are you ready for it?"

"Honestly Pervy Sage…I don't know…Holy Talon did say I am still a novice Dragon Champion…but I have to do it…I am a Dragon Champion too and I have to fight Death Fang and it's Master someday…so I have to be stronger until that day comes."

"Well then…both you and I are going have our hands full then…"

"By the way Pervy Sage…what's Tsunade like? I mean, like I've said I don't know much about her so since you do…what is she like?"

Jiraiya thought about it and replied.

"Well…she can be annoying, lazy, and very reckless…but she's smart, very smart, and tough…she had even super-human strength due to her chakra control being the best among us back in the day…she also loved to gamble…a lot. She's famous for that…"

"Exactly how famous is she?"

"Well she has this one name that sticks out like a sore thumb…and the name is…"

--

The men in the most expensive gambling den in the town smiled as they recognized just who had entered the room and placed a wager, one asked his comrade just who the new arrival was and he whispered the name as Tsunade sat down and said that she wanted the case of money turned into chips.

Shizune was giving off the usual look of fear and anxiety she had when Tsunade gambled as she held the pig familiar named Ton-ton.

(Oh no…they're giving Tsunade-sama the look again!)

--

"The Legendary Sucker? Is she really that bad a gambler?"

"Oh yeah…she loved gambling ever since she was young…but Tsunade's got the worst skill and luck in gambling, she's always losing, and she's always in debt to a lot of people."

"So how does she manage to keep on gambling and avoid all the collectors? From the way you say it Pervy Sage...she's probably got a mountain of debt the height of the mountain face the other Hokages are carved in."

"That's true…you see Tsunade's got a jutsu that allows her to look in her 20s despite the fact she's actually in her 50s at the moment."

"So she uses Henge?"

"Not exactly squirt…from the way I understand it…she doesn't use any jutsu to maintain the Henge…it's permanently on and I've seen her take a LOT of punishment in the past and the Henge doesn't fade off. And she can disguise herself to be at any age she wants to avoid the collectors…that's how she manages to avoid all the company."

"A permanent Henge and can be altered whenever needed eh? That's pretty darn useful now that I think about that…so how do we track her if she's able to maintain that Henge and change it whenever she wants?"

"That's easy…she's always using the default 20s look and she's…well a very attractive one at that age and considering the nickname she's got…all we have to do is go into a gambling den or find a gambler and ask them if they've seen her recently."

"Okay…so that means you've got a picture of her in her 20s…mind if I take a look?"

Jiraiya grinned at that and teased Naruto.

"You sure about that kid…I'll tell you that Tsunade was a looker back in the day and even if it's Henge…you'd admit that she's quite the super babe."

"A picture's a picture Pervy Sage…besides…she can't be THAT attractive…"

"Wanna bet on that Naruto?"

"Yeah...I'll wager…a hundred of my allowance."

"A hundred? All right…look and weep kid."

Jiraiya took out the picture and showed it to Naruto who had a rather calm and slightly untrusting look…mainly because he was still not sure of this Tsunade was actually attractive as Jiraiya said she was…but the very second he saw the picture…his eyes widened at the sight as he saw a tall woman with blonde hair, deep brown eyes and had a very attractive face in par with some of the women back in Konoha, there was that strange purple diamond shaped tattoo on her head and she had…what appeared to be the largest bust he had ever seen on her chest…he'd seen a lot in his time…peeking at magazines back in usual hangout store and using his new and heavily improved Sexy No Jutsu…but he had admit…this Tsunade lady was well…endowed to say the least. He turned and grumbled as he took out his wallet and took some bills and handed it to Jiraiya who grinned as he took the money…and he laughed.

"Cheer up Naruto…it's not the first time this happened when I showed this picture to some young guy."

"Yeah I'll bet…so she's currently in THAT form?"

"Knowing her, yes…but let's put that aside for the moment…for now…training begins!! I said I would teach you a powerful jutsu that would make the Chidori pale in comparison and I keep my promises…but before that…you need to relax and take a break…and we're close enough to a town I know which will really help!"

"All right! Does that mean I get to wear this?"

Naruto asked as he took out Gai's gift to him and Jiraiya gave him a shake of his head and a glare…as he was not liking the image of Naruto dressed up in THAT for the next few days of training for the jutsu.

"No way are you wearing that disaster of a suit Naruto…I'd rather be tarred and feathered and beaten to death by a mob than be seen anywhere near a guy who'd wear that horror suit."

--

Later…

"Wow…this town is great….I wish Konoha was this lively in the day…"

Naruto said as they were looking at the town that appeared to be having a full day festival..there were stands everywhere with games, toys, prizes…food and more…and there were street performers, clowns, and the like…it was a veritable sea of fun and excitement…some of the things that he wished were in Konoha more often.

"Take it while you can Naruto and shop for what you need…cause after all this…the training will begin…in the meantime have fun while I go pay a few bars a visit…"

Naruto glared at the Sannin…

"Please tell me you're not going to get drunk Pervy Sage… I may have dragon enhanced strength but there's no way I can handle hauling you're butt out of the bar and heading back to the hotel…"

"Kid…I've been drinking since I was 14, so I'm all right with a few bottles…besides that…gamblers usually take the day off with a few drinks at this time of the day…so that way…if we don't hit the jackpot and meet Tsunade here in a den now…then we'd at the very least know the best place she'd go to next from someone who saw her. And besides…the time we spend here will be for your training on that jutsu I promised to teach you."

"Oh…all right then, now to take out my wallet and party!"

Naruto took out his favorite frog wallet and smiled as he held it as it was bulging from the amount of money he had saved up over the many missions he undertook, along with some work on the side…as Teuchi would pay him small amounts for hauling groceries from time to time and a few odds and ends work as well.

"Nice collection…you saved up a lot of money Naruto…"

"Yep…you'll never know when you'll need it…and all the money here will really be worth it!"

"Not so fast Naruto…hand me that wallet for a moment…"

Naruto didn't know why but decided not to argue with his teacher and handed Jiraiya the wallet and Jiraiya took out a number of bills and handed Naruto back the wallet and Naruto was not happy with the amount as it was pitiful compared to the amount he had IN the wallet.

"Only 50?! Come on Pervy Sage…I gave you a hundred before…at least let me have my allowance…"

"That is your allowance…there are some weaknesses to ninja Naruto…one is alcohol, two is money, and three is women…these are a ninja's vices…the less contact you have with them…the better off you will be ninja wise…now go and use that money wisely. I'll take your gear and you take mine…use the toads to track me and just in case…make sure to be on your toes."

Naruto grumbled and walked away and spoke to himself.

(Vices of a ninja…yeah right…more like those three are YOUR vices Pervy Sage…I'll wager a bet that he's going to use my money for those three things…ah well…what can I do…he's my master after all…though how the Fourth dealt with that perverted old man as a sensei…I'll never know…but how am I going to have fun with only 50 bills?)

(("Master Naruto…would you like to know a spell just for this occasion?"))

(Sure…)

Naruto listened and Holy talon told him about Transmutation being used to make objects from basic materials and realized that he could make something that was valuable to others so he could have some extra money for himself to use when the time came and he decided to take a shot at it and headed off to the town and along the way took a spot and made sure no one was looking and he quickly took out a well made kunai from his pouch and with a good application of Dragon Fire…made something else entirely…

--

A nearby weapon-shop in town…

"Hmm…this sword looks brand new…perfect balance…good weight…not too heavy or too light, very keen edge…and high quality metal construction too. Where exactly did you get this sword kid?"

Naruto sighed and spoke…

"I had that sword with me when an old swordsman visited my home and taught some sword moves and gave me these two swords…one's mine and the other is something he wanted me to use whenever I wished and in any way that I wanted…so sir…is it all right I give that to you?"

The shop keeper thought about it and recognized a high quality blade when he saw it…he had seen many fine weapons in his day and this one was the finest he had ever seen and worth top money too…he took out a piece of wood and cut it as a test and the sword cleanly sliced through it…and no signs of damage either…he then tried hitting it on another blade and was impressed that it didn't chip…showing the quality of the metal used. He looked at Naruto and saw Holy Talon and was impressed…

(Whoever made this sword knew his stuff…this could really be a collector's item and quite the weapon too.)

"All right then…how much do you want for the sword?"

"How much you willing to give for that?"

"I'll give you 8000 up front kid…I've never seen this kind of quality work in my entire life so it would be a disservice not to pay top cash for such a weapon…this okay with you?"

"You bet!"

Naruto later smiled as he held the envelope filled with bills as he was paid the exact amount by the shop owner and he now had more money than he ever had on any mission he took as a Genin. But he decided to keep the envelope hidden and made sure that he kept his spending to a minimum to make sure the Pervy Sage didn't notice his new way of rebuilding his funds. He bought some food and bought a few other materials that he could find of use. He managed to enjoy his day and decided to go and see just what sort of nonsense his perverted sensei got involved with. He found out that his sensei had more money than he ever did when he looked at the bank book.

(That guy's got more money than I have kunai…humph, and he takes MY wallet…but he is a Sannin so I guess letting him be himself is okay…well…time to find him and see what sort of nonsense did he get himself into this time.)

And sure enough…his suspicions were right on the money as he spotted his sensei in a bar and surrounded by women and he had alcohol in his hands. He couldn't help but sigh at the sight as he spotted his wallet empty…telling him that all of his savings were down the drain.

"I should have known I'd find you here Pervy Sage…"

"Hey Naruto…how was the festival?"

"Don't give me that you pervert…considering my wallet is as empty as I've ever seen it…you're breaking all the rules you just gave me…some advice you gave…"

"Heh…well…there's a lot to life too…and right now we've got company to deal with."

Naruto was surprised and turned to see a number of thugs…led by one dressed in a suit harassing one of the stall owners and it was getting his anger up that there were guys like them who were causing mayhem on a good day. Naruto turned and got ready to fight…but Jiraiya smirked and talked to him…

"Let me handle this…"

Naruto wondered what the Pervy Sage was going to as he approached the small group…after trading some insults…the Sannin then did something that totally caught Naruto's eye as he spotted a small but powerful glowing ball in the palm of the Pervy sage's hand and the Sannin then sent the leader flying backwards a fair distance away. The thugs looked like they were about to wet their pants and after Jiraiya spoke once more…they all humbly apologized to the store owner as the Sannin turned to face Naruto who was wide eyed at what he saw…

"What was that you just did Pervy Sage?!"

"That…is the jutsu I plan to teach you…now come on…training begins now…"

Naruto grinned as he thought of the possibilities and he followed the Pervy Sage without complaint.

(Man…that jutsu was awesome…I am going to learn how to do that soon…this is great, I know I can master that jutsu soon enough!)

--

Naruto woke up in the forest for the moment and groaned as he shook his hands a bit to loosen them up and relaxed as he looked at the number of burst rubber air balloons that he had managed to put holes in…but he was not satisfied with the results…the new set of balloons were much harder to break than he thought than the first. He thought back on how this all started…

After witnessing the technique first hand and seeing how Jiraiya burst the first water balloon he had spent days figuring it out, he decided that he had to learn on his own after Jiraiya told him that he'd only teach the steps…the rest was for him to learn on his own. At first he was not very happy with the suggestion, but didn't challenge the test and worked hard on the first step…which according to the Pervy Sage was rotation and that was key in the first part of the training.

He learned about his natural rotation and of chakra and learned to improvise when he saw a cat playing another water balloon and breaking it using it's paws. Jiraiya gave him a look as he showed the cat that helped him make his improvisation…along the way he learned about the pain involved with the jutsu but pushed that out of his mind.

Which led to his latest test…he had even higher difficulty with this jutsu's power training…and he was getting more pain but pushed it aside…and when he did burst one the balloons…Jiraiya commended him for trying. He was then taught concentration and here he was now at the moment…placing holes in balloons when they should have gone bang.

He got to his feet and sighed once more.

(There's no way I'm giving up just yet…I've made it this far and I won't lose again.)

(((Hey brat…I need a word with you.)))

Naruto then concentrated and he was now before the cage of the Kyuubi and as soon as the Kyuubi appeared…Naruto spoke.

"What now Kyuubi?"

"You had an encounter a few days before with some ninja…one had the Samehada and was no doubt a Mist Seven Swordsman…and who was the other one?"

"The killer of the Uchiha Clan…Itachi Uchiha."

Kyuubi growled in a very irate tone and bristled with undisguised hatred.

(((Uchiha…the same cursed clan that I loathe more than any other.)))

"What's your issue with the Uchiha anyway Kyuubi…you sound like you want to rip them all to shreds."

(((Brat you no idea…I have a special place of hatred for that clan and the Sharingan in my demonic heart…I hate that clan more than I hate even you…)))

"Why's that?"

(((I'll tell you some other time…but suffice to say…one of that wretched clan pulled a fast one on me a LONG time ago…and I have never forgiven nor forgotten that event for a long time. Now what exactly led them to you?)))

Naruto then filled the Kyuubi in on the details and the Kyuubi seemed silent and then after Naruto said his reasons for not allowing the Akatsuki to have his powers for themselves, the demon fox began to laugh out loud and spoke.

(((You've gotten more gutsy than I ever thought possible…to actually be shielding ME of all things…heh, you are an interesting kid and you are not boring to say the least. Tell you what…I have a proposal…)))

(Go on…)

(((I'll loan you my chakra for free so no need to come barging in here all the time and on demand no less and I will make sure to keep my power away from your mind…since you are protected by that sword after all…so even if you were to use my full power…your mind will be fully intact and you can use all my strength.)))

(And how am I sure you won't back out of your word?)

(((Listen brat…I am a demon and a deadly one at that…but I keep my word and I have a code of honor…if I say I will allow you my full power but let you be free of my influence…then I will do just that…when I make a promise…it's not just my honor at stake…but my pride as well and those two things are of great value to me…if I break them…then I am humiliating myself and I will NOT allow that to happen…so do we have a deal?)))

(Fine…)

Naruto got back to his training and tried even harder as he got ready to try again…unknown to him Jiraiya was watching from a distance and smiled as he saw the gust and determination of his new pupil as Naruto grabbed yet another balloon and went back into the training with greater gusto.

(You've got the potential to surpass the Fourth Naruto…you might not have his brains…but you've got his heart and will to succeed no matter the odds…and that is good enough for any shinobi.)

But there was not much time…he had encountered a gambler who told him of Tsunade's location…Tanzaku-Gai… and now was the time to be on the move…he had a feeling that as soon as he would meet Tsunade…things were going to get VERY hectic from here on out. He stepped out and walked over to his student and called his attention. But before he did…he spotted Naruto cut his hand and make a motion on it and then to his surprise…Naruto tried again and had exploded the balloon and had actually thrown himself backwards…

He ran up to Naruto and saw that Naruto had concentrated so much chakra in his hand that he blew himself away and even burned his hand.

(Impressive…he was able to concentrate that much chakra into his hand that he burned it at the same time…he's come a long way since that first demonstration.)

"I guess the third stage is next…eh Pervy Sage?"

"Normally yeah…but we've got no time to waste…I've located Tsunade…we'll move there and I'll explain the third stage on the way to where she is…you up for it?"

"I made it this far didn't I?"

--

Orochimaru smiled as he was also on his way to meet Tsunade to finally have his arms healed. Kabuto then spoke about his own knowledge of Tsunade…namely in his time in the Medics…long ago Tsunade had requested that a Medic-nin was to be assigned to heal the injuries of all ninja squads to prevent losses and while it was a good idea…the casualties would be enormous. And this was going to work well for him…

After all…two tragedies existed that gave him an edge over Tsunade

--

(I've got a very bad feeling about this…)

Tsunade thought as for the first time in her life she was able to win a large bank roll in the gambling casino…Shizune was pleased and so was Ton-ton…but the blonde Kunoichi and legendary Sannin knew one thing…the only time her luck in gambling changed was when something major and bad was going to happen. But she had no idea just how bad it was going to be.

--

Elsewhere…

POP!!

"Darn it…here we go again…"

Naruto took out another empty balloon and blew it up again with air and tied it up and then tried again with the third step of the jutsu…it proved to be a real challenge since this time he had to keep rotation, and power…and keep the balloon from bursting. No wonder the Fourth took 3 years to master and make the jutsu the Pervy Sage used before. He had seen it in a field demonstration by Jiraiya and admitted that this part was going to be even harder than the first two.

"Another one?"

"Yep…but don't worry about me Pervy Sage…I've got this one in mind now and I'll master it like the others for sure…"

(Heh…keep at it Naruto…you've done the first two steps well despite the efforts…and now you've gone this far…it'll be hard but you'll do it…of that I am sure of.)

Once they arrived at the area…they began looking for Tsunade…but Naruto then decided to try his luck at gambling at a lottery…and oh did he win first prize…and his wallet was now full…that and his hidden stash of funds from selling the sword before made him even happier. Jiraiya gave Naruto a look.

(He won that much on his first try…I guess Kakashi wasn't kidding about Naruto's luck streak, and he actually has a sharpness for gambling…if only he was this lucky in jutsu training…that and his drive to succeed would make him a hell of a ninja…and if Tsunade had his luck and skill in gambling, then she'd be luckier at least and win more often.)

Naruto then placed away his wallet and went on with the training…and grumbled a bit as his balloon popped at the wrong time but didn't give up as he took out yet another one and tried again.

--

Later…

Tsunade was drinking her butt off and called for another bottle and while Shizune wanted her to stop..part of her couldn't blame her sensei for being this drunk at the very moment. They had gone sightseeing despite Tsunade's attempts to leave…and then Orochimaru showed up and spoke to Tsunade about healing his arms…and when she learned that the Third was killed…she was not very happy…but when she was taunted by Orochimaru about two people she loved and cared for being dead…she lost it and came was about to attack…despite Kabuto's attempts to settle things diplomatically and her own attacks to finish them off with her needles. But Orochimaru gave a powerful offer…to use a forbidden jutsu to bring her master's little brother and boy-friend back to life…and when that happened she halted her attack…and he said that if she did cure his arms…he would level Konoha to the ground.

She tried to convince Tsunade to attack Orochimaru and end his threat…but that was proven to be a bad idea as Orochimaru…knew about Tsunade's weakness…her fear of blood and used it to paralyze her…after that the two left and Tsunade was still reeling from what she had been offered. And here they were now…

(Tsunade-sama…)

"Come on Pervy Sage, let's find a decent ramen shop…you know I'm not in the age to be here in the first place…"

"Listen shorty…we came here for dinner and get more data on where Tsunade is since people usually drop by places like this…besides…there's good food here so don't worry about getting drunk or anything."

Tsunade turned and sure enough she spotted someone that looked familiar to her despite her alcohol laden mind telling her otherwise. Jiraiya likewise looked more closely when he spotted a certain blonde woman that looked very familiar to him…and it was then that the light bulb finally clicked on.

"TSUNADE!!"

Tsunade got off her chair and gave a shout of recognition of her own.

"JIRAIYA?! What…what the heck are you doing here?!"

"Finally…you have any idea how hard it is to find you? I nearly thought I have to turn this entire town upside down and go to very gambling den in the town. I should have guess ed you'd be here."

Naruto said nothing as he looked at Tsunade and sure enough…she certainly resembled the picture…though the picture did no justice…she might be in Henge and was about the same age as his Pervy Sage sensei, she certainly didn't look like it…he had to admit that she's got the biggest pair of breasts he'd seen yet.

(The Pervy Sage was right for once…despite her age…she is a babe…I wonder if the Pervy Sage had the gall to try anything on her when she was younger?)

--

Later…

Naruto happily munched away at the food as he and Jiraiya was sitting before Tsunade and Shizune were, it was then after finishing her drink that Tsunade spoke…

"All these old faces…here at once…I swear if I wasn't in a drunken mood…I'd think this was a reunion party…"

Jiraiya poured her yet another round from the sake bottle…and Naruto stopped eating his fish and he looked at the two as he already had an idea on who Tsunade was referring to as he knew the three Sannin and since there was one more.

"So Orochimaru's here too…what exactly happened here?"

Shizune was about to speak, but Tsunade gave her a warning glare…however, Holy Talon sensed something and spoke it's master.

(("Master Naruto…I have a feeling that Tsunade was offered something that had truly grabbed her attention by Orochimaru…and it is a very serious thing as well."))

(What did that bastard offer her?)

(("I can't be sure…but she's considering it very heavily."))

"Nothing…just catching up on old times…"

Jiraiya knew better…he had seen the look Tsunade gave Shizune…a warning look, that look from Tsunade to Shizune easily told him that Orochimaru had far more interesting things to talk about to Tsunade than reminiscing about the past. That told him that he had to hurry before things got even worse.

"the reason I got here is the fact that the Village Council had sent the request that you become the Fifth Hokage."

Naruto knew about it firsthand before back in Konoha so he ignored it and continued eating…while Shizune was shocked and Tsunade was stunned slightly by the announcement. Jiraiya was about to say that the Third was dead…but Tsunade beat him to it.

"I know about the Third…Orochimaru told me himself that he killed Sarutobi-sensei."

Naruto then looked at Tsunade and spoke.

"And you just stood there as he said that? You did nothing to at least kill that traitorous bastard who tried to destroy your home village and killed your sensei? You had a chance but never took it…why is that?!"

Tsunade turned and looked at Naruto…wondering why he seemed somewhat familiar to her somehow…as if she had seen him before…despite the rather off looks that he had…not that they were ugly or anything…but just a bit off for someone so young.

"Who's the loudmouth Jiraiya?"

"You know him well enough Tsuande…even though you two never officially met…he's Naruto Uzumaki."

(So he's the Kyuubi container…I never he'd look more like a young adult than a adolescent…)

"So what's your answer Tsunade?"

"What your asking me is impossible Jiraiya…I decline.."

(This is not looking good…)

"Funny you should say that of all things Tsunade…that was the exact same phrase you said when I asked you out a long time ago…"

"Hey Pervy Sage…we're supposed to be asking her to come back to the village and heal Sasuke, Kakashi-sensei, and even Bushy brows Lee, and to be Hokage…not going on a date of all things…and she already said no."

"I'm aware of that Naruto…but don't forget…I'm not cut out to be Hokage…Tsunade's own grandfather was the First Hokage and like I said…she's got the abilities and intellect to be a better Hokage…plus she is not a Sannin for nothing…her battle skills were legendary and her healing skills were unmatched…and she still has them."

"I'm aware of that Pervy Sage…you told me on the road remember?"

"Jiraiya…this young kid accompanying you is a lot louder and more different than your last apprentice."

"If that was a running joke on me Old Lady…then I'm not laughing."

"Well it's tough being compared to the Fourth…he had the talent, the skills, the jutsu, the looks and the compassion to go with it all…he was a genius and the best Hokage the village had then.."

"But he died young didn't he?"

Jiraiya looked on silently and so did Naruto as Tsunade continued to speak.

"He gave up his life for his village…Life is not the same thing as money…you can get money back…but a life is one time thing…you can never gamble it or win it back…anyone who throws his life away was a fool."

Naruto gritted his teeth in growing anger as Tsunade spoke onwards.

"My grandfather and my grand uncle focused so much on making the village peaceful and prosperous…but in the end…they died in the middle of their dreams…they lost everything…and ended up dead…"

"I'm surprised at that way of seeing things Tsunade…you have changed a lot, and you've said all you've thought and had on your mind."

"I'm in my 50s Jiraiya like you…age can do that to people."

"it's no wonder Sarutobi-sensei died…he was already too old to live his dreams."

Jiraiya glared at Tsunade and wondered just what made her like this…though a part of him already had a clear idea of what happened to her long ago.

The title of Hokage is a foolish and worthless thing …anyone who wants it will be nothing but a fool…"

"I'VE HEARD ENOUGH OF THIS GARBAGE!!"

Naruto rushed up and was about to draw Holy Talon out of his sheath when Jiraiya stopped him…

"Keep your shirt on kid…we're in a public bar for Kami's sake…"

"I don't give a rat's ass if we're in the middle of a frozen wasteland with only our undies at this very moment Pervy Sage! I am not going to stand by and let this old hag insult the Fourth, and all the Hokages and the title!!"

Naruto glared darkly at Tsunade's smirking face and he cracked his knuckles and looked even more enraged while Jiraiya and Shizune looked on.

"You have the audacity to not only insult the Third who was among the very few people I ever cared and respected…the man who was like a Grand Father to me…but your own Grand Father The First Hokage and even the Fourth?! I don't know what kind of incident in your life made you in a cold and heartless ice woman Old Lady…but if you think you're going to get away with those remarks…you're dead wrong…for all those who died living their dreams…I'll make sure to rip that smirk off your face with my bare hands…even if you are a woman!!"

Tsunade stood up and glared back with a smile.

"Oh yeah? You've got guts and gall to be saying such things in my face kid. Then let's take this outside."

--

Outside…

"Tsunade-sama…"

"Oh boy…to think it came to this…"

Jiraiya and Shizune…along with Ton-ton saw the whole thing as Tsunade and Naruto faced one another and Naruto's cold glare was focused right at Tsunade.

"I'm one of the three Sannin…I don't have to be serious in front of a young upstart kid who's a Genin…one finger will be enough…"

"Oh yeah…you're going to regret those words Old Lady."

Naruto slammed his hand into the ground and his hands were covered in flame that glowed brown…catching the group off guard.

"EARTH WAVE!!"

A massive wave of earth came right at Tsunade that resembled a wave from the ocean…surprising the blonde Kunoichi as she moved back and dodged the wave and Naruto made his move as he came right at her with a pair of revolving kicks aimed right for her head, she blocked them and struck at Naruto…but discovered that it was not Naruto…but a Kage Bushin…

(A Kage Bushin?)

Tsunade turned in time to avoid a punch to the face from Naruto that appeared…but Naruto turned in mid strike and lashed out with an elbow strike with his right arm in spin motion…Tsunade blocked it and attacked with her finger…Naruto however grabbed her arm and planted his feet on the ground and rolled..taking Tsunade with him and he introduced his right leg in a kick to her stomach…however, Tsunade was not a legendary Sannin for nothing as she managed to avoid the attack and lift Naruto up and quickly tossed him aside…Naruto however recovered and attacked once more…only this time with Holy Talon…but Tsunade kept her cool and slammed her foot on the earth and sent a cracking tremor at Naruto…making him slow down and break his attack as he quickly struck with her finger…sending Naruto backwards…

Naruto got up and shock his head as his headband fell…he looked at with some surprise.

(Only one finger eh…I guess Pervy Sage was right about her strength…so that means head on attacks are a bad idea…okay then…let's see if we can try another approach…)

"Hey Kid…"

"The name's Naruto Uzumaki you Old Lady…use it…"

"And the name's Tsunade…you use that…before you pass out from that strike…tell me something…why are you so determined to be Hokage?"

"Humph…dumb question… If you really want to know…the reason is simple…unlike you…I have long wished to be Hokage…and I will become Hokage no matter what…and you know why?"

"Why's that…"

"Because it is my dream to be Hokage!"

Tsunade was stunned because at that very moment…she saw two other faces on either side of Naruto's…and those were the faces of both Dan and Nawaki…Dan was the uncle of Shizune and her boy-friend from so long ago, and Nawaki was her only brother…both died…but they said the very same thing that Naruto did.

Jiraiya saw that and so did Shizune and in a moment…Tsunade was in a state of loss and Naruto himself saw that as well.

(She's distracted…I know this is risky…but I have no choice…that jutsu is not yet complete…but I have to try it!!)

Naruto placed aside Holy Talon and quickly focused his chakra and managed to unleash the technique…incomplete as it was at the moment…and charged…Tsunade however saw it and while she was surprised that he had attempted the Rasengan…she was able to hit the ground and cause a chasm to appear and stop Naruto….

The blonde however was not the kind to give up as he leaped upward, pulled out and attacked with Holy Talon and brought it down towards Tsunade…but stopped in mid strike when Jiraiya stopped him with a shout.

"That's enough Naruto…cool your jets…"

Naruto nodded and re-sheathed Holy Talon, and Tsunade spoke once more…only this time she directed her question to Jiraiya…

"Jiraiya…was it you who taught this kid the Rasengan?"

"Yes…I am his teacher…both in principle…and necessity."

"You should know full well that only you and the Fourth could truly master the Rasengan…he might have accomplished the first two steps…but he's still lacking the third step…what's the whole point of teaching a jutsu like the Rasengan…a high grade level A jutsu to a kid…to give him foolish hopes of being Hokage and you as his Master? Its better he gives up now and stop dreaming foolish dreams…"

"Quit trying to talk about me like I don't have the ability to learn the Rasengan Old Lady…all I need is three days to master it and I will master it…and when I do…then I'll wipe that arrogant smirk right off your face with it!"

Tsunade gave Naruto a look while the blonde looked right back at her with the same intensity and a part of her vein twitched at the look the boy was giving.

"You're serious aren't you?"

"Serious enough to do just what I said…because I don't take back what I say no matter what others think…and that includes you…you Old Lady."

"You've really got some guts to be saying that still…all right then, how about this little bet…I'll give you a week to master the Rasengan and if by some miracle you do…then I'll give you my necklace and acknowledge you as the next Hokage."

Shizune was stunned at this while Jiraiya raised an eye-brow…

(Tsunade-sama…what are you doing? You've never been the kind to give that necklace to others…especially considering it's…sad history.)

(Hmm…what the heck has gotten Tsunade like that? It's not often that she'd allow a kid to get under her skin…the only kid she'd ever allow to pester her and anger her that way is…oh…I see…I guess that's yet another reason why I made the right choice to have him along.)

"What the heck would I do with a strange looking necklace like that? I'm not a jewelry type of guy to being with!"

"Naruto…that necklace is not a weird piece of jewelry…that is a necklace handed down by the First Hokage…the ores that make that jewel are VERY rare and there are only two like it in this world. In fact that necklace can buy you at least three lucrative gold mines, and both the towns and mountains to go with it."

Naruto was surprised at that and looked at the necklace still wondering if it was really that valuable…he then gave a curious look to Tsunade and asked.

"On the chance I don't complete the Rasengan…then what?"

"Then I take your wallet and all your life savings….and that sword of yours."

"WHAT?! NOW YOU'VE REALLY CROSSED THE LINE OLD LADY!! NO ONE BUT ME CAN USE HOLY TALON!!"

"Either that…or you'll still be a weak kid in my eyes and you'll never be Hokage material…so how about it?"

Naruto thought hard and gave his answer.

"Fine…one week it is… I will master this Rasengan in a week you old lady…and when I do…that necklace is mine!!"

Shizune walked over to Tsunade and spoke to her sensei and long time teacher.

"Tsunade-sama…you can't be serious about this…the necklace is a precious thing…and most of all…"

"Don't worry Shizune…it's not like he's actually going to accomplish the bet in one week…let's go…I need to have some privacy…"

Shizune however knew something was up…because the amount of time that Tsunade gave to Naruto…was the very same amount of time Orochimaru and Kabuto had given Tsunade to consider her answer on whether she would heal his arms.

Jiraiya however decided that it was time he had a more private discussion with his team-mate from the past.

"Tsunade…come and have a drink with me…Shizune…can you take Naruto and find a hotel and stay there the night?"

"Okay…"

(Please Master Jiraiya…please try to reason with Tsunade-sama…you're the only one who can at this point.)

--

In the hotel…

Naruto was not in the best of moods as he packed up some supplies while swearing loudly to himself about how callous Tsunade was after all he had heard. And he was irate at the thought of that woman being Hokage…

"Damn crazy old hag…first she wants to take all my hard earned pay to do Kami only knows what with it…and now she wants to take Holy Talon from me?! She insults the Third after all he did for the village…and even her own blood…damn it…no way am I ever going to agree to her being the Hokage…damn that cold dead heart and soul of hers to the darkest pits in the hells!"

"Excuse me…Naruto-kun…"

Naruto turned and saw Shizune as she walked into the room. He decided not to get angry with her, she wasn't the enemy here anyway…and tried to calm down his emotions.

"Shizune…I don't want to sound rude or anything…but I need a good night's sleep for me to train tomorrow so I can finally win that darn bet."

"That's exactly why I want to talk to you Naruto-kun…before you do this…you have know more about the necklace…and about Tsunade-sama…"

"I know she's your mentor Shizune…I understand…but after all I've heard from that callous and cold hearted ice lady and all she said about the Hokage title and those who died for their dreams…I don't want to hear about it…I'd rather be roasting in the fires of the underworld than hear more about her…that heartless old hag…"

Shizune got angry and shouted at Naruto…

"STOP CALLING TSUNADE-SAMA THOSE NAMES!! SHE"S NOT A HEARTLESS AND CALLOUS PERSON!! AND DON'T SAY THOSE THINGS LIKE YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT HER!!"

Shizune looked at saw Naruto was silent and realized that she couldn't afford to lose her own cool if she wanted to at least explain why Tsunade was like this now…she knew Tsunade for a long time…longer than Naruto and Naruto deserved to know why her mentor was like that.

"I'm sorry…sorry for that…but please hear me out before you jump to any conclusions about Tsunade-sama….you see…she wasn't like that…she was kind, compassionate…and dedicated to the village…more so than anyone back then…but she's suffered a lot and lost so much…hopes and dreams…and more…that necklace is not a trophy…it's a cursed necklace…it only accepts Tsunade-sama to wear it…anyone else…will die…it already claimed two people precious to her…"

"Who?"

"Her only brother who was killed when he was only a Genin like you…and on his 12th birthday no less…she gave him that necklace as a present…and he was the first to die, when they brought him back… the enemy had so desecrated the body…she hardly recognized him…and the second person she lost was her first love…who was my uncle who raised after my parents died, the only man to stand by her when she wanted Medic-nins in the ninja teams…and the only man she loved…and she also couldn't save him from death…even if she was there in the battle…and there she feared blood ever since…after that…she took me with her and left Konoha…and all the pain. That necklace is a host of sweet and bitter memories for Tsunade-sama and ever since then…she's grown cynical and bitter…but can you blame her…for all that she had to suffer and how the people she loved died so young? Please Naruto-kun…please tell me you understand why I wanted to try and make you understand…"

Naruto sighed and replied.

"Yeah…I do…so that means I won't be here for a long time…"

"What do you mean?"

"My training starts now…because I am going to prove to her that dreams come true…no matter the odds…and I carry my own burden as well Shizune…"

"The Kyuubi?"

"No…the destiny of facing my sword's only known rival and it's own soon to be chosen master…Death Fang."

Shizune was surprised and before she could inquire more…Naruto left.

--

In a bar nearby…

"You've never changed a bit Tsunade…even if it's Henge…you're still as attractive as ever…"

"And you haven't changed either Jiraiya…you're the only guy I'd never date…"

"Don't think I'm interested or anything…I'm not really into women who are at my age."

The two Sannin drank their sake as they were lost in their own thoughts, Tsunade thought about what she had learned and what she thought about that kid Naruto…she had to admit that he was an attractive sort…despite being way younger than her by nearly 38 years. But for now...she recalled how similar he was to…

"Is Naruto on your mind all of a sudden?"

"Not really…"

"You're wrong…I can't believe you let him goad you into that bet of yours…I mean…when did you suddenly become so childish?"

"What?"

"Betting your necklace and making him learn the Rasengan in a week? You know he can't do that all in a week…you're being unreasonable again."

"Maybe…"

"So when will you meet Orochimaru by the end of the week?"

Tsunade froze and looked at Jiraiya who shrugged.

"I'm not a complete fool Tsunade…I saw that look on Shizune's face and that told me enough hat like me…Orochimaru offered you something to help him, and your considering it…but you had better slow down and think it over very carefully and realize what you are going to do if you agree."

"Don't forget all the Hokage who have come before and all their sacrifices, their hopes and dreams…they always thought of the safety, happiness, and prosperity of every villager of Konoha…they gambled everything to ensure the survival of the village and it's people…and yes…they gave everything for that goal and dream…even their lives. Those decisions have helped Konoha to survive and prosper…even in the times when things were their darkest. If you help Orochimaru in whatever mad plans he has and no doubt it involves the destruction of Konoha…then you have betrayed and killed the dreams and made the sacrifices of the Hokages and those who died meaningless."

Tsunade looked at Jiraiya evenly and so did he…with all serious intent.

"I wish you are not that kind of person Tsunade…but so help me…if you betray Konoha…in any fashion…then I will kill you with my own hands if it comes to that."

"This has nothing to do with me…"

"Don't fool yourself…a person who cares or feels nothing at the deaths of those to him or her is nothing more than a raving beast…and I know that you're no monster…you cared more for the village and felt it's pain and sorrow more than anyone…I recall that day…"

"Stop it right now!"

"That kid, coming in here and making things even more confusing…why on earth did you bring him with you?"

"I see…so he reminds you of…him…they are alike indeed…almost the same age I believe…"

"You have no idea…they're more alike than you know."

Jiraiya then sighed and drank another shot as he decided that it was time he told her about how much Naruto had changed from what she knew of him.

"I never told you yet…but that kid Naruto came this close to killing Orochimaru in the Chuunin Exams."

Tsunade gave Jiraiya a look of disbelief as they drank another round.

"Are you pulling my leg Jiraiya?"

"I'm not…before he passed away…Sarutobi told me about how Naruto had fought Orochimaru in the Forest of Death and how he had nearly killed Orochimaru and forced him to leave…and in Kenjutsu no less… and you and I both know how good Orochimaru is with Kenjutsu…he even broke the Kusanagi in half with one strike with that sword he was carrying."

"He used that sword and broke the Kusanagi?! Not even the Monkey King Enma can do that…"

"But he did…I think he even made quite the impression on Orochimaru…that guy was after Sasuke Uchiha for the Sharingan but he's supposedly have a plan to kill Naruto himself… or even try to take the sword from him. Naruto said so himself. He tried to take the sword…but the sword nearly incinerated him…though the flames didn't harm Naruto in the least when he held it. That's one reason why Naruto's not keen on letting others hold that sword…after what I've heard…I even have doubts on whether your strength can carry that weapon of his since it never lets anyone but Naruto command it's powers…it's the same as your necklace now that you think about it."

Jiraiya sighed and spoke.

"But that's nothing compared to the other destiny awaiting him…ironically because of that very same sword."

"What would that be?"

"He will have to face the evil form of that sword…Death Fang."

"What are you talking about now?"

"I'm not all that familiar with the details…but according to Naruto…the sword he has is called Holy Talon and is a living sword…both he and the sword share a bond and he is what the creator of the sword called a Dragon Champion, kind of a warrior order dedicated to peace and justice…but like all things…there is a dark counterpart…and that is Death Fang…like Holy Talon, it too is a living sword…but instead of being used to help others, it is a weapon of mass carnage and terror…and the ones who carry the sword had the same title…but were of pure evil and destruction, and they would not hesitate in bathing a place in blood…And Naruto told me that since he found Holy Talon in the Land of the Waves in his first mission as a Genin…it will be inevitable that someone will find Death Fang and be it's master…and sooner or later…both he or she and Naruto will face one another in combat…and from I've heard about this sword Death Fang from Naruto…this is one weapon that would make even the Kusanagi look like a child's toy knife."

"Naruto admits that compared to the past users of Holy Talon…he's an utter novice…but he has no choice…Ironic really now that I think about it…he's cursed with a demon inside of him since after birth…blessed by a sword that shields him and aids him in battles…hunted by renegade ninja because of said demon, and now has to face the evil version of said sword. But he's tough that brat…you know what he said to me when I told him about the Akatsuki being after him?"

"No…what exactly did he say?"

"He said he'd rather have the Kyuubi inside of him and using it's powers for his own reasons…and the right ones than let some band of renegade ninjas use it for their own plans…he's accepted being the container of the Kyuubi but he is never willing to be labeled like that for the rest of his life and he was going to use the Kyuubi's chakra for the right reasons…he even had the gall to challenge those in the Council back in Konoha who dislike him to a one on one fight if they have issues with him…and he even asked them if they preferred him to be an ally of Konoha and a loyal citizen and ninja there or an enemy of Konoha…I was laughing my head off when I heard about that from Gai…and even old man Homura was unsettled by that…I would have given top money to see that for myself…he's the only Genin I know who not only stood up to the Council…but threatened them and got away with it…he's something all right."

"You're certainly happy with him…"

"Oh yeah…he's got the goods to be a ninja all right…not the brains I'll admit…but the courage to go with it."

"He's going to die young if he keeps that up…"

"You never heard much about him have you…until he's Hokage…he refuses to die…and even if he's not the best ninja…he's no fool…he managed to face both Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki in combat and even if he didn't kill either of them…even they admitted that he was no simple target."

"He fought Itachi Uchiha…and lived?"

Tsunade knew full well how deadly a ninja Itachi was before and after he left the village after killing his clan, to think Naruto has fought with Itachi and survived told her that there was a chance Naruto was exceptional.

"He did more than live Tsunade…he managed to fight Itachi evenly, blow for blow and move for move, and you know how nearly impossible it is for a mere Genin to defeat a highly trained ninja…and we're talking about Itachi, who was the greatest member of the Uchiha before and after he killed his entire clan, here…even he admitted right in my sight and hearing range that Naruto was exceptional…and coming from Itachi…that goes a long way."

Jiraiya then spoke as he finished his drink.

"He's going to be a very interesting ninja someday…and he will be a fine Champion. He's reaching for two dreams now…to be Hokage…and to become a Dragon Champion worthy of Holy Talon's powers…and the legacy of every Champion who used the sword. Their spirits reside in that sword and give their power freely to the new Champion"

With that…Jiraiya left and allowed Tsunade to her thoughts

--

The time passed as Naruto continued to try and master the Rasengan…but he was struggling as he still had not been able to master the third step in order to complete his use of the Rasengan…even as he pushed his body forward…he was still not yet able to master the technique fully…but he was not giving up as Holy Talon gave him encouragement and so did the other spirits of the Dragon Champions…he needed their encouragement to push him through...

Unaware of the fact that Tsunade was secretly watching his progress…but this time not to antagonize him…but to look and see so much similarities between him and her little brother…and sometimes of Dan himself…and saw his grit and determination. She then looked at Holy Talon and wondered if it was true what Jiraiya told him about Naruto and that sword…she found it hard to believe that such a thing had such power…but decided to wait and see just what would happen in the future…she too spent her time thinking about what she had been offered…both by Jiraiya and Orochimaru…to be the Fifth Hokage and help protect and lead Konoha or to heal Orochimaru's arms and let him destroy the village of her birth and the very place that her loved ones wanted to protect and died protecting…she saw Shizune, Jiraiya, Naruto, Orochimaru's faces…each saying the words they said to her about which path she should take. She saw Dan and Nawaki's faces and there in those visions…she saw them with the necklace on them and what they had done in their lives…as she recalled seeing her brother's body and then saw the body of Dan covered in blood and rain…

She saw Naruto fall down in utter exhaustion as he had been doing the same training for nearly six days with no stopping…she looked at the utter devastation he had wrought in the field but yet she never saw the indication that he had gone to the third stage and mastered it. She thought about her decision and realized that it was time for her to make the most desperate gamble of her life…but first..she had to make sure that she was not going to be interrupted by certain people as she left to prepare part of her plan…all she needed was an opening to deal with.

--

In another hidden base…

Orochimaru smiled as it was going to be the day for Tsunade to decide…however…he had other plans just in case Tsunade changed her mind…and with Kabuto's help…the plan could very well work out well.

--

The next day…

"I see…damn that Orochimaru for using Dan and Nawaki as bargaining chips to buy Tsunade's support…he knows that Tsunade would do anything to see them and hold them again. And that kind of offer is really something that she would have a very hard time in resisting."

Jiraiya said as he moved along with Naruto and Shizune while Ton-ton was with them…he had been able to move well enough despite being drugged by Tsunade that night when he tried to remind her of the last day…however his chakra was certainly in a mess and he doubted he could be able to face Orochimaru at this stage.

Naruto growled as well.

"That damn sick freak…I am going to finish what I started in the Forest of Death today for this mess."

"Be careful…Orochimaru's not alone…there seems to be an underling with him…a man with silver hair, wore a Sound headband, had white and purple as his clothes and wearing glasses…and he was skilled enough to catch my poisoned needles…I think he might be Orochimaru's Medical-nin…from what I can sense…he is a dangerous foe."

"He sounds familiar Shizune…I know only one person with that dress style…and that is Kabuto…"

"You know him Naruto-kun?"

"Yeah…let's just say I met him in Konoha when he was wearing the headband of the village…if worse comes to worse…let me deal with him….Holy Talon and Sasuke said I shouldn't trust him…all I need to see is him working for the other side and I know that they were both right."

Shizune was really hoping that they were not too late to stop Tsunade from making the wrong choice. The whole thing started as she had brought Naruto in after seeing him flat on his back exhausted in the throes of his training, Tsunade looked him over and said that he had used up all his chakra and burned his hand badly in using that much chakra and he would be up the day after tomorrow and she said that Jiraiya was right about him being foolish and over passionate to make that bet…she realized that tomorrow was the day…she tried to reason with Tsunade one last time and even tried to stop her…but her sensei was more talented that she was and she was easily disabled…the next day…she was roused by Naruto…who to her initial shock was fully recovered…he explained his recent agreement with the Kyuubi and that since he was the container…he had a remarkable healing gift that required only a day of rest for him to be ready for battle. They then meet Jiraiya and along the way …they tracked Tsunade…hoping that she didn't agree…but as they arrived in the area of the meeting…they saw something else entirely…

"Whoa…this place looks like a war was fought here."

The place was covered in debris and chunks of the walls were everywhere….Jiraiya quickly understood what had happened and he couldn't help but smile a bit.

"I guess those two said something to piss Tsunade off…"

Shizune was filled with hope as she knew that if Tsunade had helped Orochimaru…then they would be dead or worse…

"She said no…she must have…"

Ton-ton gave a squeal and the three arrived to see Tsunade's jacket on the ground and as soon as they were sure that the pig familiar had the scent…they quickly moved in…though the sight of all the craters…destroyed trees, and shattered boulders with cracks and holes were more than enough to tell them just where exactly Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Kabuto have gone…

"Let's not waste time…Tsunade can be deadly in battle despite her age…but since Orochimaru knows about her fear of blood…then there's a big chance they'll use it against her!"

"RIGHT!!"

--

In the ruined valley…

Tsunade tried her best to move but her fear of blood held her fast as she was rooted right on the spot. Her plan had nearly worked…she had attempted to get close enough to use her jutsu…the one designed to kill…she had long since accepted that she was a fool for wanting to see Dan and Nawaki alive again and in exchange…destroy the very dreams and hopes they had in life…all for the sake of the past. That kid Naruto reminded her so deeply of them and their hopes and dreams, that boy…and the memories of those two she loved in the past reminded her of what she had once held dear like them. All things fade and break down…but the feelings remained…and those feelings and memories were enough for her now…and she would never let that happen.

But Kabuto ended her plan as he had seen through her chakra and saved Orochimaru…she then decided to take the fight to them physically and attacked…and here they were in the field after the two had moved away from their meeting place…she was not as fit as she was in her youth and she was getting tired…however Kabuto proved to be a formidable opponent with his skills in Medical Jutsu…he had nearly defeated her with a strike to her lungs to cut her air supply…but her breasts actually saved her life as they had stopped the full strike and allowed her to use Ranshinshou to disable Kabuto and buy her time to recover…even if healing herself would drain her chakra…but that crafty and intelligent Medical-nin of Orochimaru figured out how to attack with that on with some trial and error on his part. And he then cut his own wrist and allowed her fear of blood to stop her…and he attacked and used that time to injure her further.

And then when things were not looking good…the others showed up…she was still in her catatonic state as Shizune tended to her. Naruto however looked at her with a new look…not the same hatred and anger…but understanding and pity.

Jiraiya then spoke to Naruto.

"You and Shizune stay close and protect Tsunade until she can recover from the shock of what Kabuto did…if he attacks…you and Shizune have to protect her…Shizune…can you do something about that damn drug that Tsunade spiked me with?"

"No…I'm a skilled Medic-nin to be sure…but I'm nowhere near the level of Tsunade-sama, all I can say is that it will take a few more hours for that poison to fully leave your system."

"Darn…I guess I have to fight as I am…oh well…you can't be choosy…Naruto…you know what you have to do just in case four eyes tries something?"

"Oh yes…"

"Good".

--

As Jiraiya and Orochimaru fought one another…even though both were still in handicaps, Naruto turned and faced Kabuto with a glare as he was before Tsunade and Shizune was nearby as well, still trying to help her mentor recover. The blonde ninja strode forward and took out Holy Talon and pointed it right at Kabuto who smiled at Naruto.

"Long time no see Naruto-kun…"

"So…Holy Talon was right all along and so also was Sasuke about me not fully trust you …you were a spy…"

Kabuto looked at Naruto who was glaring at him and he smugly replied.

"That's correct Naruto…I am a spy…I have been for years and I've been observing the village for a very long time. What do you intend to do about it?"

"What else…I'm going to beat the holy hell out of you!"

"Don't be so sure about that…you may have improved a good deal…but I am still a more capable ninja then you are Naruto-kun…you however are a different matter…I think that sword you have has changed you…and you rely on it too much, the same could be said for the demon inside of you…can you beat me without both around? Compared to Sasuke…you have no talent of your own."

Naruto grinned as he placed Holy Talon back into it's sheath and cracked his knuckles and replied.

"Why don't you spare me the speeches and we find out if I really am talentless?"

Kabuto barely had time to block as Naruto faded out of sight and then struck with a powerful kick that sent him back a few feet and Naruto closed in as he leaped into the air and brought a kick downwards…Kabuto attacked from behind and tried to use his Chakra Scalpel…but Naruto quickly spun about and kicked Kabuto right in the face and sent the Medic-nin flying…Naruto quickly stood up and so did Kabuto as he wiped the dust off his face…Naruto then spoke.

"I don't need to use Holy Talon all the time and just so you know…the Kyuubi and I came to a little agreement a few days before Kabuto."

"What are you talking about?"

"The Kyuubi gives me ALL of his power and I don't become the monster itself…that means…that I and the Kyuubi have become one…not in the literal sense…but close enough…besides that…I wonder if YOU have the guts to actually fight me IF I was using the power of the Kyuubi…or are you going to be the one to do the running?"

Kabuto smirked and flexed his hands.

"You've got some backbone…and I guess you have grown well…now then, let's see how tough you really are!"

"BRING IT!!"

Kabuto charged right at Naruto intending to kill him in one strike..but Naruto dodged and introduced a powerful elbow strike in the stomach and moved Kabuto back…Kabuto came close to Naruto from behind…Naruto however leaped upward and fired several kunai right at Kabuto, which he blocked and Naruto came down with several high level punches that Kabuto avoided…but when Naruto missed with one punch…he was surprised to see massive cracks and a hole in the boulder where he was before.

"What the?"

(He has a level of strength that is similar as that of Lady Tsunade herself…it seems that this fight is not going to be simple as I thought it was…)

That assumption was proven to be truer as Naruto landed at kick on a boulder and left a hell of a hole in it with one strike…as the two ninja traded punches with one another at full tilt. Kabuto was able to block the punches and kicks Naruto fired out…but they seemed to grow in speed, power, and intensity as Naruto continued to attack him with ever increasing speed and at unpredictable angles.

(This is unexpected….even after I saw him fight the Byakugan user named Neji…he didn't have this level of power then…wait…does that mean that he's using a totally unrestrained form of that fighting style from before?)

Naruto turned and charged right at Kabuto and suddenly made several hand signs…

"KAGE BUSHIN NO JUTSU!!"

Several clones charged at Kabuto and he was able to beat the first band of clones…but one managed to kick him up in the air and then Naruto slammed his hands into the earth and called out a spell that he had practiced.

"DIAMOND SPIKE FOREST!!"

Spikes made out of pure diamond suddenly came out from the ground and jabbed right at Kabuto…surprising him quickly as he managed to dodge them as best he could…

(That was unexpected…and he's not using any hand signs…this is not right…no jutsu I know can be able to work without hand signs…)

He managed to evade them but Naruto was far from finished as he leaped into the fight as three more of his originally summoned Kage Bushin came into the battle as they quickly revealed more kunai and attacked…Kabuto found himself being attacked on all sides and while he blocked the attacks and defeated the clones, Naruto came in and summoned yet another spell…

"IRON SKIN!!"

Kabuto attacked at the throat and was stunned as the kunai broke in half when it contacted Naruto's skin as it was in the hue of grey metal. Kabuto moved away as Naruto lashed out…but there was a swirling vortex of fire on his right arm that lashed out like a whip as his body returned to the normal shade.

"FIRE WHIP!!"

The flame lashed Kabuto right in the face and sent him flying…Kabuto managed to recover and looked at Naruto who looked back with clam rage and the blonde spoke,

"You wanted a fight Kabuto…you've got it…not against the Sannin for sure…but either way…I'll be your foe…let me see how tough you really are."

Kabuto nodded as he healed the burns on his face…

"I guess that I've got me a fight then…let's get at it!"

Kabuto then attacked with a wane kunai and Naruto dodged them and charged right at Kabuto as they began to trade blows with one another as Tsunade watched as Naruto was fighting a talented Medic-nin like Kabuto who was even better than her at her own youth…and he recalled Jiraiya's words.

Jiraiya: He did more than live Tsunade…he managed to fight Itachi evenly, blow for blow and move for move, and you know how nearly impossible it is for a mere Genin to defeat a highly trained ninja…and we're talking about Itachi, who was the greatest member of the Uchiha before he killed his entire clan, here…even he admitted right in my sight and hearing range that Naruto was exceptional.

(Jiraiya might be right…but still Kabuto is no mere ninja…he was able to counter my techniques…and exploit my fear of blood…Naruto…be careful.)

Naruto traded several more blows with Kabuto and he then realized that now was the time to finish this fight and quickly relied on that jutsu once more…and hope that he could strike him and take Kabuto out of the equation…

"Now we finish this!!"

Tsunade saw it and her eyes widened at the sight and realized that this was not the right time for the Rasengan…Naruto had not mastered it yet and here he was now…using it in it's incomplete form…

(Don't do it Naruto! You still haven't mastered the Rasengan!)

Naruto missed and Kabuto quickly made his move and attacked with the chakra scalpel…hitting both Naruto's chest and leg…and then kicked him right towards her and Shizune. Naruto coughed and managed to get to his feet but he couldn't move well enough.

Shizune came in and tried to defend the two…but Kabuto managed to neutralize her and attacked Naruto as he taunted him…

"You think you can accomplish dreams Naruto? You're still a kid…you can't accomplish anything if you're dead you know…you think life is so simple? You have gotten stronger…I'll admit that I underestimated you previously…but not this time…now you are in a bad state and I will give you a chance…to live…leave this battle…"

Kabuto blocked Naruto and began to land several blows to Naruto…but as he was about to strike with another blow…

Naruto blocked the attack and pushed Kabuto backwards… and spoke.

"Don't bother…I am a ninja and I follow my own path…I will not run because it is my way of doing things as a ninja…you want to kidnap Old Lady Tsunade…you'll have to get past me!"

Tsunade couldn't help but gasp as she tried her best to move…and she spoke to him…

"Naruto…get away…stop this…you're in a bad way…stop trying to protect me…"

Naruto however didn't stop as he summoned another Kage Bushin and spoke…

"I will not run…I will stay here and protect you because you are the one chosen to be Hokage…and I know what that bargain Orochimaru gave you was…Shizune told us on the way here…"

"I…"

"I understand…"

"What…"

"You wanted to hold them close to you again…you're little brother and that man you loved…I can understand that…and I know that it must have been tempting…you loved them for a long time…and yet… even though you would do anything to hold them…you knew that if you agreed…then you would betray them as you would help destroy the dreams that they fought so hard to protect and nurture…"

"Naruto…"

"And even if they were revived…they would not be the same people you loved in the past… they would be nothing but ash and sacrificial bodies…they will be nothing but imitations of the people you love Old Lady Tsunade, they don't have the same light in their eyes…only the dull shine of death, none of the warmth, or the emotion s you knew were in them…and in truth…they are not alive anymore…but living dead…and they will be used by that bastard Orochimaru to control you for the rest of your life…and the village that they loved in life would be in ruins because of that bastard…you did the right thing Old Lady…I can't say I speak for them both…but they would be utterly proud of you this day…because…you would never let their dreams die and be betrayed in such a way."

Tsunade was silent as she realized the magnitude of what Naruto said…it was true…Orochimaru would have used Dan and Nawaki as his tools to control her and she would betray them in the end…she loved them both so much and to betray their hopes and dreams was the ultimate crime she would ever commit to them and their memories.

Naruto then spoke once more and this time to Kabuto…

"That bastard Orochimaru used the same technique to kill the Old Man…he brought Old Lady Tsunade's own flesh and blood, the First and her uncle, the Second Hokage to undead life and used them to kill the Third…and you now intended to do the same to the only two people she loved?! I will never let you do that…for the sake their dreams…and my own to be Hokage…I will kill you and Orochimaru!"

Kabuto took out a kunai and gave a growl…

"Bold talk from a still crippled ninja! You threw away your life for nothing but stupid dreams! Now you're dead!!"

Naruto held his ground and looked on unafraid and defiant…Tsunade tried in desperation to move…but her body was still frozen…and she tried to beg Naruto leave before Kabuto killed him for sure.

"Naruto…run now…"

"I will not…watch this Old Lady Tsunade…I will win that bet!!"

Kabuto attacked…and Naruto blocked with his own hand….even as the kunai pierced through his unprotected hand…he gave no cry of pain and quickly gripped Kabuto's hand…holding him in place…Tsunade gasped at this and so did Shizune as she recovered and saw the whole thing.

--

"What the?!"

Kabuto tried to get away but Naruto's grip on his arm was strong…far stronger than he had thought possible as the blonde ninja spoke with authority.

"Oh no…you're not getting away scot-free this time…you're staying right here."

Naruto and his Kage Bushin then got their hands together and then recreated the Rasengan but this time…it was in absolutely perfect form and didn't fragment or burst like before…it was the full form Rasengan…

"What…this isn't the same technique as before!"

"You're right…there was one part about the Rasengan jutsu I couldn't master no matter what I did…and that was how to compress the chakra while keeping it at full power and rotation…because my control in terms of chakra was very poor. So I figured…if I can't do it by myself…then have another to do it for me…hence the Kage Bushin before you…and since due to the Kyuubi's power and influence, I have extreme levels of chakra and stamina, and that means that I can have the same level of chakra in a Kage Bushin than even normal ninja couldn't handle…you thought I was going to attack you head on like before with the incomplete form of the Rasengan like some idiot? You're the real idiot for coming to attack me in the first place…and now you have nowhere to run."

Tsunade was stunned as she saw something she thought was impossible…the Fourth took 3 years to master the technique and so did Jiraiya, though the Pervert took longer, but before her was Naruto using the same jutsu in it's full form…and it took only a week to discover how to counter his weakness in the third step…despite the unorthodox way to do it that he found.

(Impossible…but I can't deny that it's genius in action…the Kage Bushin isn't a distraction…but the means on how to compress the chakra…he now knows he can't completely control the chakra shell needed to hold the chakra because of poor chakra control…so in this case…he handles the rotation, concentration, and power, while the Kage Bushin does the compression…very clever…and he's only done it in a week! Jiraiya was right…he is exceptional…)

Flashback…

Naruto: I will master this Rasengan in a week you old lady…and when I do…that necklace is mine!!

End of Flashback…

But Naruto was about to do one better…

"You are going to get something very unique Kabuto…something I had hoped to reserve for that bastard Orochimaru…but for insulting me and mocking my dreams and attacking a defenseless person like her…and using her own sadness to turn her into a tool…you're going to be the first to feel it head on!!"

Holy Talon glowed deep silver and gold…and soon the silver flames moved towards the Rasengan and covered it completely and as soon as it was covered in the silver and golden flames then it took the form of a Dragon head in flames. Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru were stunned…the two male Sannin were dumbstruck at this while Tsunade was even more surprised.

(What?! What is going on…what is he doing to the Rasengan?! Is he…fusing an elemental affinity to it?! No…that's no elemental chakra nor is that the Kyuubi's chakra…but something else entirely…could it be the power of that sword?)

(Hmm…it seems Naruto's come up with a totally new version…and with Holy Talon's aid no less…this will be good!!)

(What is that brat doing now?! The Rasengan is being fused with that same flame…the same flame that nearly consumed me before…what is this?)

Naruto grinned as the silver flame covered his arm and the dragon's eyes glowed golden as he spoke…

"This is a first….the first fusion of Chakra with magical Dragon Fire…and you're going to get it right where it hurts!!"

The Kage Bushin faded and Naruto slammed the flame covered chakra sphere and Kabuto screamed as the technique struck.

"FIRE DRAGON RASENGAN!!"

Kabuto was sent rocketing backwards as a the Rasengan sent him slamming backwards and the flame that followed but he had managed to hit Naruto properly as he was sent right into a boulder and through another one and the ground below him was reduced to glass. The smoke cleared and Naruto was a bit surprised to see Kabuto still standing though his entire torso was covered in massive wounds and burns. Naruto was surprised to see him standing…but he felt a pain in his chest as he fell back and coughed a bit.

Tsunade moved quickly and rushed to Naruto's side and turned to see Kabuto coming from the smoke…his wounds healing.

"You're still up?"

"I focused all my chakra at the point where Naruto-kun was going to strike…and now my body is healing rapidly…this is why Orochimaru-same finds me useful to him…not for just my skills and medical abilities…Naruto-kun however isn't gifted like that…he relies too much on the sword and the beast in him…he's finished."

Kabuto was about move forward…but suddenly his once fully healed stomach bled once more and then to his horror…the healed burn wounds came back to his body as charred flesh and skin began to fall off the returning wounds…and to his increasing horror…a massive surge of burning pain filled his nerves, his organs felt like they were on fire…and blood flowed out of his mouth, nose, eyes, and ears…and the blood was hot…like it was boiling hot. He felt as if he was being cooked alive internally…

He fell to his knees and hot blood flowed from his wounds freely…and he realized that even his healing gifts were pushed to breaking point and beyond by the magic enhanced Rasengan…his entire body had been utterly ravaged by the attack and not just his stomach…

(Impossible…even my healing powers…were pushed beyond their limits…my chakra's barely enough and the wounds…are…so painful, I feel like my nerves…are being hit by scalding water…and my flesh…it's being eaten by fire…and my blood has been super heated, I'm literally being cooked alive… Naruto's powers…are…stronger than I thought…and he's not using the Kyuubi's chakra…what has that sword done to him?)

Tsunade likewise was shocked by the effects of the Dragon Fire Rasengan…

(Incredible…whatever power from that sword, Holy Talon, that Naruto infused into the Rasengan has truly injured Kabuto…even after recovering from the blow before…the damage was enough to make Kabuto bleed all over himself and his wounds to reopen…and to make him bleed from the eyes, ears, nose, and mouth must mean the internal damage to his body is enormous, and the fact that the blood is boiling hot means that the flame must have super heated all the fluids in Kabuto's body to boiling point. He's literally being cooked alive by the heat of his own fluids …)

(That is an utterly alien and deadly form of the Rasengan…even Jiraiya and the Fourth didn't have that level of damage strength with their version of the Rasengan…if Naruto had been able to use both the perfected Rasengan and this new version on me a week before…even I would have found it nearly impossible to recover fully after that…but I can't think about that now…no matter what…I have to save him…)

Tsunade wasted no time and used her medical jutsu to save Naruto…she removed the jacket and managed to remove the chain-mail underneath and began to heal Naruto to the best of her ability and fought back the fear of blood to save him.

(Stop shaking…I can't focus on that now…he has to live…I won't let him die…I won't lose him the same way I lost Dan and Nawaki…I won't…please…don't die before me now…please don't die…don't die…)

"No matter what you do…he will die…his heart is damaged and nothing can heal that wound, not even the Kyuubi or that sword…he's finished…"

"SHUT UP BRAT!! Trust me when I say that if you somehow recover from that Rasengan he used, I'll personally reduce every bone in your wretched body to fine power when I'm done here!"

(Please don't die…I'm sorry…I lost so much and I have been angry for all I've lost…but you…you are so much like my brother and my boy-friend…I see them in you…you've made me see how much their dreams mattered…and the dreams of the Hokages and my grand-father…if you die now…I…don't think I can keep on living anymore, seeing another die so young…DON'T DIE!)

Tsunade focused and tears fell from her eyes as she tried her best…unaware that Naruto's hands were moving and when she saw it…her eyes widened as Naruto opened his eyes and smiled at her with the same goofy expression.

"Told you I'd master the Rasengan in a week…I guess that means that you lose and I win our bet…thanks for saving my ass also…I guess I should apologize about…what I said a week before…you do have a heart and you are the one to be Hokage…but don't forget…I'll be next in line for that title…I need a bit of rest."

Tsunade looked on and smiled…not the cynical type but the smile she normally gave to either Nawaki or Dan as she reached behind her and released her necklace and then placed it on Naruto's neck and spoke to it.

(Please…one more time…let the bearer of this necklace accomplish their dreams…)

With that, she kissed Naruto on the forehead…just like she did Dan and Nawaki…so long ago…

"You've earned it Naruto…you've earned it…and don't worry…you'll be Hokage someday…you have my faith…and my blessing as well. Be a good man."

Naruto smiled a bit and closed his eyes to rest a little…but not before he replied.

"Thanks…and thanks for the nice kiss too."

Tsunade smiled a bit more and laughed at that.

--

Kabuto was in shock at what he saw…he swore that his attack would kill Naruto…but Tsunade saved him at the last moment…and while he was able to barely recover on his own…he had been beaten severely and while his chakra was coming back…he doubted he could stand another fight if both Tsunade and Naruto attacked him at once…especially if Naruto was to use such a deadly attack like that Fire Dragon Rasengan again. That high level attack…for once in his life…terrified him to face it again.

Orochimaru was looking at the battle below while Jiraiya and him stopped their attacks with one another…he was able to match up with his old team-mate and had the advantage as his long time of surgical alterations had helped him before…however…what he had witnessed was truly something of great concern for him.

(That kid…mastering the Rasengan…and then using that sword's power to further amplify it's lethality…even if Kabuto survived it…he's been severely injured…and even traumatized by such an attack from what I can see…if he gets Akatsuki's attention…then everything is going to be even worse off for me…)

"If you think he's not going to make it…you've forgotten that Tsunade's more than talented enough to heal him and get him back on his feet…you're better off facing me Orochimaru…"

"I'm aware of that Jiraiya…but I wonder how would he fare if Akatsuki catches him…I will not let that happen…so I might as well…"

"KILL HIM MYSELF!!"

Orochimaru leaped off the snake summon that Jiraiya had disabled and readied his Kusanagi…but Jiraiya pursued him and he was able to stop Jiraiya and knock him down…and he readied his sword…and tried to reach Naruto before Tsunade would come to his aid…though he hoped her fear of blood would stop her in her tracks…

His hopes were proven false as instead of being stiff as a board…Tsunade used her own body to block the sword and took it right in the chest…above the heart…stunning everyone.

"TSUNADE-SAMA!!"

"I don't believe this…"

Orochimaru was stunned at this sight…Tsunade was not his target…Naruto was, and yet she saved his life with her own life…it made no sense to him why she would do that.

"Tsunade…what are you doing…you are not the one I wanted to kill…"

"You…'cough'…won't hurt him at all Orochimaru…I won't let you."

"Why? You have no idea how much trouble he will bring if Akatsuki claim him…and how much trouble he will be to me and my goals. Step aside so I can finish him off…"

"Never…I will never let any harm befall him."

Orochimaru moved away and couldn't help but show his confusion and contempt.

"You're still trembling in fear of blood…yet you…one of the Sannin would willingly shelter and protect a worthless Genin brat like him? Why is that?"

"To protect the future of Konoha…and this world itself."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"This boy…he will be the new Hokage soon…and there are things that are beyond you or I…and only he can face them alone and win…and until he is ready to face them…I will protect him."

"What utter nonsense are you spouting this now? That title of Hokage is meaningless…worthless and nothing more than a useless thing…only fools willing to die would want it."

Tsunade recalled her own words not long ago…insulting and demeaning that title herself and the words of both Shizune and Jiraiya…she recalled them all and how fervently Naruto defended the title he wished to earn one day. She also thought about the destiny awaiting him as master of Holy Talon…and if she could help him in any way that was possible…then she would be even more happy with what she was going to do.

"Hmph…Today…I am betting my life…you want to kill Naruto? then kill me…because the only way you can kill him is over my dead corpse."

"Very well then…if that brat's life is worth more to you than your very own…then you will be the first to greet him in the afterlife when I kill him!"

Tsunade was struck once more and was sent down to the ground…and Orochimaru attacked the still resting Naruto…and everyone was stunned once more as Tsunade shielded Naruto with her own body and managed to knock Orochimaru aside…and to his surprise…Tsunade was no longer trembling at the sight of blood.

(What?! She's conquered her fear of blood?!)

Jiraiya saw this and grinned.

"Now this is getting interesting!"

Shizune was happy beyond words as she saw the fire in her master's eyes…

"Tsunade-sama…you've done it…you've broken free!"

"You want to know what's going on right Orochimaru? Then don't bother…know that I am going to beat the holy hell of you. Because I am the Fifth Hokage of Konoha from this day onwards."

Shizune saw the seal appear and so did the others…but only she knew what that mark represented and she tried to stop Tsunade…saying that she would treat her wounds…but Tsunade didn't acknowledge her as she made some hand signs and a deep red chakra filled her body…

"Souzou Saisei!!"

Orochimaru recognized that jutsu and remembered that being the only jutsu he envied as he had no idea how it was done.

"So that jutsu is your own secret…"

"That's right…the seal on my forehead has been gathering all my excess chakra for years and building it up in my forehead. And I've used it to help stimulate the various enzymes n my body to allow rapid cellular restoration..and in that respect…I can easily repair and restore all damaged parts of my body and organs as well…this is no mere jutsu…but regeneration…so in simple terms…no matter how many times I am wounded…I can still keep on fighting."

Shizune however knew that such a technique had risks…any person…even Tsunade could only produce an certain number of cells in their bodies…speeding it up would shorten their lives…meaning that while Tsunade only used it now…she would lose some years of her life. However…she then saw that Holy Talon was in deep green and silver flame and it had covered Naruto…she was wondering what was going on until the flame faded as quickly as it came and Naruto was getting up once more…not a single hint of injury on him.

"NARUTO-KUN!!"

Everyone turned to see the blonde ninja and Dragon Champion back on his feet and looking at Orochimaru and he smiled to Tsunade.

"Told you I needed a little rest…and now that I'm here…it's time I get into this fight."

--

Naruto got up, placed back on his chain-mail and held the necklace…he sensed that Tsunade was now back on her feet and smiled at both Jiraiya and Tsunade.

"Here's something for you both since you guys need a full tank of chakra."

Naruto chanted in the same archaic language and Holy Talon glowed deep silver and emerald green and the flames of the same colors came to his hands and then he aimed his hands at both Jiraiya and Tsunade…

"REVITALIZING FLAME!!"

The flames moved out and covered both Tsunade and Jiraiya and in a moment the flames surrounded the two Sannin…but to their surprise the flames didn't harm them…but did something else to them…filling them with power and more…

Orochimaru saw this and was stunned as he felt the power flowing from the green and silver flames…he had seen the flames before in the Forest of Death when he went after Sasuke and Holy Talon…but they were never this intense and deep colored before.

"What the devil is this jutsu?!"

Naruto turned and smiled as he finished using the spell and had to admit that this was the first time he had used such a high level Life Spell. But the effects were worth it as the deep emerald green and silver white flames that covered Tsunade and Jiraiya began to seep into their bodies. The two Sannin felt as if their bodies were alive…more alive than anytime they had felt and they were seemingly at full power…

Tsunade was stunned as her body was fully revitalized by the deep green and silver flame as it faded, she felt…younger and more alive…and more than that…she felt her chakra reach levels that were at the zenith of life, as if the chakra she had spent in her secret jutsu…the Souzou Saisei was fully returned to her to use in battle, along with all the chakra she had used before… and there was a sense of youth that she had not felt since she herself was younger…

Jiraiya grinned as the effects of Tsunade's drug had been totally removed from his blood stream and he felt like he could fight a whole army of ninja by himself. His chakra was almost like overflowing and strong and he felt that his body was more limber and stronger than before. The two turned at Naruto who smiled as he placed his hands down.

Orochimaru's eyes were widened as he backed away and tried to figure out what had just happened…the same was said for Kabuto as he managed to recover slowly from the Fire Dragon Rasengan as he sensed the power radiating from the two Sannin…it was as if they had been reborn as the chakra in their bodies was overwhelmingly stronger than before.

(What is this…the two have far more power than I have ever sensed in them…what sort of jutsu did Naruto-kun use on them to have them at this level of power?!)

"What was that you did Naruto?"

Tsunade asked as she looked at Naruto, and he decided to explain to her.

"Revitalizing Flame…a rejuvenation power I had to use…but that was taxing as that is a high level technique and I don't have…that much skill with it…but now you two are at full tilt."

"What do you mean? I've never heard of that jutsu before…"

"The Revitalizing Flame does exactly what it says Old Lady. It revitalizes body cells and rejuvenates them to their full power…that means the muscles, nerves…organs…stamina…, strength …everything is filled with revitalizing energy…energy that actually allows those affected by it to fight as if they were at their prime yet again…regardless of age and body…in simple terms…both you and the Pervy Sage will be fighting as if you were 30 years younger than you are now."

Naruto turned and sneered at both Orochimaru and Kabuto and gave them looks of contempt.

"And if you both think you can learn that technique…forget it…only I am the only one who can cast it…you want it so badly…then try and kill me…"

(How is this possible?! How?!).

"I am no mere ninja…and not just the container of the Kyuubi! I am Naruto Uzumaki of Konoha! My Dream is to be Hokage! And I am a Dragon Champion, the very first in this world, and I will never be defeated by the likes of you! And Kabuto…if you think my Fire Dragon Rasengan was torture…that is only going to be the very first of many variants of the Rasengan I will create…and the next time you and I meet…you're going to wish that I took you down here today…"

The blonde ninja then moved forward…as the energy still surrounded him in a halo of green and silver light. He strode forward and took Holy Talon into his hands and un-sheathed it and held it in both hands as he stood next to Tsunade and he smiled at the blonde female ninja as he moved forward…however…Tsunade stopped him and spoke.

"No Naruto…this fight is between me, Jiraiya and Orochimaru…you've done more than I thought possible…now let us deal with this."

Tsunade and Jiraiya quickly summoned their own allies and with Kabuto's help, Orochimaru summoned his own…the giant Snake Boss Manda. After a discussion between the three…Naruto was called by Shizune who had recovered her full strength and countered Kabuto's jutsu attacks on her body…she reached out and held Naruto. The blonde ninja and Dragon Champion turned to Shizune and she spoke.

"Tsunade-sama is right Naruto-kun…this is between the three of them…"

"I know…but I have my own score to settle with that snake bastard…he got away from me once in the Forest of Death in the Chuunin Exam…but he won't get away from me now! I'm sorry Shizune…but I will not stay behind!"

With that…Naruto ran towards the battle and the three Sannin turned and saw him but before Tsunade could tell him to back away…Naruto spoke out in a clear voice as he spoke directly to Orochimaru…

"You have a LOT to answer for you snake bastard…"

"And what do you want now Naruto-kun?"

"You killed the Third…the man I considered to be a Grand-father…you desecrated my home village, you defiled the graves of the First and Second…you used others as pawns for your own desires…and you corrupted my team-mate Sasuke…all because you want the Sharingan…and you think I will let you walk away?! You managed to evade me back in the Forest of Death once…but here and now…I will finish what I started…"

"I will kill you traitor…you will DIE here…"

"Even with all those words Naruto-kun…you can't mean to take me on at this stage and time…besides…you have no Summon of your own."

Naruto however took out Holy Talon and replied as he began to summon the energies once more into his body and focused them.

"You have no idea how utterly wrong you are you snake bastard…I have my own summons…but since you all have high level ones…I guess I'll have to bring out someone to truly stand out in this battle!"

Holy Talon quickly guessed Naruto's intentions and was very worried…it had warned his Master about using high level spells of any branch at his current skill level and such a spell was very risky and costly…the Invigorating Flame spell was not that high a level power…but invoking it was taxing and was draining it's own power…but for what Naruto had in mind…it was truly going to be very risky.

(("Master Naruto…this is not wise…you are not yet strong enough for this level of Summoning…and I have warned you how much this will drain you and I…you have already used up a powerful portion of your reserves of Dragon Fire in the first spell to restore both Jiraiya and Tsunade…this will utterly drain us both…and leave us vulnerable until we recover."))

(I know…but this is the only option we have now...you once said this was only as a desperate move to be done only if the circumstances are utterly dire…and now they are…I will do this…and you must trust me on this Holy Talon…)

(("I do trust you Master Naruto…if that is your wish…then so be it."))

Naruto's body was engulfed in an intense golden light that blinded everyone in the area from a massive distance away…the golden light was so bright that it resembled the sun as if the sun itself was being formed right in the ground. The three Sannin couldn't see through the light and neither could their summons…Gamabunta closed his eyes and so did Manda…as the three Sannin also closed their eyes and with the same arcane language as before…but only in a tone more powerful and brimming with authority did Naruto speak.

"FALDREN…LORD OF THE HOLY DRAGONS!! COME FORTH AND FIGHT WITH ME IN THIS DARK HOUR!! I…YOUR CHOSEN CHAMPION AND WIELDER OF HOLY TALON ASK THIS OF YOU!!"

The light exploded as a massive gust of energy enhanced air filled the space and then a massive golden form appeared through the white mist that seemed to fill the area that Naruto was in and then there was a trembling in the ground…almost like massive feet as the ground seemed to shake…as soon as the light faded…everyone looked and there from the mist appeared Naruto who looked on as power coursed in his being and his chakra flowing around him. Then from the sides of the mist came clouds that seemed to rise…but the mists faded as two massive wings appeared and then a massive tail appeared…covered in golden scales with silver edges...and then a massive growl was heard as two eyes appeared in the mist below Naruto along with a diamond on the feet of the blonde ninja. Naruto smiled as the mists faded…and revealed…

Faldren…Dragon Lord of the Holy Dragons…but he was massive…larger than both Gamabunta and Katsuyu. The Dragon Lord was not in his Lore Form…but his true form…his Combat Form and he was bristling with massive power as his scales glowed golden like the sun and balanced by silver…plumes of fire came from his mouth as he faced Manda…and then he spoke.

/"I have come as you asked my Chosen Champion and Master of Holy Talon…my blood…my power...and my skill shall be with you in this dark hour."\

"I thank you…"

Naruto then pointed Holy Talon at Orochimaru and spoke…

"You were saying something about me not having my OWN Summon you snake bastard…what have you got to say now?!"

--

Orochimaru and Kabuto who were on top of Manda were stunned, as well as the King of all Snake Summons as they looked at the fourth arrival. Tsunade also was surprised as she could feel the power radiating from the newly summoned creature…if the energy Naruto had in the form he had in fighting Kabuto before was astonishing…the energy coming from this creature Naruto was on was beyond powerful. Jiraiya grinned as he recognized just what or rather who Naruto had summoned personally.

"This just got good!! I never thought you'd summon HIM of all the Dragons you can summon."

"What is this?!"

Orochimaru shouted as he gazed at the creature Naruto was currently riding on. The blonde ninja was wearing his normal jacket unzipped and his Orchaelium chain-mail underneath and Holy Talon in his hands, he was smiling as he rode on the head of the massive golden Dragon as the blonde smiled and shouted.

"You had better bow down and cower you snake bastard…because before you stands none other than Holy Talon's creator and father…meet Dragon Lord Faldren, undisputed leader of all the Holy Dragon Flights!!"

The Dragon Lord looked squarely at Orochimaru and roared out and the sound was enough to make the very air shake and tremble and the trees seemed to sway and bend at the sound…the roar was loud enough that Shizune had to cover her ears and so did Tsunade and Jiraiya and the same could be said for Kabuto and Orochimaru. The Dragon Lord then spoke to Orochimaru as flame appeared from his maw which was filled with a VERY impressive set of teeth.

/"It has nearly been a thousand years since I have been summoned in my Combat Form…but if you think that I am weak you callow, and dirty wretch…then you are truly foolish…I have not gained my place as leader of all the Holy Dragon Flights and retained it for 24,000 years by being idle and complacent. I know your mind Orochimaru…you attempted to possess Holy Talon and covet it's power…know now that it is forever denied to you and I will never make another like it for someone as evil as you…now let me see this vaunted immortality that you claim to have and we shall see if you can match me!!"\

Naruto smiled at that as he and Faldren were now between Tsunade and Jiraiya and their own summons, Gamabunta and Katsuyu. The Holy Dragon Lord bristled with power as white flame and golden lighting seemed to appear all over him. The Boss Toad turned and spoke to Naruto.

"You've impressed me yet again Naruto."

Manda then spoke.

"I don't know who or what you are…but I'll kill you regardless!!"

Faldren then turned his gaze to Manda and snorted.

/"You intend to kill me? You must be either very brave or very foolish you little snake…the only one who can truly harm me is my counter-part and rival…Chorvax, undisputed Dragon Lord of the Chaos Dragon Flights…you are nothing but a wretched and foolish parasite in my eyes…a parasite that needs to be crushed…and crushed you shall be."\

"HOW DARE YOU?! I AM MANDA!! KING OF ALL THE SNAKES!! YOU WILL DIE FOR THAT INSULT!!"

/"Then show me what you can do instead of making all that noise."\

Tsunade had to admit that she was impressed...even Gamabunta was as well…no one had ever made Manda that angry before. Naruto then smiled at this as he spoke to Orochimaru.

"I'm going to settle an old account Snake face…I might not have had the ability to kill you back at the Forest of Death and prevent the whole invasion…but I've grown since then as you've already seen and now I intend to take off your head and rip you into a bloody mess…this is now a three on one fight!!"

Faldren roared and unleashed a spring of silver-golden flame as the Dragon Lord and his Dragon Champion got ready for a serious fight….and so did Tsunade and Jiraiya as Manda tensed up for the battle soon to come. Either way…it was now a true battle as for the first time in 1000 years…Faldren was going to fight in battle.

--

To be continued…

--

Author's notes:

Man, my fingers ache yet again in putting all those episodes in the anime together for this one chapter alone…but this chapter is at least finished…not the best…but I hope that it will do for now, and it does the previous chapter justice…And Naruto has mastered the Rasengan…as many have asked him to…but with Holy Talon's powers…the Rasengan has undergone a seriously powerful upgrade…and this is just the first among many forms Naruto can use in conjunction with Holy Talon.

And Naruto has summoned none other than Faldren in his Combat Form for battle with Jiraiya and Tsunade against Orochimaru, Kabuto, and Manda, alongside Gamabunta and Katsuyu…what's the outcome of this titanic clash as the Snake King Manda faces off with not just the Boss Toad Gamabunta, and The Mistress Slug Katsuyu…but the Dragon Lord of the Holy Dragons, Faldren?

That is on in the next chapter.

Send reviews and comments since I really need to hear how the chapter goes and if any corrections are needed.


	20. Battle Dragon

Naruto – The Twin Swords

Disclaimer: I won nothing related to Naruto…nor do I own the series, all right?

Chapter 19

Battle Dragon

( ): Thoughts

((" ")): Holy Talon's voice

/" "\: Faldren's voice

--

'_The Holy Dragons are the defenders of the lands under their stewardship…respect them and in turn they shall respect you. They have done much to help us, and though they no longer appear as often, they deserve our respect and thanks. Show twice the respect to Lord Faldren…for he is their undisputed Master.'_

A mother's warning to her children before letting them sleep…

--

Manda hissed as he attacked Faldren…the Dragon Lord however was far from intimidated as the Dragon merely opened it's mouth and unleashed a blast of powerful golden lighting that scarred the lands before Manda and halted the Snake Summons' advance…and that was enough for Faldren to fire a fireball blast in a casual manner and Manda moved aside as the fireball ripped a hole in the ground… Manda attacked as the smoke cleared…aiming right at Faldren's neck…but the Dragon Lord tensed up and leaped away from the attacking and landed behind Manda…

"DIE!!"

Manda shouted as he launched his tail in a whip like attack…however…Faldren opened his maw and clamped down hard on the tail…and drawing blood as his teeth had no trouble ripping through Manda's skin and the Snake King screamed out in pain and turned about and roared as he charged at the Dragon Lord. The Dragon Lord however…merely flicked out his own tail and the bone plates glinted for a brief second and Manda was smacked right in the jaws with exceptional force…once that was done…the Dragon Lord merely yanked his head backwards and sent Manda flying right into the forest and a massive explosion of trees and earth…while the Dragon Lord merely gave a snort.

/"You were saying?"\

Having risen and retained the rank of Dragon Lord for 25,000 years meant that Faldren was exceptionally gifted in many fields of power…and that was true as he had proven himself an exceptional leader, and warrior to his Flight and the others…in Dragon life-terms…Faldren was well into his mid adult ages and was still considered young by other Dragons and in that life-time had developed an uncanny mastery of all the known magical branches and was a hardy combatant of the Dragon marital styles…and when he took to his human guise…well, not much was said except whoever fought him were going to wonder if they were fighting a God instead of a man.

Manda attacked once more…moving underground and attempted to attack Faldren…but was stopped as Katsuyu and Tsunade as they unleashed a massive burst of acid at the Snake King.

"ZESHI NENSHAN!!"

Manda was not liking that and redirected his attention to Katsuyu and the Snake King managed to avoid the second stream and managed to wrap itself around the Slug and began to crush it and try to consume both Katsuyu and Tsunade but was stopped by Gamabunta and the Toad Boss's sword…the Snake summon stripped Gamabunta of his sword and held it fast… turned and was about to attack Gamabunta but was slashed in the face by Faldren's forelegs and the claws on it…and Manda screamed as his blood was further spilled and Faldren clamped his jaws on Manda's throat and began to crush the Snake King by the throat…cutting off its air…forcing it to loosen it's tight grip and allow Katsuyu to break herself down and escape in a multitude of slug forms…and then reform as Tsunade looked at the fight between the Snake King and the Dragon Lord…and right now…the Dragon Lord Faldren had Manda's throat in his mouth and teeth.

"Damn you!!"

Manda then lashed out with his body and tried to wrap himself around Faldren and as soon as he was done…he tightened himself…in an attempt to crush the Dragon Lord with constriction…Faldren however tightened his own grip as if not caring for the fact that the Anaconda was trying to crush him in constriction…the Dragon Lord merely tightened the pressure of his bite and then spoke…even if he had Manda's throat in his mouth.

/"If you think that your little parlor trick is going to save you little snake…then I suggest you brace yourself."\

And sure enough…Faldren's warning came to fruit as a massive blast of golden lightning surrounded him and hit Manda…making the Snake King scream out in great pain…while Orochimaru and Kabuto held on…Kabuto managed to keep his footing and look on at Faldren and saw that Naruto was still there on his position on Faldren's head.

(This is not good…this animal summon is unlike any I've seen…and yet it's able to withstand Manda's strength and have Manda by the throat…this is bad news for us all…I hate to say this but if we don't retreat then we're finished…)

/"I suggest you do just that Kabuto Yakushi… if you and your master value your lives…you have no hope to beat me or my Champion…'"\

"What?!"

Kabuto was shocked at that as he saw the Dragon look at him with one eye as it continued to crush Manda's wind-pipe in it's jaws while showing no discomfort despite the fact that Manda was using his full strength to try and constrict him to death.

(How does he know my name all of a sudden?! And how is he able to sense what I am thinking?!)

/"I am gifted with the power of telepathy and I am able to read minds…just as easily as one reads a book. And if you are wondering if I am at full power…then you should know I am using only a fraction of my true power…if I wanted to…I could very well decapitate this little worm of a Snake King with a single bite and then I could do the same to you and your master…I have full command of all branches of magic and I have had millenniums of battle experience…both in this form of mine and as a human…you will know this now…if you cannot withstand me when I use only a tiny amount of my power…then you have no chance if I decide to release my full might…"\

And to prove his point…the Dragon Lord effortlessly opened his wings and freed himself from Manda's body and quickly tossed Manda aside and opened his mouth and released a powerful blast of water that quickly began to freeze the very ground and move towards Manda at blinding speed.

/"GLACIER WAVE!!"\

Manda moved away and quickly shed his skin to watch it consumed and frozen solid by the incoming wave…Naruto and Faldren were one at the very moment and the two quickly evaded Manda as the Snake King attacked from underground once more…the Dragon Lord and his Dragon Champion both attacked as Naruto slashed out with Holy Talon and Faldren unleashed his attack.

"DRAGON BREATH!!"

The two unleashed a powerful stream of golden fire that Manda barely evaded and the Snake King came in with a biting attack and managed to bite Faldren right on the side of his neck…but the Snake King was surprised as even his greatest bite could do little to penetrate the scales of the Dragon Lord and the Dragon Lord merely took off into the sky and took Manda with him and as soon as they were in the air…the Dragon Lord flicked Manda off of him and grabbed him with forelegs and teeth. And flew at high speed and diving and smashing Manda around like a toy on the ground as he began to crush Manda with those said limbs…and the Snake King couldn't help but hiss as it felt it's body being crushed like he was in a vice.

/"Fool…you should have not tried that…my scales are not something your puny fangs can pierce easily or at all and I am at home in the sky as I am on the ground…here in the clouds…you are in MY domain!!"\

Faldren released Manda and began to flew all around Manda at high speed…slashing with claws and bladed tail and kept Manda afloat the entire time as he was shredding the Snake Summon in mid-air as the Snake King was being slashed like a punching bag. The Dragon Lord then stopped and summoned a massive sphere of golden lightning and fired it right into Manda.

/"LIGHTNING GLOBE!!"\

The attack ripped it's way into Manda and left a massive gaping wound on the Snake King's body that smoked and the smell of burned flesh filled the area…burned snake flesh at that as well. The Dragon Lord then slammed hard into Manda and sent the Snake King slamming into the ground…the Snake King used his tail to strike from behind but was grabbed by Gamabunta as Faldren released him as both Jiraiya and Gamabunta attacked at the same time.

"Gamabunta! Time for some oil!"

"On it!"

"GAMAYU ENDAN!!"

The combined attack hit Manda and it seemed that the intense fire attack was enough to finally finish Manda…but that was not the case as the Snake King attacked…using it's tail to distract Gamabunta and attack from behind…However…both Naruto and Tsunade came in and so did Katsuyu and Faldren…The Slug fired another blast of Zeshi Nenshan and this time…it hit Manda as the Snake King roared in pain and was hit by another one of Faldren's powers as massive pillars of pure diamond came from the ground and wrapped around Manda and began to hold him to the ground fast.

/"DIAMOND CAGE!!"\

Manda was pinned down and Orochimaru and Kabuto were now on their own as Tsunade recovered Gamabunta's sword and slammed it right into Manda's mouth as the Snake Summon was down. That rendered Manda out of action as the Dragon Lord sent a massive foreleg and claw strike at Manda's neck…breaking the body of the Snake King but the blow was used to stun the Snake King as Faldren watched the battle with his champion and his companions.

Orochimaru glared as he looked at Naruto, Tsunade, and Jiraiya…this was not looking good to say the least.

(Fighting one of them is bad enough…but to face both Jiraiya and Tsunade and that brat Naruto is going to be very hazardous indeed…I guess I have to face one of them head on to even up the odds.)

Orochimaru then fired his tongue and it rapidly grabbed Tsunade by the throat as he tried to choke her.

"I always wondered how it would feel to strangle your pretty neck Tsunade!"

Tsunade gasped but quickly forced Orochimaru's tongue off of her neck and grabbed it and yanked Orochimaru towards her and smashed her fist right into his face. She was surprised as she felt as if she was truly fighting at full power and speed…almost like she was young again…and even Orochimaru noted that.

(Impossible…that jutsu she used should have drained her of a vast portion of her chakra…yet she seems to have more than enough strength and power left…is it that Revitalizing Flame that Naruto used that made her this way?!)

"I have to thank Naruto for the boost of that Revitalizing Flame technique you know Orochimaru…I literally feel 30 years younger…and I have more than enough stamina and strength to bash you into a pulp!!"

Tsunade tossed Orochimaru around as she unleashed blow after blow at him…and she didn't feel the least bit tired or exhausted…as if she was fighting with a reserve of energy that she never knew she had. Orochimaru tried to recover and fight back…but Tsunade was having none of it as she continued to slug him with punches and kicks.

"Hey! Don't leave me out Tsunade…I have my own score to settle with that snake! You're going to pay for killing Sarutobi-sensei Orochimaru…if you do manage to walk away from this…you're still going to get the beating you richly deserve!!"

Jiraiya shouted as he came in and attacked as well…just as Orochimaru was slugged right in the stomach by Tsunade…Jiraiya came in and smashed a kick right in Orochimaru's face and the two Sannin attacked their former team-mate as they rained in blow after blow..allowing both Katsuyu and Gamabunta some time to get some energy back in themselves.

(This is not good…the jutsu Naruto used…is too powerful…it's as if they were back to being in their prime again…and with my arms still not fully restored…I have no way of using any jutsu…let alone any full level Taijutsu…)

Orochimaru had no time to think as Tsunade landed yet another punch to his face while Jiraiya attacked once more with several Kage Bushin and Orochimaru was being given a beating that…had he not have made the needed medical alterations and surgeries on himself…he would have been dead a hundred times over.

"OROCHIMARU-SAMA!!"

Kabuto was about to rush in but Naruto suddenly appeared with a smile as he took out Holy Talon and faced the Medical-nin….Kabuto took out a kunai and got ready to fight but Naruto spoke in a very serious tone.

"I'm happy to see you up Kabuto…that means that I get to try some other spells and moves I've yet to try and now…you are the target board…I'll let Old Lady Tsunade and the Pervy Sage have their turn…and when they're done…I'll take Orochimaru…minus his head back to Konoha…don't worry…he won't be alone!"

Naruto took out another kunai and then the weapon was covered in Dragon Fire and to Kabuto's shock…the kunai glowed and was transformed into a sword and Naruto got into a fighting stance.

(This isn't going well…we can't keep this up forever…we have to escape now!)

Kabuto had no time to help Orochimaru as Naruto charged with both swords and began to attack him with blinding speed as the same golden and silver energy began to flow out of his body along with his chakra…Naruto then tried another spell…only this time it was of a different branch and that was the Body Branch.

"ZEALOUS FERVOR!!"

Kabuto was stunned as Naruto was covered in red flame and he suddenly charged and when he tried to block…the blonde merely slashed with Holy Talon and destroyed his kunai with a single strike and then Naruto slashed at him…leaving a massive gash on his arm…that could have very well sliced off that said arm…and Naruto suddenly was behind him and before he could act…Naruto smashed his kick right into his back and Kabuto felt his bones nearly break by that blow…but before he could even land on his face…Naruto was before him and slammed two punches in rapid succession into his face and stomach…and then he stabbed Kabuto right in the leg with the transformed kunai and he then summoned another band of Kage Bushin and Naruto moved back as his clones engaged the wounded Kabuto.

(Damn...he's moving too fast! I can't block him fast enough…and this wound…argh!)

Kabuto was able to fend off the Kage Bushin attacking him in rapid succession…but the residual effects of the Fire Dragon Rasengan made him more sluggish and Naruto seemed to be able to have the Kage Bushin have the same level of power and speed as he did… he was able to fight off the clones and fired several kunai at Naruto…Naruto however easily dodged the kunai leaped back in and revealed yet another kunai that he quickly reformed into a sword with Dragon Fire Magic and stabbed Kabuto with it in his other leg and he then placed Holy Talon aside and gripped both swords and shouted.

"Let's see you heal from this!! CHAIN LIGHTNING!!"

Arcs of lightning appeared on Naruto arms and flowed from them…and right into the swords in Kabuto's legs, the swords actually acted as lightning rods for Naruto's spell and channeled the lightning right into the wounds on Kabuto's legs….stunning the Medical nin with extreme pain and Naruto then unleashed his attacks as he pulled out the swords and quickly lashed out with several kicks on Kabuto using the Boundless State…which he had still good knowledge of. Kabuto was still reeling from the spell as he was kicked on the sides with a powerful side kick…Naruto then slammed a forward kick into his stomach and Naruto quickly flipped in a reverse style and stuck with a reverse heel kick that hit Kabuto hard on the head and nearly cracked his skull. Naruto then slammed another side kick to the face and then he slammed both swords right into Kabuto's shoulders and as he did so…he switched to another fighting style and that was called Dragon Fist…and with several rapid strikes and fierce punches…all striking Kabuto in the chest and the face and then he gathered a massive amount of pure water in his hands through Dragon Fire and slammed the sphere of water into Kabuto's chest.

"GEYSER BLAST!!"

The blow was enough to send Kabuto flying backwards and rolling on the ground as Naruto turned and redirected his attention as Orochimaru was sent down into the ground by the combined strikes of both Tsunade and Jiraiya as the two Sannin began to attack once more. Orochimaru had managed to knock Jiraiya aside for a moment. And captured Tsunade with his tongue and tried to use his rebuilt Kusanagi to attack her…but her revitalized strength allowed her to break free and punch him as Jiraiya recovered.

Orochimaru turned and saw that Kabuto was out of the fight and Naruto was right there behind him and he looked to see Tsunade and Jiraiya coming in to throw in his own attacks…but before he could do anything…another presence came at him…he only had enough time to gasp as a punch came right at him and literally sent him flying and smashing through a boulder and digging a deep trench on the ground…the Snake Sannin had enough strength to rise and felt that his head had nearly been ripped clean off his shoulders by that one blow…and it was NOT Tsunade that hit him…but someone FAR stronger than her.

(Where did that come from?! That was not Tsunade who threw that punch…)

/"That blow came from me Orochimaru…"\

The Snake Sannin turned to see a man before him wearing the same chain-mail and plate armor that Naruto wore before…but was more elaborate and better designed…the man was tall and radiated power…power that dwarfed even his own. The man had deep blonde hair with silver high-lights in a ponytail and his face radiated power and skill…not to mention he was certainly the kind who'd catch a lady's eye…his eyes however were reptilian…showing that he was not a pure human and the fact that there were bat-like wings with golden scales on his back further emphasized that he was not human.

"Who are you?!"

/"Don't pretend you don't know me Orochimaru."\

"You're…impossible…you can't possibly be that Dragon!!"

/"Ah but I am…now let's see how truly immortal you are."\

Orochimaru had no time as he fired out several snakes and the snakes charged right at Faldren and they revealed their swords…but the Dragon Lord in human form snorted and merely waved his hand at the snakes in a dismissive gesture….unleashing a blast of wind….mixed with fire.

/"INCINERATING GUST!"\

The snakes were tossed aside and reduced to cinders in a few moments and before Orochimaru could react…Faldren was right behind him and he gasped…he had not seen that.

(How could he move THAT fast?!)

/"I have faced slugs faster than you fool…if you think you can run…then you are a fool to think you can out run me."\

Orochimaru had little to no warning as Faldren smashed yet another punch right into the stomach of Orochimaru…the punch was light when seen…but it had more than enough power to actually FORCE the Kusanagi out of Orochimaru's stomach where he normally stored that weapon of his. He was shocked at the power as the blow was enough to make him bend down in pain.

(That much power…from a simple punch…)

Even Jiraiya, Shizune, Gamabunta, Katsuyu and Tsunade were shocked by the blow…the same could be said for Naruto as he never expected Faldren to be that strong.

(Lord Faldren…he's awesome!!)

(("That is to be expected Master Naruto…he IS the Dragon Lord of the Holy Dragons after all."))

Orochimaru barely had time to recover as Faldren moved and with several light kicks began to kick him around literally…the first kick sent Orochimaru flying into the air and then he was able to see Faldren above him and the Dragon Lord struck with the second kick…a heel kick that sent him into the ground and in a massive explosion no less. Faldren flew in the air and his wings flapped gently…almost in a very lazy fashion…but he was afloat with no effort…the smoke cleared and Orochimaru fired out his tongue once more and managed to wrap it around Faldren's neck and then he tried to choke the Dragon Lord.

"Now you die!"

/"Really now?"\

Faldren grabbed Orochimaru's tongue and the Dragon Lord yanked Orochimaru right towards him and with hardly any visible effort…unwrapped Orochimaru's tongue from him and he then kicked Orochimaru with a powerful kick to the stomach and sent him crashing on the ground.

Orochimaru landed on the ground and was near his sword and took the Kusanagi as he attacked Faldren who landed gently on the ground…the Snake Sannin used a jutsu and managed make the ground into mud below the feet of the Dragon Lord and launched the sword…right for Faldren's neck…

"You are dead!"

Faldren merely caught the sword with his thumb and forefinger and looked at Orochimaru who was trying to free his sword but Faldren held the blade fast and he looked at the blade and snorted.

/"So this is the fabled Kusanagi? A mere mortal weapon…Holy Talon managed to break this with the basic Sword Breaker move…do you think it can work on me Orochimaru? Allow me to prove you wrong…"\

With that…Faldren merely held the sword and with his free hand and one finger…pushed down on the Kusanagi…and the Dragon Lord snapped the weapon cleanly in half without any form of effort and then he moved forward and hit Orochimaru with a finger on the forehead…the very same way Tsunade had beaten Naruto a week before…and like then…the blow sent Orochimaru flying , Naruto came right from behind kicked Orochimaru into the air and then he made several Kage Bushin and then they chased Orochimaru into the …the Kage Bushin took out kunai and then transformed them into swords as Orochimaru watched them attack…with Naruto armed with a sword and Holy Talon.

"Let's see you worm your way out of this!! BLADE STORM BARRAGE!!"

Naruto began raining blow after blow on Orochimaru…two clones kicked him in the back and then slashed him from behind, three others slashed at his stomach and wounded him deeply as other slashed into his chest and another stabbed him deeply while the real Naruto came in and actually slashed with Holy Talon and slashed Orochimaru's arms clean off below the elbows and then the Kage Bushin closed in and unleashed a combination strike of slashes and rolling heel kicks to send Orochimaru down like a bloody meteor to the ground…the moment Orochimaru landed on the ground…Naruto landed and then both he and Lord Faldren attacked in tandem as Naruto slashed Orochimaru upwards with a powerful slash and Faldren attacked with a powerful punch the to face…and this fist was covered in diamond.

/"STONE BLADE FIST!!'

That attack did it in as Orochimaru was sent crashing to the ground and making a wide trench and causing a massive scream of stone and earth and sliding next to Kabuto…who recovered and the Medical nin checked on his master.

"Orochimaru-sama…"

The Snake Sannin got up and groaned in great pain as Faldren closed in on them and he saw the change in Orochimaru's face and stopped…but the Dragon Lord was not frightened by the technique Orochimaru had developed, unlike the others who were surprised by what they saw. Naruto attempted to close in but Faldren turned to his Champion and shook his head…that was enough to stop Naruto as he would not dare challenge Holy Talon's creator…if Faldren told him to halt his attack…then it was with good reason.

And there was…Faldren was aware of the cost of Dragon Fire Naruto incurred when he was summoned here to fight for him…and he didn't want Naruto to keep on fighting so as to allow him to recover his full strength and conserve what reserves of power he and Holy Talon had left in them both…there was a chance that the strain could affect Naruto and leave him vulnerable…and that was something Faldren wanted to avoid.

Orochimaru then spoke with hatred…directing his words to Tsunade.

"So you refuse to heal my arms Tsunade…no matter…I know of another way to revive them…and I will destroy Konoha!"

The Dragon Lord however studied Orochimaru and then spoke in a cold and emotionless tone.

/"I see…you are using the technique of transferring your soul into other living bodies…I am familiar with that technique as it bears similarity to a soul/body possession spell…a very vile but ultimately limited maneuver…the spell can only work if the body is in prime condition and the will of the caster is strong, with the right methods…that spell can be countered…and your version has two fatal weaknesses… the first is when you switch bodies…your soul has to adapt and re-shape the body to suit your powers and characteristics…which is why you mold the outside to resemble your own form…and when you do so…it will take you three years to be able to switch to a new body…so you are condemned to remain in the body you have now, and whatever traits the body has…you have to take it into yourself…the soul of the previous life then becomes a part of your own mind…so you are not really yourself entirely. The second is that the current body you inhabit will soon reject your soul and since you have altered yourself for a long time…you're soul cannot live long without a host body…if you have none…then your soul will eventually destroy itself…and you will die."\

(He knows my jutsu…and it's weaknesses!!)

/"You call THAT wretched skill immortality Orochimaru…that is nothing but a mere insult to immortality. You are no immortal…but a mere body snatcher…unable to live indefinitely and so you take the bodies of others to fuel your power and life force…you disgust me… know well that your fate will end badly…you will eventually die and all your dreams and plans shall be undone."\

"I will live until the very end of this world and beyond!! You have won this round…but I will return and you will all pay for this!"

/"You really believe in that do you? Then do so…and do not blame others for your own end…you will have none to mourn your death…you shall perish with all your desires unfulfilled and unachieved…you will enter death's embrace cold, and alone…a fitting death for one as depraved as you."\

Manda offered his own angry words as he faded from the battle while Orochimaru escaped…Kabuto coughed and looked at Naruto and smiled somewhat…catching the ire of the blonde ninja, but instead of the mocking smile…Kabuto's smile was….respectful and kind…making Naruto even more wary of the smiling Medical-nin.

"You have truly surpassed what I previously thought of you Naruto-kun…there will come a time I will be able to understand you…you may yet have the answers to my own questions…but for now…we will meet again…and the next time….I will not be easily beaten by you…count on it."

"I'll be waiting for that to happen as well Kabuto…and next time…you won't be so lucky…"

"We shall see…farewell Naruto-kun."

The two left the battle as Gamabunta turned and recovered his sword and looked at the transformed Dragon Lord with a very serious eye.

(This one is no fool…his power vastly outmatches mine…to think that he could appear human and yet have enough power to overwhelm both Orochimaru and Manda …this guy is no simple creature.)

Faldren turned and looked at Gamabunta and smiled at the Boss Toad…and spoke to Gamabunta.

/"You are a strong fighter yourself Gamabunta…but all of you must excuse me for a moment…I believe I need to speak to my Champion about some important matters."\

Naruto sighed as he faced Faldren who was in his human guise and he bowed before the disguised Dragon Lord…who smiled at him and spoke.

/"You did exceptionally well young Champion…though you had made a desperate gamble summoning me in battle at your level of strength as a Dragon Champion…you realize that you have drained a good portion of Holy Talon's powers with such an act?"\

"I know…but I had no choice at the moment…I will not be weakened by this."

/"Yet you are…nevertheless…you chose to do so and it cannot be changed…be ready to recover…it will take time for you and Holy Talon to recover from the spell so I suggest that you ration your remaining powers…no more high level spells for you my Champion…that means you must now rely on what you have learned and…the Kyuubi inside you until Holy Talon is fully charged….remember…no more high level spells until you recover your full power."\

"Yes Lord Faldren…Thank you."

/"No problem Champion…I bid you and your companions farewell."\

As Faldren reverted back to his Dragon form and faded back into the very same light as before…Naruto then felt the effects of his spell to summon Faldren and his Zealous Fervor enhancement faded away from him and he then fell backwards…but was caught by Tsunade and she let him rest on her lap with his back on her chest as she checked him for injuries…as Jiraiya and Shizune arrived.

"Are you all right kid?"

"Yeah…just need some sleep…the last spell I used in summoning Faldren really took a load out of me…catch you guys later… and uh…Old Lady Tsunade…no offense or anything…but uh…is it really okay for me to be…um…in this position with you or something?"

Tsunade smirked...she already had an idea of what he was referring to. This kind of situation would have been misinterpreted as improper between a woman and a boy like Naruto. After all…considering she was in a Henge that made her look 20…and Naruto was in that position…it would have appeared indecent…and she glared at Jiraiya who was giving her a dirty look. She then directed her attention to Naruto and spoke.

"You get some rest and don't worry…I'm not going to do anything…inappropriate to you Naruto…I'm already past that stage anyway."

"Uh…okay then…see you all later…"

Naruto then went to sleep and he was carried by one of Katsuyu's clones under Tsunade's request and as soon as they were able to reach the town…they managed to avoid the crowds and get some places to rest…Jiraiya then spoke to Tsunade.

"You certainly are treating Naruto better than you did before…feeling something for him?"

"Quit getting anymore of your perverted ideas Jiraiya…I told you…no matter how energized I feel from that spell he used…I'm already too old to be thinking about being a hormone crazed woman again. Besides…I respect him enough to not try anything on him."

"Shame too…"

Tsunade gave a creepy smile at Jiraiya that stopped him cold in mid speech and she cracked her knuckles.

"Jiraiya…if you don't want me to give a beating that will bring you within an inch of your life right now, like that time you had the gall to see me bathing long ago…I suggest you drop it right now before I do just what I said."

"All right…I'm just kidding Tsunade, you can be really sensitive about that."

"And you're not sensitive at all, and no more first names…you know the title that you have to call me now."

"Yeah…I know."

Tsunade however had another reason why she reacted that way to Jiraiya's words…after losing so many important things in her life…especially Dan…she doubted she could ever love again…and with the fact that she was now in her 50s and no longer able to bear children made that even more sad for her. She used the Henge to not just escape debtors…and collectors…but to remind herself of what could have been a long time ago. Besides…no matter how she looked in Henge...she doubted she could ever be attractive to men ever again…not after the truth would come out about her disguise and all.

She was the last of the family line of her Grandfather…and she would no doubt end the ancestral clan line when she finally died. She had hoped for a chance at a married life with Dan long ago, and it would have been a wonderful thing…to have a husband to care for…and a family to protect, after all that she had endured the day her only brother died, her only family after her parents died…but ever since Dan's death and her loss of faith in the dreams that drove both him and her brother…she forgot all about it and coldly ignored any chance to start over. Every time she saw families together with their children…she coldly resisted the desires to have that same thing…seeing her and Dan having their own children together in the place of the mother and father of each family she saw made her heart ache and her pain even worse.

And now that she had regained her faith…thanks to Naruto…this bitter part of her past came back to bite her in the neck…but she thought about it and placed it aside…if she was going to pass away as the last of the old Senju Clan someday…she could at the very least die knowing that she was going to protect the future of Konoha…and when she would meet her family in the afterlife…she could tell them that while they had died…their hopes, and dreams lived on…their sacrifices were never in vain. She looked down at Naruto who was resting and she smiled once more.

--

The next day…

Naruto woke up and stretched himself and was happy that for once he had a decent night's sleep and things were all right…he recalled the battle yesterday and the outcome of it and that gave him something to smile about…he looked out the window and saw the sun shining and felt his stomach grumble… it was then that he reached for the bath-room and took out his tooth brush and spare tooth paste roll and brushed his teeth.

It was then that he spoke to Holy Talon.

(How are you holding up Holy Talon?)

(("Better…the sleep gave me some of my energy back, though not enough for me to be at full power…but Master Naruto….I think I need to discuss some matters with you…about that spell you used on both Tsunade and Jiraiya yesterday in that battle with Orochimaru and Kabuto."))

(What spell are you talking about?)

(("The Revitalizing Flame…as you know…that was a high level Life spell that you managed to use…but I believe that you made a mistake on how much energy and power you placed in the spell itself and you actually created a far more powerful variant of the spell itself…it may have a side-effect on the two of them."))

(Is it bad?)

(("Actually no…I think it had a seriously beneficial side effect for the two of them…as you know the spell made them fight and move as if they were 30 years younger…am I correct?"))

(Yes…even Old Lady Tsunade said that she felt 30 years younger…I think even the Pervy Sage said he was 30 years younger…I swear that spell's making them think they are younger than they are…)

(("Well…in all fairness Master Naruto…I suggest you stop calling Tsunade Old Lady…and call her either by her first name or be more respectful. And I suggest you get ready for a possible number of sleepless nights…no doubt Jiraiya is going to ENJOY things once he learns of the side effects of the spell you over charged."))

(Why?)

--

The hotel staff were busy getting ready their new day and were busy cleaning rooms, hallways, tables, cooking food, and getting drinks ready…but they were not prepared for a resounding crash from the upper floors and wondered what happened and then they heard a massive shout.

"THE SIDE EFFECT IS WHAT?!"

--

In the same bar…

"I wonder what's keeping Naruto-kun?"

Shizune asked as she was feeding Ton-ton while Jiraiya and Tsunade were also resting and having something to eat while they waited for their young companion who was resting in the same hotel that he and Shizune had taken to staying in. The blonde had been allowed to sleep in since he admitted being heavily exhausted when he had used the spell to summon Faldren and Shizune had to feed him some hot soup and bread when he was resting. Tsunade and Jiraiya would periodically drop by and check him up.

At the moment…Jiraiya was drinking a sake bottle while Tsunade was munching on some food and for some reason…the two Sannin seemed…more…active and perky. Shizune wondered why she began to notice that both Master Jiraiya and Tsunade-sama seemed more alive and had this…odd energy in them both.

"I guess he's still resting from all the events that happened…can't blame him either."

Jiraiya said as he looked about and relaxed a bit.

"Still…at least he's not shouting or causing a ruckus…some peace and quiet can certainly do us all some good."

Tsunade smirked and seemed deep in thought about what she would be doing once she came back to Konoha and took the position her Grand-father and her sensei had earned…and she knew that things in her life was about to get complicated. It was then that she noted Shizune looking at her and it was making her more curious.

"What is it Shizune?"

"Forgive me Tsunade-sama…but you seem rather different ever since the battle…it's as if…well, you're Henge is different now…"

"What do you mean by that?"

"I don't know for sure…but you seem different and there's nothing wrong with the Henge or anything…but I can't help but notice that you've changed…and it's not just you…even Master Jiraiya seems different for some reason…like…you're both much younger than you are now…"

"That's an odd assumption…"

"I know…but still…I can't help but wonder what happened to the two of you."

Tsunade and Jiraiya looked at one another and had to admit that they also noted the changes in one another…and in themselves…Tsunade felt younger…and while she had thought that the feeling would wear off today…it remained in her…as if it would not be easily forced away and she felt more alert, active and more alive than before…she recalled her words to Orochimaru about feeling 30 years younger…and this time she actually FELT 30 years younger.

"I guess we can ask Naruto about this whole thing ourselves when the time comes…speaking of which…here he comes."

The three turned and in walked none other than Naruto who appeared to be in deep thought for some reason…but the moment he gazed at his companions he couldn't help but shake his head and move towards them. As he sat down he looked at both Tsunade and Jiraiya and placed his hands on the table and sighed. Jiraiya noted that action and wondered just what was happening with Naruto…he was usually the bright and chipper.

"You okay squirt? You seem like you've got a lot on your mind all of a sudden."

"Yeah…I'm fine Pervy Sage…so when are we going to Konoha?"

"We'll be leaving soon…just have to get some supplies and more…speaking of which…there is something I need to ask you…that spell you used to heal me and Tsunade…just how long does it last?"

"What do you mean…wait…don't tell me…you both have been feeling different or something?"

"That's correct Naruto…ever since that battle yesterday I've still been feeling as if that energy was flowing in my veins…and I feel more alive and energized than I've been in years. And that is saying something…are there any side-effects of that spell you used on me and Jiraiya?"

Naruto looked at Tsunade and gulped as he blushed and looked away…making Tsunade even more confused…she never expected this reaction from Naruto of all things. But Naruto sighed and decided to talk.

"Well…there is a side-effect…but it's not harmful actually…Look…I think it would be best we don't talk about these things here in a bar of all things…somewhere more private…because what I'm going to tell you might be kind of hard to swallow."

Jiraiya and Tsunade looked at one another and Jiraiya shrugged his shoulders and that meant that they might as well go on and follow his suggestions.

--

Near the ruins of the old castle…

"All right…this is as private as one can get…so what is it you wanted to talk about Naruto concerning the side-effects of that spell you used on me and Tsunade?"

Jiraiya asked as he, Shizune, Ton-ton, and Tsunade now faced the young Dragon Champion and Konoha ninja who was sitting on a nearby bench which was amazingly not destroyed at the moment. The ruins were sealed off by the local authorities until the place was cleaned up and rebuilt…despite the fact that the design plans for the castle were old…the people wanted the castle rebuilt. But that was not in the minds of the current people there.

Naruto knew that this line of conversation was not going to be the least bit comfortable for him…but he knew that both Tsunade and Jiraiya deserved answers…he only hoped that when he told them about it…they were not going to misinterpret his words and think that he was lying to them all things. Holy Talon told him that due to his lack of overall understanding of the Revitalizing Flame Spell and his over use of the Dragon Fire…he had overcharged the spell and had actually created a variant of the spell almost unconsciously.

He sighed and faced both Sannin and replied.

"Now you both recalled that I said I had low skill with that spell right?"

"Yes…"

"Well…you two have been feeling different right?"

Tsunade and Jiraiya nodded and that was enough to tell Naruto that what Holy Talon had told him was the truth and he decided that it was time to talk.

"Well…the reason you've been feeling that way is because when I used that spell on you both…I made some mistakes on the amount of Dragon Fire magic that I infused into it and since I was a still unskilled user of high level spells…I actually created one variant of it…I guess I could call it the Rebirth Flame…"

"Rebirth Flame? So what exactly did this new spell do to Tsunade and me?"

"Well…Pervy Sage the reason you and…well Tsunade feel 30 years younger is because the Rebirth Flame actually reversed your ages physically as your bodies were returned to what they were 30 years ago by infusing restorative Life energy into every cell in your bodies…allowing you be back to your youth… So in simple terms…you and Tsunade feel 30 years younger…because at this moment… you both ARE 30 years younger, and the effect is permanent… and you will age at the same rate person does from now on."

The moment Naruto explained that…Tsunade and Jiraiya were looking at one another with stunned eyes and so was Shizune…the two Sannin were silent as they both realized the implications of what Naruto had told them about the spell that he had somehow changed from something to give them strength and vitality to actually infusing them with large amounts of restorative magic that they had actually had their ages reversed by 30 years…it literally meant that Naruto had given them their youth back!!

(Naruto-kun…actually reversed the ages of Tsunade-sama and Master Jiraiya?! Impossible…)

Jiraiya looked at Naruto and spoke.

"Naruto…this had better not be a joke!"

"I'm serious here! Holy Talon has never lied to me and I know for a fact that I had low skill with that previous spell…so I was not able to see if the spell was done right. But Holy Talon told me that it will not be that bad…I mean sure it was not the spell I had in mind…but it helped you both when you needed it right?"

Jiraiya was smiling at the thought of getting to finally live out his plans…and being younger was certainly a plus…in Tsunade's case…she was still reeling from the discovery and decided to try something to see if Naruto was not pulling her leg. She goes to a nearby pond…which was clear and unsullied allowing her to see herself…and for the very first time since she deactivated her Henge.

As soon as she felt it deactivate she looked…and saw that she still had her youthful look…only this was NOT Henge anymore, the Henge was already off…it was the real thing…she really was 20 years old again…and she couldn't help but feel awed by this for a moment.

(No wonder Naruto acted like that in the bar earlier…I am a young woman again…and this time…for real!.I feel like I was reborn in that fight…but I really was reborn…and it feels…wonderful. I guess I should give Naruto a thank you gift…and something to get his attention….just for the sake of a laugh…)

Tsunade then had a naughty idea on how to thank Naruto for the gift and she approached Naruto and smiled as she looked at him blushing all the while. She didn't know why…but she did something that was totally unlike her…she hugged him and kissed him right on the lips…hotly if one took good notice…and two people did notice.

"TSUNADE-SAMA!!"

"OH MY GOD!! OH MAN I HAVE GOT TO PUT THIS IN MY NEXT NOVEL!!"

Naruto wanted to shout at the Pervy Sage and tell him to never try such a thing…however, any form of words and thoughts on such a plan was down the drain literally as he was trying to digest the fact that he was being given one hell of a hot kiss…by a former 50 year old woman who was now 20 years old…and looked…wow…if Sasuke, Kakashi-sensei, and Sakura-chan saw this…he didn't even want to guess what would have been the outcome of all that. He had no doubt he'd be grilled by the Council…if they found out he had the ability to restore the youth of people with Holy Talon's aid…he was never going to have a moment's peace, and he certainly had no intention of using this newly created spell just for the sake of enjoyment.

As soon as Tsunade stopped kissing him, she whispered.

"Thanks…"

"W…w…what for?!"

"For giving me a new lease on life…even if that was not your plan Naruto-kun."

--

The next day…

Tsunade woke up as she stretched and looked at the window and felt the warmth of the sun, normally she would have ignored such a thing…but not today…for her, this was a new beginning for her. Not only was she finally able to rekindle her love for her brother and boy-friend by protecting the dreams they cherished…but she was given another chance to finally live again and start over with her life. She turned and headed to the bath room and after taking a quick shower and arranging her hair in the usual two ponytails she favored…she walked to the mirror in the bath-room of their hotel and looked at herself once more…still trying to digest the fact that she was no longer in a Henge and she was in her real body…her young body from so long ago…and it felt…wonderful. Not only was her faith rekindled…but her chance to find love was back again.

They decided to leave the town the day before and were now staying in a small hotel/inn and all the while Jiraiya was enjoying his newly restored and progressing youth…and boy did he revel in it as Jiraiya partied and hit on every young lady he could get into his sights. For her…she couldn't help but feel somewhat indecent for kissing the living daylights out of Naruto, it had been a heat of the moment decision, and Shizune couldn't help but worry about it all the way to the place they were in at the moment, after all…it was not everyday a woman would be giving such an intimate action to a 12 year old boy…regardless of how much older he looked…but it felt…right for some reason…and there was the fact that considering how Naruto looked…she had no doubt in her mind he would grow up to be a real looker in a few years time…not to mention the fact that if he was able to learn the Rasengan in week…then there was no telling what else he could learn if given the right motivation…and there WERE other lessons that ninja had to learn in order to gather information.

She couldn't help but imagine how the women in Konoha would react if that were to happen…and she knew that things would be very interesting from here on out. She placed that aside for the moment and got dressed as there were at least a ton of things left to do and she wanted to settle a few other things before making it to Konoha…Jiraiya was the one who suggested they hurry up and head back to Konoha so he could do his usual research…but she had managed to convince him to slow down and enjoy his newfound youth for the time being as she decided to see if she could turn her luck around for once and she decided to pay a visit to the gambling tables later.

As soon as Shizune was awake…the two women got dressed and headed down to the dining area and there was Naruto and Jiraiya who were currently talking and eating their food and also the blonde kid turned and spotted Tsunade and she winked at him teasingly and made Naruto blush bright red…while Jiraiya smiled and began to tease Naruto and naturally the blonde ninja would reply back and set off a shouting batch between the two.

Despite the two bickering…the blonde Hokage had to admit that the two looked more like father and son than teacher and student. As soon as the two women sat down and discussed the soon to come events…Tsunade decided to hear out some of the details on the number of wounded and injured she would have to tend to once she got back to Konoha and she had to admit that the situation was pretty bad…several ninja had some serious injuries and needed to healed lest they were crippled for life…others had minor injuries…but the ones that concerned her were the two hit by Itachi's Sharingan and of course…Rock Lee…Gai's student…

She recalled the antics and far too goofy mannerisms of Gai…but she had to admit, for all his weirdness and goofball nature…Gai was a fearless and talented Jonin and if anyone could work well with Gai to the point that he was the student's idol, she felt that she should check it out…but the extent of Rock Lee's injuries were not sounding good to her…but until she could make a proper diagnosis…it was still too soon for her to assure Naruto that his friend would recover as soon as she came there to treat him…but for Naruto's sake…she promised to check Lee out as soon as she was able.

Naruto was deep in thought as well…but this was not on how he was going to deal with Tsunade's teasing…at least not yet anyway. He was hoping that as soon as he was back in Konoha…he could check on his team-mates and see how the village was faring since he left and also to check on his friends. Not to mention get some down time to help recover enough power for himself and Holy Talon…he still had to be wary and be prepared on the off chance that Death Fang's own Master would arrive…he only hoped that fate and luck was on his side and that he would have enough time to get ready for the soon to come battle.

--

He had no idea how wrong he was…for at this very moment…

--

Elsewhere…

The bandit camp was getting ready for another day of raiding and extortion…and the member s of the camp were now eating and getting ready for their daily run and looking for the next village to attack and pillage…however…they had no idea what was coming their way…

The Wraith Knight watched the bandit camp from the shadows…it's cloak protected it from detection as it studied the bandits…and it's blood red eyes scanned the lands and something of a nod of approval came from the minion of Death Fang. As soon as it was sure that the time was ripe for the attack…the Wraith Knight moved out of hiding…just as the bandits opened the gates of their camp.

The leader turned and he and his group saw the stranger and he grinned as he readied his spear.

"Hello…hey boys…we've got our first mark for today!"

The bandits agreed and brandished their weapons and got ready to attack the hooded and cloaked stranger…but before they could even charge forward…the Wraith Knight revealed it's face…stopping them cold in their tracks. And then, the Wraith Knight revealed it's Bone Sword in it's right hand…and in the blink of an eye…attacked the bandit camp…the bandits had no time to scream out as the Wraith Knight began to slaughter them one by one and soon the valley ran red with blood as screams and the sounds of battle filled the air…along with a soul chilling scream that seemed to come…from the Bone Sword itself as it was coated in the blood of it's victims….and absorbed the blood like a sponge.

As it slaughtered them…the Wraith Knight did not even smile or laugh…but was silent as it methodically killed it's foes and left only the leader alive… The leader…once so confident was filled with terror and fear… both emotions etched all over his bloody face as he tried desperately to escape…and he even tried to offer all the treasure and information that his group had…as the Wrath Knight continued to stalk him as if planning to rip him to shreds the last.

"Please…take what you want!!"

And for the first time…the Wraith Knight spoke…but it's voice was cold…emotionless…and dead….like a wind coming from a graveyard…befitting it's origins and it's history

"I already have…you will serve as a messenger…you will live…to tell all of my passing…go now…and tell all that this land…belongs to MY master, and this bloody fate awaits ALL who dare to challenge him!"

The bandit leader wasted no time as he got up and rang…looking at the bodies of his former lackeys and saw their expressions of terror and pain in death…but he then heard the Wraith Knight speaking in a dark and foreboding language and when he was far enough…he turned and saw a horrific sight…

As the Wraith Knight summoned a foul black mist from it's body and he saw the blood of his lackeys being drunk by the Bone Sword and their bodies reduced in moments into…husks. He felt greater terror and ran as fast as he could…and heard the scream of the Bone Sword once more…like a beast feeding on food ravenously.

The minion of Death Fang had made the very first blow to the land…as the surroundings of the camp began to wither and die…and take an evil and sickly hue as it made it's base of operations… and it soon planned to make the presence of it's master throughout the land. And as it did so…the land was being transformed slowly to suit it's master's tastes…and it's own…if this didn't attract the Holy Dragon Champion's attention…then perhaps the slaughter of other locations would.

--

To be continued…

--

Author's notes:

Okay, I'll admit that compared to the previous chapter…this one is kind of short…but I can't help it since I had to make sure I get just the right amount of material content into the story and also to make sure that everything works in the right move and flow…

As you can see…the idea from the trailer I made before has come into effect and both Jiraiya and Tsunade are now younger…and what does that entail? Well…we shall see soon enough…

I wanted to try another angle on why Tsunade used the Henge and since I learned that she's actually the last of the Senju Clan, I figured have a deeper sense of lose…not just in terms of family and faith…but love as well, since she no longer can ever have a family. But due to Naruto's newly created spell…Tsunade's been given a chance to have a new life. And since Tsunade's been returned to being 20 years old in EVERY sense of the word…things are going to get downright interesting from here on out!!

… And if anyone asks me if I will include Tsunade or even Shizune or both of them in chasing our young Dragon Champion, like the other female ninja mentioned so far so are attracted to Naruto, then the answer is already passing the borderline of yes…though how that will work is up to me…but you can bet if I ever make a series of lemons for this story…it's going to be real steamy….just read the lemons I made in GunDread SEED The Second Stage so you'll have an accurate idea of how a lemon in Naruto Dragon Champion might turn out okay?

But on a more serious note…

The Wraith Knight has struck the first blow and it has made it's presence in the world of Naruto known and is planning to make it's moves on the surrounding lands…with the dead bandits at it's disposal and it's powers as a fighter…it will not be long before Naruto gets wind of this new threat…and once he learns it's one Death Fang's servants…it will soon come to pass that he will have to find it…and halt it's bloody rampage…But can Naruto do it in the state both he and Holy Talon are in as both he and the sword have lost a good portion of their powers in the previous battle?

And will the support of Tsunade, Shizune, and Jiraiya be enough to help him when he faces his first major test as Dragon Champion? Remember…the fact that Naruto had used a massive amount of Dragon Fire to summon Faldren in combat means that until he and Holy Talon recover…they will be at one third of their respective powers…meaning that they are suffering from a serious handicap and will have to find other ways to make up for the move they did until they are back in fighting shape.

We shall see soon enough…

Here is a little more info:

Faldren is the oldest of all the Holy Dragons and their undisputed leader and because of this…his powers are at their strongest, his battle experience unquestioned, and his mastery of all the known magic branches associated with his kind is unquestioned.

Even with only a fraction of his full power…Faldren could easily destroy an army by himself and kill lesser and higher level Chaos Dragons with little to no effort…which is why it has been stated that only Chorvax could match and fight Faldren in an even standing…due to the fact that they have been fighting for 25,000 years…this makes both Dragon Lords VERY deadly adversaries and quite aware of each other's strengths and weaknesses.

However, Faldren is a gentle soul when not in battle and delights in more peaceful and creative pursuits…an embodiment to his nature as both a Holy Dragon and leader of all the Holy Dragon Flights…he is able to take human form perfectly to blend among humans and other races to observe them and record their progress. Even in human form…he is deadly and can chose to reveal his Dragon nature in his human form if it suits him. One such 'vice' he has is enjoyment of feasts and he loves to go and visit mortal festivals both in human form…or rarely in his full Dragon Form…because of his compassion, gentleness, wisdom, courage, power, and respect for all mortal life…he is welcomed wholeheartedly in these festivals if he is in Dragon Form and is considered a guest of great honor should he appear.

Because of his status…he is the patron guardian of all the Martial and Mystical orders in the lands under his charge and they respect him and his kin greatly.

As seen in the battle…Faldren lives up to his rank as Dragon Lord as in his fight he proves that in either form…he is only matched by Chorvax. In Dragon Form he is quite capable of ending Manda's life with a single bite and severely beats Orochimaru in human guise…even forcing the Kusanagi out of Orochimaru's stomach, catching the sword with only two fingers…and breaking the sword with only one finger from his free hand…and able to unleash spells with casual gestures and words…unlike Naruto who has to focus and follow Holy Talon's instructions on how to use the spell…due to his innate blood and his millenniums worth of experience…

The only reason he didn't outright kill them was that his ability to remain in Combat Form and in the battle-zone depends on the level of experience and power Naruto had… so as long as Naruto is still a novice Dragon Champion and not fully skilled…Faldren's time in the battle-field is severely limited…he knows the strain on Naruto's body when he was summoned and forbids Naruto from attacking Orochimaru out of concern for the chance that the strain could affect Naruto and leave him vulnerable to attack….and prevents Naruto from walking into a potentially fatal trap.


	21. Light and Shadow

Naruto – The Twin Swords

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto…if I did…then I'd be rich and recognized now wouldn't I?

Chapter 20

Light and Shadow

( ): Thoughts

((" ")): Holy Talon's voice

(((" "))): Death Fang's voice

((( ))): Kyuubi's voice

--

In a nearby town…still some distance from Konoha…

"Darn it…I can never get a break…"

Tsunade cursed the gambling machine as she took out another bill to use, she was currently relaxing on her own time…and she was not very happy that she was on her usual losing streak yet again.

(I was hoping my gambling luck would finally take a turn for the better just this one time…but…ah well…I guess I have to keep trying…I wonder what those two are up to this time?)

The others were currently taking a bit of a rest break, though not in the most conventional ways…Naruto was currently munching in a ramen stand, with Shizune keeping him company for the time being with Ton-ton, and Jiraiya…well, he was doing the things he normally loved doing and while she was not very pleased with what he was doing in the very first place…she decided that she could at least let him off the hook for the time being. There was still some time before they made it to Konoha and she planned to use that time wisely on her own.

While she wore her normal clothes…she had been getting used to the fact that she was young again and this had gained her quite a lot of attention as many young men and even married men were giving her the once over and giving her the looks…while some women, in various ages looked at her with either envy or jealousy, she didn't mind it to say in the least.

As she finished her last round, she was surprised suddenly that she had won the game right on the next turn…and won a large load of money…however, this told her that something was bad on the horizon yet again and this was not looking good…

(Oh please…not again…what the heck could be this bad coming our way now?)

--

In a nearby ramen shop…

"Man…this stuff is good…but not the same as the ramen old man Teuchi makes…"

Naruto was busy munching away at the ramen while the stall owners watched in fascination as the pile of ramen bowls began to climb ever higher while Shizune watched in absolute shock at the number of bowls that Naruto was accumulating.

"Where the heck is he putting it all?"

Ton-ton oinked and that meant that she would love to know that as well…but they did nothing as Naruto was currently in good spirits as they were soon to be heading home back to Konoha and that he would be able to finally see his fellow ninja and hopefully have Sasuke, Kakashi, and Lee treated and they would all be able to help Konoha recover. The two were also relaxing for the moment and the town seemed to be in good spirits…but not for long as two guards were now sitting down alongside Naruto…

"I'm telling you he said all those things…you should have seen that guy mumbling on about some demon that killed everyone in his entire camp."

"You've got to be kidding…"

"I'm not…the bandit's been in the prison for at least a few hours and all he's been rambling about is that creature that slaughtered his entire camp and did black magic on the place. I think that guy's just had one round of sake too many…"

"Maybe…so what did he say about that 'demon'?"

"He said it had a skull for a face…with blood red eyes made of flame…and had this sword…which according to him drank the blood of his lackeys while that demon was killing them…and you know what else….he said the sword was made of bone…"

"Get out of here…there's no such thing as a sword made of bone!"

"I know…the warden's thinking of shipping that guy to the asylum…a lot of good that's going to do him."

Naruto stopped as Holy Talon spoke to him.

((Master Naruto…those guards…they're talking about something I know about!"))

(What do you mean?)

(("What they described sounds very familiar to me…ask them about the bandit they have in prison…we need to hear this for me to be sure…if my suspicions are right…we have a serious threat on our hands."))

(All right.)

"Hey Mister…"

The guard turned and looked at Naruto and sighed.

"What is it kid?"

"You said something about this bandit you guys have…what happened?"

"Look, all I know is that he was brought in by the other guards, raving mad and covered in blood and screaming about some demon killing his followers…personally I think you shouldn't bother…"

"I'm a ninja from Konoha…I want to know what's going on."

"Really? Fine…go to the jail and talk to him…but don't blame us if the warden doesn't let you in…that guys been screaming and doing all sorts of crazy stuff…we had to restrain him twice before he harmed the other prisoners."

Naruto nodded and took out a large wad of bills and paid for his feast and moved out to the jail…but Shizune came along and the Medic-nin wanted to know what the heck was going on…she had seen Naruto's face turn from happy to downright intense at the mention of the demon the imprisoned bandit was talking about.

"What's this about Naruto-kun?"

"Something Holy Talon told me…I need to find out more about this demon that bandit saw…Holy Talon told me that demon's description sounded familiar to it…and if Holy Talon tells me that there's a serious threat happening here…I need to find out what it is before we all regret it if I don't…sorry Shizune…but this is serious...I have to go…"

Shizune was not liking this…she had not seen that look in Naruto's eyes before as he left her, she felt that this was very important for them all to get involved. With that she placed Ton-ton down and spoke to the pig familiar.

"We need to find Tsunade-sama and Master Jiraiya Ton-ton…I've got a bad feeling about this…I've never seen that look in Naruto's eyes before…let's hurry!"

--

In the jail…

"Come on sir! I need to see that man!"

"Look kid…I know you're a ninja from Konoha but this guy we have is a complete basket case at the moment….he's been raving and shouting for hours now…and he's even attacked the other prisoners…I have no clue what the bloody hell happened to him. But I am not letting anyone come in here and question him…besides…he's too far gone to be of much help…whatever that 'demon' did…it's snapped his mind. No way am I letting a kid in there…ninja or not!"

Naruto was not liking the attitude of the warden but couldn't blame him…the very second he had entered the jail…there incessant screaming and shouting as the sounds of a madman were heard all over the halls…and the guards were all wearing ear plugs or had stationed themselves a fair distance from the door that led to the more high security cells.

"Let the kid in…"

Naruto and the warden turned and saw none other than Jiraiya , Tsunade, and Shizune walk in along with Ton-ton…Naruto was relieved…if he couldn't convince the warden to help him see the prisoner…then maybe the Pervy Sage or Tsunade could be able to help him.

And sure enough…the now young again male Sannin was the one who spoke to the warden…at first the man refused…until he recognized Jiraiya as one of the Sannin and quickly recognized the hot blonde woman as the other Sannin Tsunade…that was enough to convince him to agree to let them in…and there they heard the screaming…it was so loud that even the Sannin had to cover their ears…

"Why the heck are we here anyway?"

Jiraiya asked as Naruto arrived in the cell and there they saw the man chained to the walls and shouting incoherently…muttering only the words 'Demon', 'Death', 'Bone Sword', and 'Messenger'. Naruto then tried a Mind spell that Holy Talon had taught him before…a spell to calm the mind and bring sanity to the insane. He reached out with his hands and placed them on the sides of the bandit's head and spoke.

"CALMING HAZE!"

A cyan haze flowed from Holy Talon and into Naruto's hands and into the head of the bandit leader…and slowly his incoherent ramblings began to fade and he seemed calmer…Naruto maintained his contact with the bandit until the man was calmer now…as soon as that was over…Naruto released his hold on him and the man opened his eyes and spoke.

"What…where am I?"

Naruto explained everything to the man and the bandit merely nodded and spoke…

"You had better kill me now kid…after what I've seen…I'd rather be dead."

"What did you see?"

"Why should I tell you? You're not going to believe me…all the people I warned called me insane…the last thing I need is a kid talking to me as if I'm insane."

Naruto then spoke to Holy Talon mentally and the Holy Dragon Sword told it's master to ask if the demon carried a sword made of bone that drank the blood of his allies.

"Did your attacker have a sword made of bone?"

The man then looked at Naruto intently and spoke.

"You really want to know?! Fine…"

Naruto listened as the bandit recounted the battle between his group and the Wraith Knight…as he did so…the blonde ninja asked questions that were handed to him by Holy Talon and soon enough…the bandit told him everything…shocked that this young kid with the sword knew about this creature that slaughtered his entire band like they were nothing. As soon as Naruto was told that Holy Talon heard enough, he bid the man good-bye…but not before the man shouted.

"You planning to kill him kid…nothing can kill him…he's a demon…mark my words…nothing can kill him!!"

--

Later…

Naruto said down in the park that was at the moment bare of any townspeople…except him and the Sannin, Ton-ton, and Shizune. Jiraiya then gave him a look and sighed.

"All right Naruto…what's going on here? First thing that happens is Shizune coming and interrupting my research and then dragging me and Tsunade along for the ride and now you've interrogated some bandit…and now you want to face this thing that the bandit was raving on about?"

"There's a reason for it Pervy Sage…that demon that guy was rambling about…it was a minion servant of Death Fang."

That got the attention all of the others as they looked at Naruto and he explained.

"According to Holy Talon, the servant that the bandit and his guys fought with was a Wraith Knight."

"A Wraith Knight?"

"Yeah…from what I understand, the Wraith Knights were the spirits of men and women who had dedicated their lives to serve Chorvax when Chorvax first rose to power as the Dragon Lord of the Chaos Dragons…he treated them badly and amused himself by allowing it to happen and granting them power…however, they proved to be so loyal to him and killed and enslaved others in his name so well that he decided to turn them into wraiths…they gave up their flesh and bodies and became dread spirits who followed his armies to battle…and when Death Fang was made…Chorvax first bound the Wraith Knights to it's service as some of the strongest of it's servants."

"I thought Death Fang needs a master in order to summon allies?"

"Normally yes…but Death Fang is not above summoning minions to do what it was made to do and that is to corrupt and destroy…I think it was sending out that Wraith Knight…to lure me out into the open."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah…and it worked…if I don't take out that Wraith Knight…then it will continue attacking other locations and killing more people."

"But aren't you and Holy Talon still weak from summoning Faldren? If you fought this creature in your shape…"

Tsunade left that hanging…she now realized that this was the reason her bad luck suddenly turned good and that meant that there was a chance Naruto would not…No she would not think that…she saved him once from death's embrace with all her skill and power…she was going to save him again…no matter what sort of enemy it was that he was going to face this time.

"I have agree with Tsunade…you're in no condition to be fighting right now…"

That decision however was taken out of their hands as the town was suddenly filled with the shouts of alarmed people as the townspeople began to move outwards…the Sannin, Naruto, and Shizune didn't take long to see what was the commotion as they townspeople saw bloody and half mad people walking into the town…

It didn't take long for the story to come out…the town they had come from had been visited by a red robed and hooded stranger…who then began slaughtering all he could see…men, women, children…young and old…the town guards tried to fight back but lost their lives as the stranger cut them down without pity or mercy…killing the wounded and even those who begged for mercy…those who tried to reason with the stranger were slain on the spot…they were those who escaped…and saw the stranger reveal it's face…a metallic skull with red fire in the eyes and his sword…covered in blood was a sword made entirely of bone and it screamed a vile sound as it cut through the people there…

Naruto took the news grimly and looked at his companions.

"We have to go now…unless we stop that Wraith Knight…then other villages and towns are next."

--

It didn't take long for them to reach the down…it had been a day and a half from the town they had stayed in and the sight that awaited them was horrific…there was blood everywhere and bodies littered the streets…it made the Uchiha Clan massacre look like child's play as there were bodies all over the place and the lingering stench of death filled the air…Tsunade and Jiraiya had seen horrible sights in their times as Shinobi in war...but this was too much…this entire town lived in peace…and the thought that only one being slaughtered these people like they were animals was sickening to them.

"Why…why would such a being do this?"

Shizune asked as she held Ton-ton close to her as she saw the carnage and felt sick…

It was then that in the setting sun…the saw a robed figure wearing a blood red hood and cloak…and then a dead…soulless voice filled the air.

"Why should you care human?"

The Sannin got ready while Shizune readied her poison needle shooter…while Naruto took out Holy Talon and they got ready as the robed and hooded figure approached them and sure enough…the Wraith Knight revealed it's face and spoke yet again.

"All life dies in the end…I merely speed up the process."

"You monster! These people are innocent of any wrong doing…why did you kill them?!"

The Wraith Knight merely looked on and then revealed it's Vampire Bone Sword and challenged Naruto wordlessly by pointing it's sword right at him.

"I killed them because it is my duty and mission to kill…innocent or guilty…it matters nothing to me…all humans I deem as foes will die…however...there is a motive…to draw the Holy Dragon Champion out into the open…and it seems I succeeded."

"That you have…now you'll pay for this!"

Naruto got ready to attack….but then the Wraith Knight then jabbed it's Vampire Bone Sword into the ground and then spoke.

"Do not think you have me outnumbered…I have my own servants…Those slain by my sword…come back to life…and serve me!"

The minute that was uttered…to the shock of the Sannin, Shizune, Naruto, and ton-ton….the once dead townspeople, and the town guards suddenly began to move and make groaning sounds as they rose back from the dead and were now heading towards the group…Tsunade and Jiraiya had head about powers being able to bring the dead back to life, namely the Forbidden jutsu that Orochimaru used to bring back the First and the Second Hokages, but this was different somehow…more vile in the sense it could control multiple people without sacrificial bodies.

The undead closed in and began to attack the group as Naruto fought his way through them, as Holy Talon told him that these people were already dead and nothing was going to change that…the only way for them to pass on into the next life was for the Wraith Knight to be defeated in combat…and Naruto had every intention of doing just that as he cut his way through the undead…dodging attacks from the weapons of the slain town guards.

Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Shizune also defended themselves but Shizune found out quickly that her arsenals of poison needles were useless and her use of poison was also useless as these people who were currently attacking them were already dead and can no longer feel pain and worse as their senses were gone…another thing the two Sannin also found out was that despite them knocking down the undead with their Taijutsu…they were unable to make sure they stay down as after a few minutes…the undead would rise once more and keep coming at them.

"Damn…no matter how many times we knock them down…they just keep rising back up!"

"I have an idea!"

Jiraiya then made the hand-signs and then unleashed another attack

"KATON! DAI ENDAN!!"

The Great fireball Jiraiya unleashed…proved to work well as the undead that were hit by it were burned to ash and were not going to rise anytime soon. And Tsunade then grabbed a nearby wooden beam and smashed the weapon on the undead approaching them…and Shizune decided to switch tactics as she used a nearby gas lamp and made a torch to strike at the undead…it was then that Naruto attacked and managed to distract the Wraith Knight and this had an effect on the undead as the ones who were knocked down no longer seemed to rise…

However…that didn't mean that Naruto was going to win this battle easily as the Wraith Knight proved to be more than a match for the young blonde Dragon Champion in terms of sword play and maneuvers…Naruto tried a slash to the neck that the Wraith Knight evaded and the undead warrior lashed out with a powerful rising slash that tore through Naruto's clothes and damaged his Orchaelium chain-mail. Naruto backed away and the Wraith Knight attacked with a barrage of thrusts and slashes that Naruto barely evaded and blocked…unlike Naruto…the Wraith Knight couldn't tire is it had given up it's flesh millenniums before and was not weighed down by human exhaustion. He on the other hand was…as he tried his best to evade the attacks…

He flipped over the Wraith Knight and launched a powerful slash in his landing towards the face…but the Wraith Knight merely ducked out of the way and nearly skewered Naruto with a thrust of it's Vampire Bone Sword…Naruto barely evaded the blow and then had to duck with the Wraith Knight swung it's vampire sword at a wide arc towards him…he got to his feet as the Wraith Knight was now removing it's robe and hood…revealing itself for the very first time and Naruto nearly felt like he was going to be sick as he gazed at the deadly form of the Wraith Knight as it then gripped it's weapon in both hands and attacks Naruto..Naruto blocks the attacks…but the Wraith Knight merely kicked Naruto and sent him into a wall and the Dragon Champion barely ducked as the Vampire Bone Sword ripped right through the wall of the building behind him…and the wall was pure concrete several feet thick…but the sword sliced through it like it was paper.

Naruto got some distance and unleashed his own attacks of slashes and thrusts but while he had speed and power the Wraith Knight was faster and stronger…plus more seasoned with the way of the sword than Naruto was as it evaded and dodged his attacks with inhuman precision and lashed back with it's own as Naruto barely dodges another stab and managed to knock it aside with Holy Talon in hand.

(Damn this thing is fast!!)

Naruto thought as he clashed blades with the Wraith Knight as the Wraith Knight and him fought on while Jiraiya, Tsunade and Shizune fought with the undead…while Ton-ton was safe from harm. The blonde ninja then took out several shuriken and fired them at the Wraith Knight, but while the Wraith Knight's body was hit by the shuriken…the weapons did nothing to injure or hurt the Wraith Knight and Naruto was forced to use other means as he unleashed his spells…keeping his usage controlled as he knew that he had to be careful.

"DRAGON FIRE BULLET!!"

The sphere of flame launched outwards from Holy Talon as the Wraith Knight evaded it and the Wraith Knight decided to unleash it own spell in reply.

"SPIRIT EATER SPEARS!!"

Blobs of sickly green energy appeared and were fired at Naruto in the shape of spears, Naruto evaded the attacks..but saw the lethality of the spells as one of the spears struck a nearby tree and in a moment…the tree rotted and died from the attack…making Naruto gulp as he unleashed another spell.

"EARTH WAVE!!"

The Wraith Knight evaded the wave of summoned earth and managed to block Naruto's attack with it's Vampire Bone Sword and the two once more clashed blades as they tried to outmaneuver one another in combat. But being far more talented than Naruto in the way of the sword…the Wraith Knight managed to land several blows on Naruto…and while his Orchaelium chain-mail kept him safe…the armor was begging to show signs of damage from the attacks. Naruto then realized that the Bone Sword was among the few weapons of Dagern that could severely damage Orchaelium armor…and he knew that if he wasn't careful…he would die…

However, the Wraith Knight new this as well and after moving back…cast another spell.

"GHOST WOLVES!!"

Shadowy tendrils came from the Wraith Knight's hand and formed into ghostly wolves that quickly swarmed at Naruto…while Naruto's attacks with Holy Talon seemed to wound and injure these creatures…the others were able to injure and halt Naruto and once they did so, the Wraith Knight closed in and attacked Naruto with yet another barrage of slashes and thrusts that Naruto was barely able to block in time and as he was about to attack once more…the Wraith Knight suddenly moved away from his descending slash and then thrust forward…and Naruto didn't have enough time to react.

(OH NO!!)

Naruto managed to move a bit to the left…hoping to evade the incoming thrust of the Vampire Bone Sword but it was already too late as the blade was already closing in…

SLISH!!

The sound of the Vampire Bone Sword hitting and slicing through his weakened and damaged Orchaelium chain-mail was heard and then the feeling of some entity draining his blood, life fluids…and even his chakra began to affect Naruto as he barely coughed out a shout of rage and disbelief…but when the Wraith Knight pushed the sword deeper…Naruto screamed in pain as the bite and power of the Vampire Bone Sword was more intense than before.

--

Tsunade and the others turned after they had beaten then undead and looked on in horror as Naruto was impaled by the Wraith Knight's Vampire Bone Sword…right through the shoulder and Naruto's scream of pain was enough ignite them into action…as both Tsunade and Jiraiya attacked at the same time…

"LET HIM GO!!"

Tsunade landed a killer left hook right on the face of the Wraith Knight and Jiraiya landed a powerful kick to the chest of the Wraith Knight…the undead warrior was sent flying and the Vampire Bone sword that it carried was taken out by it's flight backwards…Naruto gasped as while the sword was removed…the effects of the Vampire Bone Sword's power affected him as the blood that was flying from his body and was taken by the sword…he fell down…and was stunned as Holy Talon was right…despite being made of bone…the Vampire Bone Sword was among the most dangerous weapons of Dagern under the use of the followers of Chorvax…and was among the few numbers of weapons that could severely damage or destroy Orchaelium Armor…and that was true as despite wearing his Orchaelium chain-mail the weapon cut and tore through it as if it was paper. That was due to the fact that his armor was made only in short notice and not with enough time and care.

Jiraiya got ready to defend Tsunade and Naruto as Tsunade used her chakra to try and heal Naruto's wound…she had to remove his clothes so see the extend of the wounds and what she saw horrified her…as the flesh on the wound was already petrified and dead…as if the very life fluid had been taken out of it in moments…and the smell of death was on the wounds as she tried to heal Naruto.

"Hang on Naruto! I'm right here!"

Shizune came and also used her own chakra to try and heal Naruto alongside Tsunade…while Jiraiya looked on towards the Wraith Knight…hoping that this undead…thing didn't attack them…normally he thought that it was over now…but what he saw changed that as the fallen warrior merely got up and seemed to be all right…unless the fact that his head was not there was missed….Jiraiya looked and saw the skull that appeared to be the head of the Wraith Knight and the headless body merely walked towards the head and quickly lifted the head up and placed it back on it's body. Shizune fired her poisoned needles…but the weapons merely either bounced off the armor of the Wraith Knight or passed through it's shadowy form that was not covered in armor.

"You have got to be kidding!!"

The glowing red flame eyes of the Wraith Knight glowed and then it spoke once more.

"You have some level of power Champion…but not enough…find me if you can…I shall be waiting for you in my lair…find me…if you can…"

The Wraith Knight didn't retrieve it's cloak as it burned in black flame and the Wraith Knight merely turned and from the blackness of night…came it's steed…a giant undead Fel Wolf that was the size of a bull ox…the creature roared at it glared at the Sannin and it's armored harness and saddle creaked as it allowed it's master to mount him. The Fel Wolf howled and took off as night fell…leaving the Sannin, Shizune, and Naruto alone in the abandoned town. The Sannin were relieved that the Wraith Knight had left but they focused on healing Naruto as Shizune and Tsunade focused on healing the horrendous wound on Naruto's body. As soon as Naruto was stabilized…the two Sannin located an abandoned hotel and used it as a place to rest and hide for the time being.

As soon as Naruto was out of danger…the two Sannin spent turns guarding him…and either Tsunade and Shizune or Jiraiya and Shizune would search the town to locate any survivors and sadly found none…the entire town was abandoned and the bodies of the unlucky were everywhere… They then got supplies to help Naruto regain his strength and help the Kyuubi in healing the still recovering ninja…once in a while Naruto would awaken and they were able to feed him some food and have him drink some water, Tsunade and Shizune then used their skills in medicine to create several healing salves to patch up the wounds Naruto suffered and then bandaged him. As soon as they were sure they were safe…the two Sannin and Shizune spoke to one another.

"I've never seen anything like that thing before…how can we beat something that's already dead?"

Tsunade thought about it but had no answer as she recalled her battle with the undead servants summoned by the Wraith Knight from the bodies of the fallen towns-people, their town's guards…all of them that were previously slain by the Wraith Knight…they had been able to take down many of them…but the Wraith Knight would somehow re-animate them and they would attack once more. No matter how many times they knocked down the undead people, they could just come back and keep on attacking, unless they used fire to burn the bodies. It was only when the Wraith Knight was engaged by Naruto that they were able to defeat the undead more effectively and they didn't rise once more.

"I don't know Shizune…neither you nor I can answer that question…what I want to know is how are we going to stop it?"

"We can only ask Naruto…he's the only one with the answers at this point and time. We'll have to wait until he wakes up and we might get some answers from Holy Talon."

The Sannin decided to take turns resting and guarding the place…lest the Wraith Knight suddenly came back and attacked them while they were in the state they were currently in at the moment. While they did so…they were unaware that Naruto, Holy Talon…and the Kyuubi were in a very heated debate in Naruto's mind.

(((I can't believe you were that foolish brat!! Just because your companion already told you about how to kill that damn creature…you charged without a bloody plan to say the least…and you nearly wind up as a corpse!)))

(You think I'm not aware of that…Tsunade and Shizune managed to save me and you for that matter…I don't understand what's eating you.)

(((YOU don't understand?! Okay then…let me remind you that if you die…I die…so unless you forgot that already from your near death experience, I suggest you get it into your head not to try charging at that creature the next time you meet it!)))

(("Kyuubi is right…at your level of ability Master Naruto…and our handicap…we're going to have to think of other ways to win if we go after the Wraith Knight again."))

(((Let me fight damn it…I'm not going to stay here and let the brat kill himself again…)))

(("That will be true…and you are part of him after all. We still need to cut through the Wraith Knight's armor…namely in the chest area…the Wraith Knight's heart is the center of the power that sustains it's form and power…if we strike through that…then we can kill it…however…we must also destroy the Vampire Bone Sword."))

(((Why?)))

(("Every victim that died by it's edge had their souls consumed by in and stored in the blade…if the blade is not shattered…then the spirits of the dead will still be the slaves of the Wraith Knight…that will allow it to command them and reanimate their dead bodies…there is another way to make sure they are not reborn…we have to sanctify and burn the bodies…that way the souls cannot be forced to re-animate them and attack at the command of the Wraith Knight…but still the Bone Sword must be destroyed."))

(What happens after that?)

(("The bodies are allowed to be reduced to ash and fade away…but those things only happen to the ones who have been in the thrall of the Wraith Knight the longest…we will need to burn the bodies of the recently slain to make sure they aren't re-animated. We do this…then the numbers of undead serving the Wraith Knight will be less for us to deal with."))

(Good idea…what do you think Kyuubi?)

(((Bah…I'll agree to that…the less of these stinking undead we have to deal with…then all the better…besides…I am going to enjoy fighting this Wraith Knight so I can see how tough that thing really is.)))

(But I'm worried about Tsunade…Shizune, and the Pervy Sage…they may be Sannin…but they can't beat those undead with fists alone.)

(("They will need weapons to help them defeat the undead servants of the Wraith Knight. There are holy weapons that can be used to cut and then sanctify and burn the bodies in battle…that means you will need the aid of some friends…and you know who I speak of Master Naruto."))

(Yeah…I know them well enough…let's all get some rest…we're all going to need it.)

--

The next day…

"You want to do what to the bodies?"

Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Shizune were surprised at Naruto's plans when he told them about his discussions with both Holy Talon and the Kyuubi. They were happy that he had indeed recovered and when they removed the bandage… there was no sign of the wound anymore and the smell that came with it was gone. Naruto ate ravenously and as soon as he was fully recovered…he still thanked them for being there with him in the battle and then told them what Holy Talon told him.

"I know that it sounds off…but if we don't do it…there's a chance that they'll be brought back to life by the Wraith Knight…so until we destroy both the Wraith Knight and it's Vampire Bone Sword…there will be no end to them if they attack us again."

Jiraiya thought about that and couldn't help but see the logic there…if the Wraith Knight could re-animate the dead then the less there were of it's victims…the less chance there would be of the dead being used by the Wraith Knight in attacking them all…he had to admit that it went against everything that went into burying the dead…but they had no choice.

Both Shizune and Tsunade were not liking the sound of that…but they had to also admit that despite how…unusual it was, they knew that they would need to do so since if they were to stick to normal attacks…as they all found out to exceptionally useless against undead…no matter how many times they were knocked down, as long as the Wraith Knight was around, the undead would come back to attack them.

"All right…we'd best get ready for this…it's going to be a long day…"

And a long day it was as they hauled the bodies of the dead who were left there by the Wraith Knight…with daylight on their side and the fact that the Wraith Knight was not around at the moment to attack them, it took them a long time to get the bodies of the slain townsfolk and then Naruto blessed them, along with prayers for the dead from the Sannin and Shizune. Once that was done…Naruto summoned his Dragon Breath and incinerated the bodies. The bodies were thankfully reduced to ash and bones…no longer able to be resurrected and used as weapons by the Wraith Knight…the group smelled horrible and after that day…they decided to get showers and clean baths before getting ready to face their next challenge. Thankfully there was a large public bath house that was thankfully in good operational condition for them to use. Jiraiya relaxed while there…along with Naruto, who despite his near death experience with the Wraith Knight enjoyed the feel of swimming for the time being.

Tsunade and Shizune bathed in the women's side of the public bath-house and Tsunade managed to drink some still good sake that she had salvaged from a nearby bar…Once they were refreshed…Naruto and the others met in the public hall area of the bath house to plan their next move.

"So how do we deal with the undead anyway…no matter how many times we knock them down…they keep coming back up again."

"Holy Talon told me that there are weapons made to fight the undead…weapons that can damage them and burn them at the same time…with those…I think we have a much better chance than we did before…however…"

"However? That does not sound good Naruto-kun…"

"I'm not that skilled yet in enchanting weapons and you both will need armor to beat them and keep you alive…so Holy Talon and I have to call in some old friends who can really help us in this time of need…plus…they were the ones who made my first armor suit. They can really help us here now."

"Who are they?"

Jiraiya already knew them as he had met them previously in the early days of the Chuunin Exams.

"Don't worry Tsunade, Shizune…these friends Naruto have are very trust-worthy…and quite helpful…go ahead Naruto…bring them out."

Naruto nodded and took out Holy Talon and spoke the summoning language yet again.

--

Later…

Rumkil and Thorell looked at the young Naruto and the others before them and weighed their options…just as Leena and her brother Halfir were also finished in getting the details as well. Thorell then spoke with respect in his voice.

"So ye faced a Wraith Knight now do ye lad? Yer lucky the Gods smiled on you and the lovely ladies there saved yer young hide…I'll say it honestly…tis a dark fate for all had that undead abomination killed ye."

"No kidding…can you help me again? That Bone Sword of his tore through my chain-mail and I need to have a better suit soon to fight him."

Rumkil nodded.

"Aye…that won't be a problem laddie, but yer friends are going to need some serious steel to beat them undead…fists alone ain't going to kill em undead things. And they'll need some decent protection too."

Halfir then spoke as well.

"I'll handle that part you two…Leena will help me as well…we should hurry…as long as the Wraith Knight knows that our young friend still lives…he will hunt him."

The dwarves nodded and then went to work as Naruto was taught how to summon the supplies needed to make the weapons and armor that he and the others were going to need in the soon to come battles.

And sure enough Halfir's words proved true, the Wraith Knight…now knowing that it had done what it's master Death Fang had asked of it had halted it's forces from attacking other areas and focused on luring the young ninja and Dragon Champion into another brutal battle. This meant that there was time left for the group to gather their gear and ready themselves for the battle ahead…despite not liking to strain herself too much…Tsunade began to train in her Taijutsu once more focusing her strength to ensure that the next time she fought the undead…they were going to get it right where it hurts.

Even Shizune and Jiraiya decided to sharpen their skills and so did Naruto…he made the mistake of thinking that his current level of ability was enough and he paid for it by nearly getting killed, he was going to make sure that it didn't happen again, he decided this time to use whatever skills he had as a ninja were brought into the battle that he was soon to be drawn into…holy Talon told him that the Wraith Knights were high level swordsmen and women who were talented in various use of weapons apart from the Vampire Bone Sword and a good portion of them were also skilled in elemental magic…but befitting their dark natures and the methods of creation…they focused on the branches of Death Magic and Summoning…and were skilled at summoning evil creatures and using necromancy.

The past few days moved on and it seemed that the time had come for on the last day of the week…

Tsunade, Shizune, and Jiraiya looked worriedly at the armor before them…there had been times in their youth that both Sannin had worn armor…namely during their missions with Orochimaru before he went rogue on Konoha and the armor they wore saved their lives…but these suits of out worldly armor seemed to be truly odd to them…along with the weapons that were now before them…they wondered for a second if the armor they had would work…Naruto on the other hand had already tried on his new Orchaelium armor and was assured that while the Vampire Bone Sword might damage it still…the armor was going to be stronger and hold out much more than his previous suit. The armor followed the same design as his previous suit…but this time…the plate mail was interlocked into the chain mail so Naruto no longer had to strap on the plate mail armor, only the chain-mail itself. The new armor was slightly thicker and stronger than his previous armor and while he had left behind the plate mail…he valued the previous suit and had asked the two dwarf brothers to repair his broken and damaged chain-mail.

The two Sannin looked at their armor and wondered if the armor was going to be light…even the body armor they wore in their younger days looked more flexible than what they were looking at the very moment. However after chatting with Naruto about the fact that the armor weighed like cloth and hearing the praise given by Leena and Halfir on the works of the two dwarf smiths, they decided not to complain and place on the armor…Shizune did the same…though this would be the first time that she would ever wear armor.

It took a while and they each had to help each other on placing on the armor…which was comprised of Orchaelium…the same material that composed Naruto's old and new body armor. And both armor types varied as well between the two Sannin and Shizune…

Tsunade's armor was made of chain-mail as the base of the design…but instead of plates of Orchaelium to protect her body…the armor was made of interlocking squares of Orchaelium that were bound by chain-links of Orchaelium as well…the square armor plates covered her chest comfortably and her back and mid section, as well as the sides…her thighs were protected in the same fashion as well…but there were two plates of Orchaelium covering the chain-mail and flaps of the same square plate mail covering them as well…the chainmail also covered her legs to her ankles and were protected by plate shin guards. The blonde ninja's arms were also protected by chain-mail and there were plate gauntlets that were made with both chain mail and plate-mail. To Tsunade's surprise…the armor was nearly weightless and was comfortable to her…she could breath and move easily and with zero discomfort and she was starting to like the armor.

Jiraiya's armor followed the design of his own clothes…but his body suit was covered with chain-mail as well. While the outer suit of armor was in the fashion of Orchaelium plate made in the shape of his old body armor back in his Jonin days…but was segmented…allowing for free flow movement when he would move…the chain-mail covered his legs as well…and like Tsunade…his thighs were protected by Orchaelium plates and so were his greaves as well. He also had Orchaelium plate on his upper arms and chain-mail gauntlets with forearm guards as well, and like Tsunade, he found the armor surprisingly light and comfortable to wear…along with easy to move in with…he decided that maybe wearing the armor was certainly going to be very helpful for the battle they had to soon be in.

Shizune also wore chain-mail like her mentor and Jiraiya but hers was like a short sleeved trench coat that reached all the way to her mid claves…but this was the outer armor as she was currently wearing a breast plate of Orchaelium underneath the chain-mail which doubled her protection very well and the chain-mail would make it easier…the Medic-nin was also further protected by sections of Orchaelium plate armor that was easier to place on her thighs, and upper arms to protect her along with the chain-mail. The gauntlets she had were armed with her needle shooters and they were easy to access and were protected from damage as they were covered by a thin but strong layer of Orchaelium plate. She also wore greaves of Orchaelium to protect her lover legs.

As soon as they were done looking at the armor, Jiraiya looked at Tsunade's armor and couldn't help but smile at his team-mate's new look.

"You certainly look different Tsunade…the armor suits you."

The blonde woman smirked and replied.

"You look all right to me…a bit better than that Kabuki style suit you wear."

"Hey! I love my clothes!"

The three then got their weapons from Halfir and Leena…Tsunade was given a pair of battle blades that were attached to her arms allowing her to not only punch with her superhuman physical strength…but to cut with a swing of her hands. Jiraiya was given a katana which was blessed by Leena with healing Dragon Fire…which while beneficial to the living…was deadly to the undead as it could destroy their bodies and ensure that they would not be easily resurrected. Tsunade's own weapons were also blessed in the same fashion by the female elf healer. Shizune was given a supply of similarly blessed needles and were also coated with a special oil that was like poison to the undead…which was a good thing as the normal poison that Shizune used was useless on the undead as she had found out when they had been able to fight the undead servants of the Wraith Knight…her poison was useless as the undead came at her…she was also given a katana of the same make and blessed with the same enchantments. The two dwarf brothers smiled at their work and so did Leena and Halfir.

"Now ye all are ready…make sure to keep em weapons and armor in good condition all right? It's hard work makin them in the first place."

"We will Rumkil…many thanks to you all."

"Not a problem young Champion…fight well."

The dwarves and the elf siblings faded away…and now the group got ready for the fight that they knew was about to happen.

--

The group arrived to the borderlands where the camp of the Wraith Knight was using as it's home…and it didn't take too long for them to see the effects of the presence of the Wraith Knight…once healthy trees full of leaves and healthy bark looked dead as the leaves were as black as night and falling down…gathering in a very unhealthy pile all over the place…there were pools of water…but they were yellowish with stagnant filth and the smell of death and decay about them…animal carcasses were there and they looked bloated and desiccated as well. The place resembled the land of death itself as the ground was dry and dead to the feel and even the dust seemed dead.

"By the Kami…what has that thing done to this land?"

Shizune asked…horrified at the extent of the corruption of the lands before them. Tsunade couldn't help but cover her nose at the smell of all the death…even worse somehow than what she had seen in the battles during the Third Shinobi War…the same could be said for Jiraiya as he too covered his mouth while they moved on.

"It's like the land itself is dying…or being transformed into something else…"

Naruto then replied.

"Holy Talon tells me that the Wraith Knight's trying to pervert the land…ripping away all traces of life and energy to feed itself and it's minions…they're like locusts in a way…but they don't feed on plants or even flesh…but the spirit of the land itself…if we don't stop that thing tonight…then other lands will be reduced to this…"

The Sannin saw the truth in Naruto's eyes and words…if they didn't halt the Wraith Knight soon…then the lands would become like this…and worse…

They had reached the middle of the land when they heard the now familiar sound of shuffling feet and from the shadow of the now setting sun…the undead walk once more as the undead bodies of bandits, town guards…and towns-folk came at them once more…armed with a variety of weapons…from the more recognized military weapons used by town guards and the town guards…to the more civilian tools and implements of the towns people. Naruto and the others drew their weapons and knew that now was the time…the people before them were not people anymore…but re-animated bodies under the thrall of the Wraith Knight…if they truly wanted to save them…they had to defeat the Wraith and shatter his Vampire Bone Sword to end it's threat to their world.

The four ninja attacked and sure enough the battle proved intense as Jiraiya used his katana and Taijutsu to even up the odds to his favor while he was able to see that the weapon proved effective as each slash that he was able to his the undead with…resulted in the green-silver flame…burning away the bodies of the zombies coming out to kill them. Tsunade and Shizune also noted this and now were happier that they could fight on an equal footing with the undead servants of the Wraith Knight.

Naruto cut through the undead with ease as Holy Talon's powers were enough to cut down the undead coming right at them and this allowed him and the others to cut through their ranks but they knew that even if they now had weapons to deal with the undead…the Wraith Knight was the real target…

"DRAGON FANG STORM!!"

Bolts of energy slammed into the nearby force of undead and reduced them to ash as Naruto down several more undead that came at them…Holy Talon's power sliced through the armor worn by some of the undead and defeated them…Tsunade used her super human strength to send the undead flying all over the place…along with rending the earth to trap and halt their advance…Shizune fired her new needles and the result was working well as the undead no longer kept attacking…but were dying slowly…one by one as they were poisoned and burned at the same time…however they were not going to have an easy time as the undead were now being reinforced by Fel Wolves…the snarling creatures attacked and it was only through the Orchaelium Armor and their skills did the group make it out…and Naruto summoned a band of Steel Lancers and War Blades to even the number score…it was then that Tsunade and Jiraiya called out to Naruto.

"Naruto! We'll hold these creatures off…go after the Wraith Knight!!"

"But I can't leave you here!"

"Go! And don't worry…we're the Leaf Sanin remember? It's going to take more than a bunch of walking undead to stop us!"

Naruto saw that they meant it and quickly realized that this was his chance…but he was not going to let the Sannin, Shizune and Ton-ton throw away their lives to help him. He unleashed a barrage of Fire Bullets from Holy Talon at some more of the undead and spoke to them all…

"Promise me you'll be alive!"

"We promise…now GO!"

Naruto turned and then unleashed his favored jutsu, namely in it's enhanced form…

"TAJUU!! KAGE BUSHIN!!"

The undead warriors were suddenly attacked by a veritable sea of Naruto clones and they were attacked by them…Naruto used the clones in a spearhead strike while ordering his summoned Steel Lancers and War Blades to protect both his rear and to support Tsunade, Jiraiya, Shizune and Ton-ton…the two Sannin and the Medic-nin were raking in their own number of kills and this reduced the number that were attacking them as Naruto charged on.

It didn't take too long for Naruto to arrive near the now corrupted camp of the bandits…and there…the undead bandits also attacked with their weapons and abilities…killing some of Naruto's Kage Bushin but were soon being over-run by the clones and the original Naruto…it was there that Naruto was able to form up a basic plan in order to catch the Wraith Knight off guard and hopefully end this creature's reign of terror on the countryside forever …and hopefully restore the beauty and spiritual health of the lands corrupted by the minion of Death Fang. He then realized that there was a chance something would go wrong and he only had one chance and couldn't afford to waste it.

As soon as he arrived at the barred gate…he shouted.

"HERE I COME!!"

--

The Wraith Knight watched as the gates of it's base was destroyed by a massive blast of fire…and there in the smoke and ruins was Naruto wielding Holy Talon and the bodies of his bandit minions were before him. Naruto knew that he was walking into the maw of the beast as he had no doubt in his mind that there was going to be an ambush.

"So you have arrived…"

"Right…and I will finish you once and for all!"

"How you recovered from the bite of my Vampire Bone Sword…I will never understand…but it will not save you from me a second time Champion."

"We'll see about that!"

Naruto charged and the Wraith Knight calmly waited and then raised it's Vampire Bone Sword. And to Naruto's shock…undead bandits armed with bows and crossbows appeared and with the drop of the Vampire Bone Sword…the undead bandits unleashed a stream of arrows and bolts…that quickly slammed right into the blonde ninja…and filled him with arrows and bolts…

"Now you are…what?"

The Wraith Knight was surprised when the Dragon Champion fell and exploded in a puff of smoke and then to it's surprise…thousands of Dragon Champions suddenly came on the scene and swarmed the camp…the Wraith Knight ordered the undead bandits to attack and soon enough…the bandits and Kage Bushin smashed into one another in a scream of bodies and weapons. The bandits were able to kill a number of clones…but so did the Naruto clones…The Wraith Knight then got involved as it waded into the mess and managed to kill a large number of clones and then as it got itself some fighting room it uttered another necromantic spell as it opened it's mouth.

"RANVENOUS WINDS!!"

The spectral winds ripped through the place…ripping through the bandits and tearing them apart and destroying the Kage Bushin in a cloud of smoke…and as soon as that was done…Naruto came out and fired several shuriken and kunai…the Wraith Knight spun it's Bone Sword and deflyt blocked the projectiles and slashed at Naruto..who dodged the attacks and lashed out with it's own attacks as more bandits began to spear to support their master. The bandits attacked but they were easily dispatched by Naruto with several powerful slashes and thrusts with Holy Talon as they fell down to the ground. The Wraith Knight attacked again and it's massive slashes and thrusts kept Naruto off balance…and it was now between the Dragon Champion and the Wraith Knight.

Naruto attacked with several thrusts as the Wraith Knight spun it's Bone Sword expertly and was able to block and deflect Naruto attacks…the enchantments made it bale to withstand Holy Talon's normally powerful attacks…showing the strength of the Wraith Knight and it's skills as a sword master as well as every attack Naruto threw at the undead warrior were easily evaded and parried… Naruto rolled backwards to evade a powerful downward slash and grabbed a nearby fallen sword…and began to slash with it in conjunction with Holy Talon…using the dual wield style and that caught the Wraith Knight off guard for a moment and Naruto took to the offensive and forced the Wraith Knight.

But it didn't take too long for the Wraith Knight to be back on the defensive as it began to unleash several more deadly attacks…slashes, parries and more as it began to even up the odds…after several attacks…the Wraith Knight then managed to knock aside the other sword and deftly cut it in half…and then stab Naruto in the leg…though this time the armor held…however it was then that Naruto summoned another source of aid.

(Now Kyuubi!)

(((About damned time brat!)))

The Dragon Wardens released the chakra of the Kyuubi as it filled Naruto's being…surprising the Wraith Knight as it's next attack was suddenly blocked by the Dragon Champion who was now covered in a strange gold-red energy that seemed evil somehow, but in full control of the blonde ninja…the blonde unleashed several more attacks and this time it evened up the odds and with several slashes and thrusts…some of which cut and scratched the Armor of the Wraith Knight…Naruto decided to finish this fight once and for all…as he summoned several more Kage Bushin. He had a plan in mind and now was the right time.

The Wraith Knight fought off the Kage Bushin and while it was unable to to fully expect this sudden turn of events…it was able to slay the Kage Bushin…but as it went after the last three barring it's path to Naruto the Kage Bushin suddenly exploded…clouding it's vision but it heard Naruto suddenly shout out

"What?"

"NOW YOUR MINE!"

The Wraith Knight watched as Naruto and his Kage Bushin charged right at him and before it could defend itself, the Kage Bushin smashed itself into the Wraith Knight and gripped the Wraith Knight hard to prevent it from escaping, the Kage Bushin faded but it was enough for Naruto as he unleashed the attack. He had been able to summon the Rasengan…but this time…he had been able to fuse another spell with it…one well suited for killing and banishing the undead…

" EXORCISM RASENGAN!!"

The Rasengan was covered in silver and green flame and the power of Holy Talon once more fused with the Rasengan...only this time it was using the Exorcism spell…a spell used by Dragon Clerics to defeat the undead and banish their souls back into the afterlife…the blow reacted fiercely on the Vampire Bone Sword and the blade began to crack and splinter…the results were the energies of the sword began to filter out as Naruto slammed the attack hard on the middle of the Vampire Bone Sword and sure enough…the attack did as it was set out to do…with the Exorcism spell helping to breach the necromantic enchantments on the Vampire Bone Sword and the Rasengan finally causing the sword the shatter…

The Vampire Bone Sword was shattered by the Exorcism Rasengan and the Wraith Knight looked on in shock as Naruto then attacked with Holy Talon in his left hand…then only word uttered by the undead servant of Death Fang was…

"Incredible…"

As Holy Talon glowed with silver fire…and slashed through the head of the Wraith Knight…cleaving through it's metallic skull…slashing between the eyes and then to the jaw…cutting and ripping the shadowy form of the Wraith Knight…and right through the torso armor…all the way to the ground…the Holy Dragon Sword had literally cleaved the Wraith Knight into two halves…and in a moment…a glowing blast of red light came out as the Wraith Knight fell and was now lain in ruins as it's form was dispersed and it's cleaved and useless armor now lay next to it's broken and shattered Vampire Bone Sword.

(I…I did it)

(((What do you mean YOU did it?!)))

(("Come on you two…WE did it…that's all that matters."))

(((Hmpf…fair enough…now if you two don't mind…I need some sleep.)))

--

Naruto coughed out another bit of blood as he held his right shoulder with his left hand and groaned as the blood began to flow out of the wound as he looked at the ruined body…or rather…ruined remains of the Wraith Knight…it had been a serious battle and had tested him on everything he had learned so far…he felt the blood flow down his arm and felt the liquid make his grip on Holy Talon slippery but thankfully the pain was starting to wear off as he reactivated the Kyuubi's chakra and felt his wounds begin to heal…

The spirits of all those slain by the Wraith Knight began to fly out of the shattered remains of his Vampire Bone Sword…he saw the faces of the villagers…men, women, children, young and old…finally free from their inhuman captivity within the sword…their spirits were finally freed and it didn't take long for Naruto see the results of the battle as the undead people were finally sent back into the ground and reduced to ash and seemed to fade away…the spirits seemed to slowly vanish and that was enough for Naruto to relax a bit as he looked to see Tsunade, Jiraiya, Shizune, and Ton-ton rushing towards him, covered in mud, dirt., sweat, and some blood…but alive and were all safe. They kept their word to be alive when he saw them..as he knew they would…it made him happy to see the Pervy Sage…and also Tsunade and Shizune…though more stronger emotions filled him as he saw the two women.

He smiled as his wounds began to close…but his smile was stopped as he felt a black and foul presence fill the air and he quickly got Holy Talon ready in a two handed grip as the remains of the Wraith Knight was suddenly consumed by a blood red flame…he saw the remains consumed and he then felt great evil and quickly shouted to the two Sannin, Shizune and Ton-ton.

"NO! STAY BACK!!"

The group stopped as he moved back…ready to fight as he was covered in the Kyuubi's chakra…ready to fight as the flames began to grow in intensity…and then a cold and demonic voice filled the air as the Sannin, Shizune, and Ton-ton came in closer…

((("Interesting…you were able to best my minion…, a mid to high level summoned minion…despite being a novice Dragon Champion…that tells me you are of great promise…")))

Naruto gazed as the flames' light died and he felt a feeling of cold fear grip his heart for a moment as he saw what or who was before him…

Over the still existing ruins of the Wraith Knight and bathed in the blood red flame was sword…that resembled Holy Talon…at least in design…but it was vastly different. The blade was midnight black in the middle while the edges were blood red and there were gemstones in the middle of the blade and there were saw like teeth in the middle of the edges…there was a dragon head that gripped the base of the blade with two fang shaped prongs on the sides of the mouth. The hand guard had a wing design with spikes on the top of the hand-guard…the handle was long…showing that it could be wielded in the same way as Holy Talon, either in a single hand or both…the hand grip was in a scale like pattern…but were blood red mixed with black and bone white. The pommel was a Dragon claw grasping a human skull that had the mouth open in a scream and had two gems for eyes and the middle of the hand guard had a blood red eye with a black slit in the eye and it was glowing in malevolent fire.

Even if he had never saw the sword before…Naruto knew already just what or rather…who the sword was…

"Death Fang…"

((("I see you know me well…Naruto Uzumaki…you are not exactly what I expected to be the chosen to face me as Holy Talon's master…but your defeat of my minion is proof that you have promise…ah…but you are inhabited by a demon…of great power…how odd that is…has Holy Talon gone weak and soft minded over the years?")))

And for the first time, Holy Talon's voice was heard by everyone present.

(("You have not changed…you're still as contemptuous as ever…why are you here?"))

((("Simple…I came to sample this world's richness as I have instructed my Wraith Knight to show me and it is rich indeed…so many lovely beings to kill, enslave…and torture! The souls of those you couldn't save in time were…delicious…I want more…")))

"I won't yet you do anything to my world you sick monster!!"

Naruto shouted as he readied Holy Talon…but his companion stopped him.

(("Don't attack him Master Naruto!! It's merely an Astral Projection…Death Fang is not really before you…you'd waste your energies attacking it."))

((("True indeed…and I cannot harm you as well…I can only send my minions as I need my own Master to truly fight you…ah but I sense you two have weakened…that means you will not be as strong to fight me and my own master if he were to claim me now…that is a shame…but I wonder if there are truly evil beings in this world…or I would be bored to death unless I amuse myself by sending my minions to pillage and burn the lands here.")))

"Why don't you tell me where you are so Holy Talon and I relieve you of your bloody misery?!"

((("My…fiery aren't you? You have chosen a very interesting boy to be your Master Holy Talon…I wonder what would happen if I had claimed him instead of you …once I had purged him of his weak human emotions and freed his demon…then this world would truly be under our control… that would have pleased my creator immensely…")))

(("All the more reason that I am happy to have shielded him from you and chosen him as my master Death Fang…Naruto will be the protector of this world and will never side with you."))

"And there's no way I would ever allow myself to be your master you monster!!"

((("Monster? Child… I have been called far worse names than merely monster…so you are wasting you're breath. But know that while have defeated my minion…he was merely one out the thousands of minions that I command and while I have no Master…I will not be idle…I shall send more of my servants to invade this world and corrupt all they can to feed my powers, as well as amuse me…and once I have gained my master…I shall truly see how strong you are…you're skills as a ninja…were interesting…but weak…you have relied on that demon in you for power, and Holy Talon for advice and support…but what about you? What are YOUR abilities")))

"What the hell are you talking about?!"

((("I see that you have potential…you're victory over MY minion is proof of that…but you came close to death more than once…and only through the salvation of that demon's power were you saved…and your limited and yet interesting skills…but those will not save you…both you and Holy Talon are drained of power…and you are still a novice…while I am at the zenith of my power…there is no doubt that if I have my master…then you will die swiftly…you have been trained as a ninja…and you rely only on that cloning technique and that energy sphere. That says to me that you have wasted your time for a true warrior masters many skills, and you rely only on luck and your drive to succeed…powerful as they are…with the aid of Holy Talon and the demon in you have within you. You are not yet a Dragon Champion of true power and yet you have never utilized your OWN gifts…you rely on their support alone… thus…you are not a true fighter. Take Dragon Champion Shana…she was able to perfect her senses before ever acquiring Holy Talon and mastering the Dragon Eye, and Khalen…he mastered his Boundless State style before he ever possessed Holy Talon…they had worthy skills…you may have that cloning technique…and that move you call the Rasengan…but is that all you can do? You're skills are not strong yet to be a true ninja…despite those said techniques…")))

Naruto glared but it struck a chord in him…during the time he was training in the Rasengan…he recalled the absolute difficulty he had in passing the second step…he recalled the time he was still young and he, Kiba, Shikamaru, and Chouji had skipped class and gained Iruka's anger and he showed them how to channel and focus chakra with leaves of their heads…it was this memory that allowed him to master the second step…but all that time he wasted on being a truant in the Academy…and that time…

(("Master Naruto! Focus on the matter at hand!!"))

Naruto shook his mind from those thoughts and focused on Death Fang….the sword then directed it's eye towards the others and Tsunade and Jiraiya got ready as well as Shizune while Ton-ton was behind the Medic-nin. The sword studied them carefully and laughed.

((("So…you are the Sannin…Jiraiya and Tsunade I see…and both of you are ready to fight me…how touching…powerful as you are in this world…you cannot beat me…no mortal art or weapon can break me for I am created from the very body of my creator…as Holy Talon was created from his own creator. You had best move away for now…while I am not there…I am still capable of achieving magic to affect you as well.")))

"Leave them alone! You're fight is with me and Holy Talon!!"

Death Fang's eye turned back to Naruto and the sword's voice laughed hideously.

((("Ah yes…that is true, however it will not be worthy challenge to slay you now as you are…though it would be wiser…I relish the thought of tasting your blood when I am free and in the hands of my master, So until that time comes…I will leave, but before I do…I have only a piece of advice…take it or discard it…I do not care…but you had better train yourself well in ALL the skills you will need…for as gifted with potential as you are…you are no match for me the way you are now…and you will then be no match for me and my Master…look well on this corrupted land…Champion…and reflect well on the dead and the destroyed…for this will be the fate of your world!! )))

The Astral image faded and Naruto was now alone as the others rushed up to him…Naruto however paid no attention as he and the Dragon Wardens re-sealed the Kyuubi's chakra as he saw the barren and corrupted land before him…and the piles of ash that were once people…he thought about how the people must have fared and knew that while it was over, he was given a very visual idea of the fate that awaited the people of his world. The blonde ninja spoke then to his companion.

(Is there…any way we can fix this?)

(("Yes…we can help the land heal itself now that the Wraith Knight is gone… as it was the source of the corruption…but it will take time for this land to heal…"))

(I should have been stronger than this…)

(("You will be Master Naruto…the next time we face the minions Death Fang summons…we will be stronger."))

(I know…)

--

Unknown to them…

A figure…hiding in the shadows nearby watched the events unfold and as he saw both Tsunade and Jiraiya arrive…he couldn't help but sigh as he turned to Naruto and spoke to himself.

"Well Naruto-kun…you have really driven yourself into quite a mess…It seems that capturing you will be a serious mistake…now that you own that sword and the enemy you must face…I guess that means altering our plans yet again when it comes to dealing with you."

The figure turned and then looked into the midnight moon and revealed…

The Sharingan….and the light revealed none other than Itachi Uchiha…

He looked at Naruto once more and spoke silently.

"You will be truly an interesting one…Naruto-kun. Until we meet again…"

--

The next day…

Naruto walked back with the others to the road leading to Konoha…the others were happy that he was alive and safe…they had thought the worst while they had been fighting the undead people that were controlled by the Wraith Knight. They had been able to attract the attention of the Wraith Knight's undead minions to allow Naruto attack…and when they had seen the undead fall once more and were reduced to ash, they were happy…that is until they saw the sword that rivaled Holy Talon…Death Fang.

The Sannin were busy talking about what they had seen and promising to keep this away from the Council for the time being as they had no idea how to explain all this to the ninja Council just yet. Shizune was also walking at talking about what they had seen. Naruto had spent time in healing the land as he used a Nature spell known as healing rain to release a shower of healing water on the lands to reverse the corruption…once he was done…they headed back to the abandoned town that they had used as a base and rested...they then went on their way but not before they and Naruto went back to the sight and gathered the ash and bones of the people they had burned the day before and buried the remains in a proper grave-site…and now here they were…heading back to Konoha…

Naruto on the other hand was silent as he thought back on what Death Fang's words were…and he realized that he had been an idiot before acquiring Holy Talon…he had plenty of time back in his younger days in the Academy and yet he had wasted them all by being late…skipping school, playing pranks, and more. Had he known that he would have been recognized as a true ninja back in the Chuunin Exams and gain recognition like he did when he fought in the ring, he would have…. How much time did he waste by being a trouble maker?

He thought about it all even more and realized that while there was time…he would have to be really serious about his training from here on out…he was not going to give up the things he loved…but he now had to devote his time to training as a ninja once more…even if it seemed idiotic at first…he would have to relearn all the needed things about being a ninja…even if it means going back into the Academy…because if a ninja who was far better than he was got Death Fang, then he was in grave danger. He had a discussion with Holy Talon about this on the way and his companion agreed that the time had truly come for him to devote himself to training as a Dragon Champion as well, he had to learn all he could from every Champion before him if he wanted to have a chance at facing Death Fang and it's minions again..

He then spoke to Jiraiya.

"Pervy Sage…"

"What is it Naruto?"

"I want to ask you something."

"What would that be?"

"If…if you had a chance to relearn everything that you should have mastered long ago…would you take that chance and do it?"

The two Sannin stopped and so did Shizune…this sounded serious as Naruto had been silent all the while and now that he was talking, it seemed that he had a serious matter on his mind. Jiraiya looked at Naruto and realized that ever since his battle with that Wraith Knight and his conversation with Death Fang…Naruto had been distant from them for a bit.

"Does this have anything to do with what that sword Death Fang said?"

Naruto nodded and he spoke.

"I got to thinking about all that happened and I realized that I had wasted so much time…and after what I have seen Pervy Sage, I guess it told me that I should have not wasted all those 12 years I had when I was still in the Academy. Instead of wasting all that time pulling pranks, skipping school, and making a mess all over Konoha, I should have applied my time in training in everything I needed to learn to be a ninja…I nearly died facing that Wraith Knight."

"Naruto…you defeated it you know…"

"I know that…but barely…just barely…I was lucky and I know luck's important and all…but that alone won't be enough. I should have trained better on how to focus my chakra back in the Academy and it would have shaved time off my training with the Rasengan. And you all saw what that Wraith Knight could do…even if it was alone…and it's just one among thousands that Death Fang could command…if that sword can do this much damage to the land and people without a Master…then…you know what I mean, if it gets a master evil enough to command it, then we're all going to be in for it…"

Tsunade, Shizune, and Jiraiya looked at one another and had to agree with Naruto…but still…

"And I have to be ready for that time when it comes…but I'm still a novice, there's no way I can beat both Death Fang and it's Master in this condition…and if I fail…then I die and there's a chance that there will not be others capable of wielding Holy Talon to stop them…"

Tsunade couldn't help but feel very worried…even more so now that Naruto said it…the first time he had been stabbed by the Wraith Knight's Vampire Bone Sword…she had used a lot of her healing chakra to heal him and nurse him back to health, along with Shizune's help. The wounds that sword could inflict were nothing like anything she had seen in her life…and it was only through her aid, Holy Talon's still present healing powers, and the Kyuubi's chakra that Naruto had survived. And the fact that Naruto was nearly killed twice was enough to make her even more terrified…now that she had seen and felt the evil of Death Fang…she couldn't help but feel even greater fear in her at the thought of that sword dealing the killing blow to Naruto.

"So I have to train even more now…but not just as a Dragon Champion…but as a ninja as well…because there's a big chance that another will find Death Fang…and if someone does…and that person is a really powerful and highly skilled ninja and evil…then I will not be able to beat him or her at all in either case. That's why I'm going to relearn everything I should have learned back in the Academy…so I can improve my ninja skills…but I need help…"

Jiraiya snorted, grinned at Naruto and replied.

"You don't need to be so overly dramatic Naruto…I am still your teacher and I did teach you the Rasengan…and after all I've seen…I will help you learn whatever you need to be ready…and I have no doubts that your adopted father figure Iruka will help you…no doubt he'd see it as a gift from Kami that you've finally gotten serious about being a ninja. And I can bet once he knows about your battles, Kakashi will give you help too…though I recommend you learn from others too. It pays to learn all you can from those who can teach you. That enough for you squirt?"

Tsunade sighed and smiled at Naruto and replied.

"I guess I'll teach you as well."

"Really? About what Tsunade?"

"Simple…chakra control…you already know my ability to control my chakra is considered legendary and despite the fact you've got the Kyuubi inside of you…you NEED to learn chakra control so you can utilize your own chakra better and if possible…the Kyuubi's as well. Despite the fact I know I'll be swamped as the new Hokage, I'll try and find some time to train you in chakra control as much as I can…that all right with you?"

Naruto smiled at that…getting not one but TWO Sannin as teachers was a dream come true for ANY ninja…and to learn also from Kakashi-sensei and Iruka-sensei…he was overwhelmed and since Holy Talon was also going to teach him as well, along with every spirit inside of the sword…he was going to be really prepared.

"ALL RIGHT!!"

Shizune also spoke as well.

"Naruto-kun…I know I'm not as skilled as Tsunade-sama…but I will teach you what I know about chakra control…just in case she's not available to teach you…"

"No problem at Shizune! Thanks a lot!"

Naruto then hugged Shizune and while Shizune didn't mind it too much…she couldn't help but feel somewhat aware of the fact that despite his real age…she would have to admit that Naruto was indeed a very attractive sort of young man…give him a few years then he would be a hit for sure. She placed that out of her mind for the moment and asked Naruto to release her.

The group continued on towards Konoha and Naruto spirits was at an all time high as he got ready to finally become a true ninja…to achieve his dream of being Hokage…to keep his promise to protect Konoha, and to live up to the legacy and heritage of the Holy Dragon Champions.

It was going to be a hard road…but one he was looking forward to

--

To be continued…

--

Author's notes:

Well…Naruto passed the test with the skin of his teeth and Tsunade, Jiraiya, Ton-ton and Shizune managed to help him in defeating the Wraith Knight…though he nearly bites the knife in the first encounter…and yet again in the second battle. And it seems that Naruto's confrontation with Death Fang has made him reevaluate all the time he had spent in the Academy…and what that meant for him…

He then realized that the way he is now…both as a ninja and as a Dragon Champion, he would stand no chance in a fight with Death Fang if the Chaos Dragon Sword were to find it's own master and to further prove that point…if anyone was strong and evil enough to be chosen as Death Fang's master and the Chaos Dragon Champion, and is a powerful ninja…then he would stand no chance the way he was now…that was painfully shown to him in the two parts where he nearly lost his life. So what does he do?

He decides to relearn everything that he should have learned as a ninja back in the Academy all those years ago…and he now has Jiraiya as a teacher, and is an unofficial apprentice of Tsunade in terms of learning chakra control, along with Shizune teaching him when Tsunade is swamped with her duties as Hokage. That certainly does not mean that only the two Sannin will be training him…Iruka is going to relish this as it will be a dream come true for him to finally get the lessons into Naruto's head…Kakashi might also teach Naruto as well as soon as he hears about the battle…and who knows…Naruto even ask help from the other Jonin sensei, and even ask members of the Rookie 9 and even Neji's group to help him further improve his abilities as a ninja…couple that with his training to be a Dragon Champion …well…let's just say that things are going to be really hard from here on out.

That means that I'll be making some filler chapters…now before I get any reviews that say that I'll be spoiling the story and giving headaches to my readers…I'd like to point out that these fillers are still centered on Naruto's growth and development as both a ninja and Dragon Champion…along the way…we will work with the people who are part of the whole process. By the end of the fillers…we can have Naruto as a highly trained and deadly ninja and Dragon Champion…at least at that level as well….This also means that Naruto's respective relationships will also blossom and improve…who knows…the women in his life might very well have deeper feelings for him, I might include other women as well to spice things up…say a sister of Kiba's, while his male friends will trust and respect him more…and so will the village…a dream come true for Naruto as he climbs higher and higher.

Things however take another turn as Itachi has been observing the whole thing…what will happen to the ninja world once Akatsuki gets wind of Death Fang's existence…will any of them or their leader seek out the sword now that Itachi knows it exists? Will it be possible that one of the Akatsuki claim Death Fang for his or her own? We shall see…

However, it's not just Itachi this time, the next challenge is how will Sasuke react with the news and the fact that Naruto will now surpass him in almost every fashion? Not to mention the fact that he saw how his own brother holds Naruto in high regard and consider Naruto more important than him? You can bet things will get even tenser between the two and will soon boil over. And to prove my point even more, here's an advanced screening for all you eager readers…

Enjoy!

--

Trailer:

Kakashi smiled underneath his mask as he was with his students…Naruto was ecstatic at the news while Sakura was happy for Naruto and proud as she knew her deserved it after all the hard work he had done to get there…while Sasuke remained indifferent as he looked at his team.

"Wow…I can't believe you got promoted Naruto-kun!"

"Thanks Sakura-chan…seems like I finally made it to pass one part of the mountain."

"Well then…I guess that means that a celebration is in order…and since I've gotten some money and plenty of free time…I'm going to treat you guys out myself…and I know just the place which has the best beef, fish, and pork steaks in Konoha…unless you want ramen again Naruto?"

"That's okay Kakashi-sensei…I'll try anything out the first time out!"

"Good…come on then."

Sakura smiled and turned to Sasuke and saw that the dark haired Uchiha was silent.

"Are you coming with us Sasuke-kun…?"

"No…"

Before anything could be said…Sasuke left the scene and all three members of Team Kakashi looked on with some worry…even Naruto did not like this in the least. A fair distance away…Sasuke watched his team as they talked a bit and moved on…and as soon as he was assured they were no longer there…he turned to look at the nearby stone wall…and his face which was once passive and silent was filled with bitter rage and hatred….and he quickly began pounding the stone…not caring for his cut and bleeding hands as he recalled what happened in the hotel before.

(Damn you! Damn you to hell!! How can you surpass me Naruto?! How?! And this…and my brother!! DAMN!!)

Sasuke then stopped and looked at his bloody hands and screamed to himself.

(MARK MY WORDS BROTHER!! I WILL KILL YOU!! AND NARUTO, I WILL BEAT YOU!!)

--

By the way..I've been feeling a bit sick lately so until I recover…this will be the current chapter…and relax…once I'm on my road to full recovery…I'll be right back at this fic along with my other works.

See you all soon!


	22. Medical Mission Part 1

Naruto – The Twin Sword

Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Naruto or any media involved with said series.

Chapter 21

Part 1

Medical Mission

( ): Thoughts

((" ")): Holy Talon's voice

--

'_Healing is an art…something that can never be tainted no matter the case…it is easy to wound and hurt…with fist, blade, or spell…'_

'_But to heal and mend…ah, that is the hardest of all…it is an art of life…not death…and that is the hardest skill to master to it's zenith….those of you who follow the path of healing are truly gifted…'_

'_Now…let me show you…the gift of healing…'_

Speech of a Healer of the Silver Palm to students…

--

In the Academy class-room, late afternoon…

"All right then…what is the current number of countries today and what is the status of Konoha in relation with those countries?"

Naruto stood up as he was the only person in the class-room at the moment as all the other students were already back home as it meant that only he and Iruka were the only ones present in the class-room. Iruka had been surprised when Naruto requested to be re taught everything that he had missed out on during his 12 years in the Academy and when he thought that this was another prank…Naruto said that he was serious and wanted to be learn everything all over again.

Iruka saw that Naruto meant it and had decided to talk with the newly instated Hokage and she agreed and asked Iruka to re-train Naruto in the basic ninja skills and then told Iruka about the encounter with the Wraith Knight and the undead minions it commanded in battle and how close Naruto was to getting killed. He was shocked and when it was indeed confirmed…he agreed and decided to get Naruto ready for the missions and training ahead.

As Naruto began to speak on the lessons and give his answers…Iruka thought about the situation and decided that it was all for the best, and it was also a blessing in his mind as he finally got the chance to really train Naruto for the task of being a ninja…though it was unhealthy to know that Naruto nearly lost his life before he got the truth into his head that he needed to take being a ninja seriously.

--

Later that night…

Naruto sighed as he placed down his school bag as he opened the door to his apartment and was surprised when he was greeted by Kin, Hinata, Sakura, and Ino who apparently had been expecting him, along with the other members of the Rookie 9 teams…even Sasuke was there, though the still silent raven haired boy was showing that he was not planning to be here and he was still not fully cleared to be in active duty and was to be reporting back to the hospital later on.

"Wow…what are you guys doing here?"

Sakura replied.

"We wanted to see how the mission went…so how was it?"

Naruto was a bit confused by that and asked them a question.

"You want to know how the mission I was in went down?"

Kiba nodded and Akamaru barked as well.

"Of course we do Naruto…it's not every day a Genin gets chosen to be in such a high ranking mission with a Sanin of all things! When Hinata told Shino and me, we were surprised that you got picked for such a high level mission like that…especially since it involved you getting the village a new Hokage…so how did it go?"

"I must confess I am curious about the outcome of that mission…you seem to have been changed by that whole experience."

Shino replied as he sat down and so did Kiba and Akamaru…while Ino was reminding Chouji not to eat all the food that was there as it was for everyone. Shikamaru was also there as well and he was looking bored as usual…but there was a glint in his eye as he wanted to know about the mission's outcome as well.

Naruto thought about it and then wondered about something else.

"By the way Sakura-chan…how is Kakashi-sensei?"

"Tsunade-sama's arrival was none too soon, she was able to treat Sasuke-kun and Kakashi-sensei…but Lee-san…"

"What?! What's wrong with Lee?"

"I'm not sure…but I heard that Tsunade-sama said to Gai-sensei that Lee can no longer live as ninja…"

"No…I'll go and talk to Tsunade and to both Gai and Lee…maybe I can help in some way…"

Sakura sighed and spoke to Naruto.

"I know…but I wasn't finished…Tsunade-sama said that there was a chance that a surgical procedure could save Lee-san…but it would be only 50 percent. There's a 50 percent chance that Lee will make it…but there's a 50 percent chance he will die in the surgery…"

Naruto sighed as he felt helpless at not being able to help Lee after all Lee had put himself through…but he decided that if he ever found a way to help Tsunade increase Lee's chances of being able to be back as a ninja, he would not hesitate to help his friend in his recovery.

"I'll still find a way Sakura-chan…"

He then turned to Sasuke and his raven haired team-mate remained silent and then spoke.

"Why in the heck did they give you such a mission dobe?'

Sasuke did this to try and get his team-mate to be a bit angry…and Naruto knew this quickly, but doesn't rise to the bait and merely spoke calmly.

"To be honest…I have no idea…the Pervy Sage only asked me to come with him instead of the Jonin he was supposed to get for the mission. He merely picked me…and I guess since the mission worked out…there's nothing wrong…how are you doing though Sasuke?"

The raven haired Uchiha was surprised by the turnabout and is at first speechless and then recovers and stoically replies in his usual fashion.

"I'm standing aren't I?"

Naruto smiled and replied.

"That's the Sasuke I know…I knew Tsunade would be able to help you…after all…if it hadn't been for her…that damned undead creature would have killed me."

That got the attention of everyone and he knew that despite the fact he should have kept his trap shut about the events that happened and he decided to tell them what had happened in the mission that he was in with Jiraiya…and what happened afterwards. The Rookie 9 listened intently as Naruto explained what had happened on the way to where Tsunade was and how they had an encounter with Orochimaru…he had debated whether to tell them about his training with the Rasengan…but decided to keep that as his personal secret for now. He then told them of how he and the two Sannin had fought with Orochimaru and Kabuto…revealing that Kabuto was indeed a spy for Orochimaru.

Sasuke gave a triumphant smirk to Naruto and replied.

"Told you that guy was untrustworthy."

"Yeah…you were right Sasuke…but we gave those two a royal beating."

He then told them about the arrival of Holy Talon's creator Lord Faldren…they were surprised…Sasuke most of all at the description of Faldren's power in combat both in Dragon form and in human form. And how they had beaten and forced Orochimaru to retreat…however it was when he told them of his accidental use of the new spell Rebirth Flame to reverse the ages of both Tsunade and Jiraiya that really got the attention of the Rookie 9.

"Seriously?! You reversed Tsunade-sama's age to 20?!"

Sakura couldn't believe that when she heard it…she knew that Tsunade was already 50 due to her study on Konoha's history and on how many years Tsunade had spent both in Konoha and in her exile away from Konoha, but to actually learn that their Hokage was now THAT young because of Naruto made her shocked and amazed beyond words.

"T-T-That's amazing Naruto-kun!"

Hinata said as she was awed that Naruto actually had the power to restore the youth of a person to being young again. It was amazing that Naruto actually had that level of power now in his hands and his skills. He couldn't help but smile at how much her crush had grown in so short a time.

"So she's REALLY 20 years old now…damn…"

Kiba couldn't help but whistle as he had seen Tsunade and was shocked at how attractive the Hokage was…when he had learned that it was Henge and she was really 50 he felt a bit put down and sad…but to hear that the Henge was no longer on and she is now that hot looking…he couldn't help but smile.

"I see…no wonder my Destruction Bugs went crazy when they sensed her chakra…"

Shino replied as he recalled how active the Destruction bugs were when Tsunade had passed him by when she was going to the office of the Hokage. The bugs were surprised and somewhat disorganized for a moment before they calmed down enough for Shino to talk to them find out what had happened to them when Tsunade passed by.

"Wow…that's one really nifty trick Naruto-kun. You're lucky that bastard Orochimaru didn't find out about that spell's effects or he would have tried to kidnap you for sure."

Kin said as she knew that if her former master had found out about the power of the spell to reverse the aging process and restore youth and vitality…there was no doubt in her mind Orochimaru would spare no expense in capturing her Naruto-kun.

"Cool…that's one really cool power you have now Naruto."

Ino said as she couldn't help but smile in awe at the power Naruto had…she had never heard of any jutsu being able to literally give youth back to a person, and to know that Naruto could use it was certainly impressive.

"That would be pretty cool…"

Was all Chouji said as she munched on his favorite bag of chips.

"You used a spell to reverse a person's age?"

Shikamaru couldn't believe what he had heard…of all the jutsus he heard about…a jutsu that literally granted youth was unheard of…but his blonde Genin companion Naruto had pulled it off and had been able to reverse the age of an older person…. That in his mind was certainly an achievement.

Sasuke said nothing whatsoever…but he glared at Naruto nevertheless as he couldn't believe what the dobe had been able to do ever since getting that sword and using some hidden powers in himself…he recalled how he had seen Naruto fight both Kisame and his own brother…and that made him even more angry.

As soon as he was able to speak…Naruto spoke to all of them.

"Yeah…but for Kami' sake, promise me your guys won't let a word of this out! If this gets out in Konoha…or anywhere else…I'll be swamped with people asking me to reverse their ages for them…I'll never have a moment's peace."

The others promised…well the ones who spoke did…while Sasuke merely grunted and Naruto had no choice but to take that answer as yes for the time being. He then told them about the battle he had with the Wraith Knight and what he described got quite the response and even Sasuke was surprised at how the Wraith Knight had nearly slain Naruto…had it not been for last minute move and the assistance of both Jiraiya, Shizune, and Tsunade, the day afterwards when they had to bless and burn the bodies of the recently slain and reanimated was enough enthrall the Rookie 9 and since he was not lying to them in any way…they could see that he was telling the truth…his victory over the Wraith Knight made them feel relieved…and he told them about meeting the Wraith Knight's master…though he didn't tell them about Death Fang…as soon as he was done…Shikamaru…instead of looking lazy was wide eyed and then whistled.

"You're pretty damn lucky to have lived through that Naruto…is that why you've re-enrolled in the Academy?"

"How did you know about that?"

"The books obviously…you usually were not the kind to be reading books back in the Academy days. Not to mention you're not in the usual hangouts like you used to go to…and even Teuchi and Ayame don't see you as often."

Naruto nodded and spoke.

"You're right…now that I thought about what happened…I guess it woke me up and told me how much I've messed up ever since the day I graduated from the Academy…that's why I went back and asked Iruka-sensei to re-train me all over again when he has the free time…our new Hokage allowed it as well."

"But why Naruto? You're a Genin already right? You don't need to go back in the Academy."

Ino asked…she had never seen Naruto act like this before…and while it was a bit refreshing from his boisterous and loudmouthed nature, it was kind of troubling to see him like this, and it made her feel sad for him now.

Naruto nodded and sighed as he looked out the window.

"That might be true…but in that battle…something happened that woke me up to a very important truth…that I had wasted the 12 years I had in the Academy playing pranks, getting chewed out by Iruka-sensei, fouling up exams, and failing three times, and I never got to use all my own talents and get to be a real ninja. In that way…you guys are far better ninja than I am."

That made the Rookie 9 take notice and so did Kin as this was the first time Naruto talked like this…he wasn't acting like the goofy, loudmouth, hyperactive, and thickheaded ninja they knew…but a battle hardened veteran who had learned very painful lessons over the years. Naruto then turned to them and looked at each of them seriously and began to speak about their advantages while pointing at them.

"You've got your family Shadow Manipulation Jutsu and your great intellect Shikamaru, you've got your father's Mind and Body Manipulation jutsus Ino, you've got Akamaru and your clan's abilities and Taijutsu Kiba, you've got your family's ability to enlarge their bodies and their body parts for powerful attacks Chouji, you've got the Byakugan and the Gentle Fist Style, Hinata-san, You've got the Destruction Bugs of your clan Shino, Sakura-chan has good chakra control and smarts, and Sasuke has the Sharingan and all the abilities of his clan…the way I see it…you guys have more potential to be greater ninja than me…I've bummed around for 12 years and the only time I realized how true it was, was when that damned undead warrior had me impaled on the shoulder by that sword of his…and what it's master said to me..."

Naruto reached for his shoulder and winced a bit…as while the pain and effects of the attack had faded and the wounds healed…the memory was still there.

"But you beat that thing right Naruto-kun?"

Kin asked as the rest of the Rookie 9 saw the pain of memory in Naruto's face as he seemed to recall the battle. None of them…not even Sasuke had seen Naruto like this. Naruto sighed and then turned and sat down on the couch.

"Yeah…I beat it…but barely…just barely, and that's why I returned to the Academy for the time being…to re-train myself to be a better ninja than I was when I went to the Land of Waves months ago…because the way I am now…I won't stand a chance if I meet the Master of the Wraith Knight again…the undead was but one of the others that…being could command. If I can't be a worthy ninja to be equal to my sword Holy Talon then I won't last long."

The group was silent for a while until Naruto smiled and replied.

"But as long as I have friends and people I care about…I will be stronger no matter what…so let's stop being all gloomy here. There's good food here and lots to talk about…so let's hurry before we let all the food go bad…okay?"

The Rookie 9 looked at Naruto and sighed as they decided to eat and sat down on the chairs and have some time for themselves…they each had asked their parents permission to surprise Naruto for his success at brining the new Hokage Tsunade to Konoha, and while the parents were not all that sure yet…they didn't mind as long as they were careful. The food there was Japanese pizza, sashimi, pork and beef dumplings, beef hot pot, beef stew, tempura, and naturally Naruto's favorite…ramen from the Ichiraku Stand delivered by Teuchi earlier. The group ate the food and Naruto was happy that he had people around his home for once and he trusted them enough, and this was the first time he enjoyed having guests in his modest place. Though he decided to have to make sure that he should ask for some money to renovate the place for the time being.

Sasuke watched Naruto as he was eating and chatting with the others and merely looked on and ate what he had until he decided to leave…he said he would be fine and when he left…there was a pair of ANBU waiting for him and a medic nin as he was brought back to the hospital.

--

The next day…

Naruto looked at the targets and calmed himself and quickly fired off several shuriken and the weapons were getting closer to the main bulls eye of the targets…he moved to the next set and then tried to attack the next target while on the move…there were several logs with targets painted on them as he ran and threw the shuriken and his accuracy was improving somewhat as he moved on to the next batch of targets only these were moving in the breeze as they were planks tied to rope and were spinning and swaying…making them harder to hit as they were moving targets.

Naruto tried to fire his shuriken but he missed some of the targets while the other shuriken didn't even come close to hitting the outer rims of the targets and he was not happy…

"Darn it…"

"Nice try Naruto-kun…try again…and make sure to time your throws next time when you use the shuriken."

Iruka said as Naruto nodded and decided to do the course yet again. The Chuunin was busy working with Naruto for the day as he had no classes to teach and he decided to see how Naruto's shuriken training was going, he had to make sure that although Naruto's training was going to take time, he would squeeze in every conventional and unconventional lesson he could come up with to teach Naruto what he could.

Naruto did the shuriken exercises over the next few hours and then the tight rope tests…and while he fell in more than once…his training with Kakashi in tree-walking and Ebisu in the art of water walking was bearing fruit as he got better and better at the training…back then he fell almost every time he got on the ropes…but this time he wasn't falling off at all.

Iruka nodded and then smiled as another person arrived and he called Naruto forward as soon as the blonde ninja came back. Naruto was surprised to find none other than Ebisu himself there, as the elite Jonin looked Naruto over and spoke.

"I'm here to see if what I heard was true…are you really re-learning everything that you should have learned back in the Academy Naruto-kun?"

"Yep…that's all true Ebisu-sensei…so what brings you here?"

Ebisu smiled and replied.

"Of course I'll be catching up on what we missed before...you'll be learning how to walk on water…"

"But I already know how to do that."

"True…but now you need to learn how to walk on water…when carrying objects or people…and fighting on water as well…have you learned that?"

Naruto was surprised and knew that he never learned that before as Ebisu took out what appeared to be a vest filled with weights and Ebisu then directed Naruto to a nearby river…which was not too deep and told Naruto to put on the vest…and thankfully the vest was easy to remove…As soon as Naruto wore it…the weight nearly made him sink into the water and it was where he had to learn how to move with weight on him on water and as he tried to move without sinking…he was given some tips by Ebisu and Iruka. The Chuunin then turned to speak to Ebisu.

"So how is Konohamaru doing?"

"He's been working hard and training hard…I have no doubt that while it will take him some time to master any worthwhile jutsu…I still have to teach him NOT to use that jutsu he learned from Naruto-kun…embarrassing as it is."

Iruka sweat dropped as he already had an idea of what sort of Jutsu Ebisu was talking about and shook his head at Naruto as the blonde was slowly beginning to master how to move around the surface of the water with weights on him. This lasted for the better part of the day and well into lunch time and Naruto was dying to finally have a hot bowl of ramen…and for once…Naruto had enough money to pay for his own meals…much to the relief of both Iruka and Ebisu.

Teuchi and Ayame were happy to see Naruto and even more so now that he was paying for his meals instead of relying on Iruka or Ebisu…he chugged down bowl after bowl of ramen to make up for the powerful work-out he had been in recently and he needed some warm food in himself as the water in the river was rather cold. As soon as he downed his twelfth bowl of ramen Naruto sighed and out came a small cloud as he enjoyed the meal he had.

"Now that hit the spot!"

"Well…at least you're feeling better…however I recommend you go get a decent bath Naruto…namely at a hot-spring until your clothes dry up."

Ebisu replied as he and Iruka ate their food.

"But shouldn't I get back into training?"

"No sense going back to training if you catch a cold right now Naruto…hit the hot springs…you need it to relax and warm up until we start again…don't forget you have a review of the last lessons you had before so don't take too long."

"All right then…hot springs it is!"

Naruto paid for his meal and quickly made his way to the area where the hot-springs were and along the way he ran into Konohamaru, Moegi and Udon…the grandson of the Third smiled in greeting of his idol and was happy to see his old friend and rival. Konohamaru had not taken the news of Tsunade being the new Hokage lightly and protested greatly, but after witnessing Tsunade's medical skills, her strength, her commitment to the people, and mostly…well her looks, plus Naruto's assurances that Tsunade was very capable did he relent…and in truth had gotten along with Tsunade for some time now. The young Academy student and his friends greeted Naruto in their usual fashion…

"Hey Boss Naruto!! How are you?"

"Hey there Konohamaru, Moegi, Udon, how are you doing?"

"We're okay Naruto-san…how have you been doing?"

Udon asked as he looked at Naruto…he had thought Sasuke was cool…but Naruto was also cool and he was certainly a strong ninja…no wonder Konohamaru idolized him greatly.

"I'm cool…but I've been training for quite a while now so I'm heading off to the hot-springs for a good warm bath…so how was school?"

"School's great boss and I'm training real hard…Ebisu-sensei isn't all that bad a teacher now that I think about it….I got to go Boss….I have to take care of some things and then go out with Moegi and Udon for another round of our own training…see ya!"

"See you too Konohamaru!"

Naruto chuckled at Konohamaru as he and his friends left…it reminded Naruto a good deal about how he was when he was younger to say the least and he couldn't help but think about it…he put that aside and arrived in the hot-springs…he reached one of the spring resorts and paid the elderly female keeper and asked to have his clothes dried…he then got out his boxers as he stripped and was now in his towel…it seemed that for the moment…he was very much alone in the whole resort at the moment and as he allowed himself to relax as he was about to enter the hot spring.

He was unaware of the fact that there were going to be a small number of observers of him.

--

Sakura, Ino, and Hinata were busy taking some free time to train themselves as they had actually been inspired by Naruto to further improve their jutsus and skills when they had the free time…their fellow team members were elsewhere…Kiba was helping his family in their time off veterinarians and feeling Akamaru, Chouji was on a training session with his father Chouza , Shikamaru was busy with his game of Shogi with Asuma, and Shino was studying bugs with his father to ready for another mission.

The three girls were soon joined by Kin and Tenten and they were busy training at the moment so they could each take their time effectively while there wasn't much to do at the moment. As they were busy training they then decided to take a break and rest…Hinata had brought some food and drink and they all decided to relax and eat to their heart's content. It was then that Sakura decided to climb up one of the rises as the place they were training in had a vantage point of Konoha. The others followed her and when they did…they realized that they were close to the hot-springs area.

"Man…maybe we should all go to the hot-springs and get some time off. I could certainly use a hot bath."

Ino said as they looked at the hot springs…thinking about how wonderful it would be to finally have a warm bath after all the training they had done. It was then that Hinata spied a strange looking boy in the male side of the nearby hot-spring resort…she blushed and was about to turn away when she spotted the familiar spiky blonde hair and gasped…before she could stop herself she used her Byakugan and sure enough…

"Naruto-kun!!"

The other female ninja were surprised and since they didn't have Hinata's Byakugan…they couldn't see as far as she did…however it was then that Ino recalled having some old binoculars in her bag and rushed as fast as she could down and grabbed it and quickly distributed them to the other Kunoichi. As soon as they saw what Hinata was seeing…they were in awe…

They finally got to see Naruto in the buff before he entered the hot spring…they were all drooling at the muscles they saw on him…from his shoulders, arms, back, and his….ass was so…well shaped and his lower form was so well formed…they gasped as he went into the hot spring and soaked in the heat…they were sad that the steam had hidden Naruto from their view for the time being…but at the moment…

(Wow! Naruto-kun's got a hot ass!! Damn!!)

Ino thought as she looked on as a trickle of blood was flowing out his nose. She had thought Naruto was a hunk before…but she saw him as a god and damn! She wanted to run her hands on Naruto right now!!

(N-N-N-N-Naruto-kun…so hot…he's so….hot!!)

Hinata thought as she looked on and blushed bright red as her own nose was in nose bleed mode….she knew her crush Naruto-kun had become very handsome…but now…she was having VERY indecent thoughts

(Damn….I have GOT to get my hands on him!!)

Kin said as she was having a nose bleed and she felt even hotter as she recalled what she saw of Naruto…and to think she was staying in the same apartment as him and he looked like THAT underneath all those clothes he wore.

(Wow…Naruto-kun, you've really changed…you're so…yummy!)

Sakura thought as she tried her best not to faint from blood loss as she looked on,…disappointed that the mist was hiding Naruto. Despite the fact that it was scandalous…she couldn't help but imagine…

(Holy Kami! He's smoking!!)

Tenten gulped as she felt her heart beat faster as she saw Naruto in the buff and she was not happy that he was now covered in the mist and she couldn't see him again…she had never seen Neji in the buff before but now her mind was filled images of Naruto in the buff.

The girls were suddenly treated to an even more interesting show as Naruto finally got out after taking a good soak and swim. Only this time it was in the side of him that they didn't see…and that was full frontal and the Kunoichi got t6o see the rest of him as Naruto was loosening his hair from the water…Naruto smiled and they saw his relaxed expression as he then shook his head a bit…allowing his blonde hair and the silver highlights to move about his face…making him look even more handsome than before as his eyes were open.

They then saw his full body and they were shocked and awed to finally see his front and what a view…they saw how well built Naruto was as they saw his pectorals, the six pack abs which were somehow fitting for him despite being actually 12 and fitting his height as well…he was so well built as he got out of the water and since he was out of the steam, eh saw him clearly…and that was when they saw…Naruto's…package…thought he covered himself with a towel so they could not see it completely…but it was enough…

The five female Konoha Kunoichi were thunderstruck as they saw…Naruto in ALL his glory and they all fainted dead away as the image of Naruto TOTALLY naked was enough to stun them.

THUD!!

Naruto had a feeling that told him that he was not alone and scanned the area…but after being assured by his ninja senses that he was not in danger, he decided to turn and leave…feeling VERY refreshed and back in the game to continue his training…

However…unknown to BOTH Naruto and the five Kunoichi…they were NOT the only ones who had managed to get an eyeful of the blonde ninja in the nude…

"Hot damn…now that boy is REALLY going to be tasty…not only does he have the looks, and his blood tastes good…but what a body and what a package!! I'm going to have fun with him!!"

Anko said as she had a feral smile as she was looking at the blonde earlier in her own pair of binoculars…she routinely did this in order to have some fun on her free time when not on missions and such. The Jonin had fully recovered from the battle and was enjoying her free time and decided to see just who was in the male side of the hot-springs…and lo and behold…it was Naruto…and she was more than happy with what she had seen of the blonde kid…and she then turned and spoke to her companion.

"What do you think about the latest find…Kurenai?"

Kurenai turned and gave Anko a look that told the Special Jonin to never mention what they saw this day. The Jonin sensei of Hinata, Kiba, and Shino had been busy with her usual work as a new Jonin when Anko had grabbed her and brought her with her on this new trip…and while she didn't mind being with her friend, she was not liking the ideas Anko had…but this time…Kurenai was stunned as well as she recalled what she saw on Naruto…the boy resembled a young teenager at the age of sixteen or seventeen…not a young boy like twelve…and while she was attracted by what she saw…she was not sure it was a good idea…however…there was no stopping the blush on her face…

Anko laughed and replied.

"I've got to say…for a young kid…that Naruto is a hot one…what do you think Kurenai, should we kidnap him and?"

"Anko! Don't try it…you know the new Hokage would never allow it…"

"Yeah…she does have a soft spot for that kid…maybe when he's older then. But seriously…he's hot huh?"

"He is attractive…."

"So go for him Kurenai, he's younger and more energetic! Let's not forget…he's got a hot body, a GREAT ASS, and one HELL of package for his age! We can share him if you like! Or maybe have that cute Hyuuga girl Hinata join in…"

"Anko! That's quite enough!"

However Anko merely smirked as the light blush on Kurenai's face was now crimson, noire so than her own eyes, at the thought of her getting intimate with Naruto of all people. She too had very interesting thoughts concerning the blonde ninja and licked her lips at the images of how much fun she was going to have with Naruto once she got her hands on him.

--

The next day…early morning…

Kakashi was back in the village after a grueling mission and decided to pay Naruto a visit as he had heard that the boy was training…but as he did so…he spotted the blonde ninja moving towards the field and with some curiosity decided to follow the blonde. As soon as he arrived…he was somewhat surprised to see Naruto walking on water and wearing a vest that appeared to be filled with weights…the blonde was sweating as he walked back and forth on the water on the river. The determined look on Naruto's face was interesting to see for the white haired Jonin.

(Well now…it seems Naruto's working out pretty hard…I wonder if Gai had anything to do with the weights he's got on him?)

He approached and greeted Naruto as the tired blonde took off the vest after taking a break.

"Hey Naruto…"

"Kakashi-sensei! It's great to see you!"

Naruto ran up to his Jonin sensei and smiled…happy to see Kakashi up and on his feet.

"You're up and I'm happy, Tsunade really helped you out huh?"

Kakashi nodded at his energetic student and had to thank him for having brought Tsunade to help him recover from the Sharingan jutsu Itachi had used on him.

"That's true…and I know I have you to thank for getting her to come to Konoha and be our Hokage…you've really come a long way since I last saw you…so how are things when I last saw you?"

Naruto filled Kakashi in on everything since the mission to find Tsunade and even the encounter with Orochimaru…along with Itachi and Kisame…Kakashi was impressed that Naruto was able to hold his own against both Kisame and Itachi and even both Orochimaru and Kabuto…but he was worried when he heard about the battle between Naruto and the Wraith Knight…and he couldn't help but feel even more worried when Naruto told him about how close to death he had come when he was stabbed by the undead warrior, and it was with Tsunade and Shizune's help that he was saved, along with the Kyuubi, and he was shocked to hear what kind of power Death Fang had when it's minion could re-animate the dead and corrupt the land…he was also surprised about Naruto's promise when he learned Akatsuki to never give them the Kyuubi now matter the cost.

As soon as Naruto was done explaining the whole thing…Kakashi sighed and decided to speak.

"You've got a lot to prepare for then Naruto, so let me see how well you've advanced."

Naruto nodded and when he was fully rested…he sparred with Kakashi , and both Jonin and Genin were hard at work as Kakashi tested Naruto and saw that while Naruto still had a long way to go…he was well on his way and was improving…he was happy that Naruto was more serious and dedicated to his training as a ninja…but even he wished that it wasn't due to nearly losing his life…he had been impressed by Naruto's growing abilities…and to know that Naruto was truly determined to be a worthy ninja made him smile.

The two spent the early morning sparring and Kakashi giving him some training tips and it was also then that Naruto revealed his knowledge of the Rasengan to his Jonin sensei. Kakashi was surprised and had to admit that his Genin student had grown up…having mastered such a high ranking jutsu…however he knew that it was still not a complete one…but until Naruto was older…decided to help him by teaching a few extra lessons in chakra control. Iruka and Ebisu arrived and the two Jonin and the Chuunin tested Naruto for the rest of the day…Kakashi served as Naruto's opponent in the lesson on how to fight on water and Kakashi proved to be quite the challenge for Naruto as the Jonin went all out to test Naruto…and instead of complaining…like he did in the past….Naruto got up and got ready to fight again with Kakashi.

The Jonin was in approval of Naruto as he got up and continued to fight and the two were going all out. He knew that him going all out at Naruto would seem unfair as he was a high ranking Jonin…but he had to as Naruto had to be stronger as well…Sasuke was his priority as Jiraiya had told him…but he had to give Naruto as much training as he could because after all…if Naruto said that Death Fang would send out it's minions in the coming times…and Naruto was the one who had to face them…he had to give Naruto the edge he needed.

Naruto was happy as he was now being trained seriously by Kakashi and he was going to give all he got as he and the Jonin traded punches…kicks, and kunai as they moved from the water to land and back again.

After their sparring Ebisu increased the weight on Naruto's vest and made him do the water walking training once again while Iruka used several logs as obstacles and targets for Naruto to fight with as the three shinobi watched their student's progress…

After lunch and a quick break…Naruto was at it again…only this time he was training not just with Kakashi-sensei, Iruka-sensei, and Ebisu…but also with several of his own spirit summons…namely a Falcon Ranger, a Steel Lancer, and a Sword Adept Dragon Champion, the three spirit summons began to teach Naruto about their respective arts as well. Kakashi nodded as he knew that Naruto…while growing in talent had to train hard in the other combat arts to be a better fighter…if he would stand a chance against Holy Talon's rival and counterpart Death Fang. He and the others watched at Naruto began to study under his other teachers and the day wore on.

Unknown to them…Sasuke had snuck out of the hospital earlier and had watched the while training session and was feeling even more envious as he watched his team-mate gain the training of Kakashi and even Iruka and Ebisu…he got tired of watching and snuck back to the hospital and thought about what he had seen.

--

The next few days were a whirlwind of activity for Naruto as he was being trained in the Academy and outside of it by various masters which was why he wasn't around all that much at the moment with the others…Sakura missed having Naruto around to make the day interesting…but she didn't mind and when she did meet him…she wished him the best of luck. However it didn't take long for Naruto and Iruka to come to her and offer her a duty…

Sakura was surprised when Iruka asked her to be Naruto's tutor whenever he was not available to teach Naruto and Naruto agreed to the idea as he trusted Sakura a great deal.

She agreed and spent time teaching Naruto the lessons in the Academy that Iruka handed to her. She would smile at the time she spent with him and Naruto was eager to learn as much as he could…it made her wonder what it would have been like if he was this dedicated and studious back in the Academy instead of being a truant…he would have been Rookie of the Year instead of Sasuke.

And she blushed at times as she recalled seeing in the nude back in the hot-springs and it was a challenge for her to try and be focused on teaching her team-mate the lessons that she was supposed to teach him for Iruka. And in the times Naruto would smile she couldn't help but blush a bit to herself when she managed to cover his advances with a book in his face and remind him of his training. But she did treat him well and she would have a ramen dinner with him at times…though in this case…it was in the company of Kin…who was not in the mood to leave Sakura alone with Naruto. The two would covertly glare at each other and send warning signals to each other…Sakura warning Kin NOT to take advantage of Naruto when he was asleep or alone with her or else…while Kin told Sakura to mind her own damn business and stay away from her Naruto-kun.

Sakura wasn't the only one however as Naruto decided to pay a visit to Hiashi previously. The head of the Hyuuga family and Senior Council Member had become one of Naruto's key supporters in the Council…after all, he knew that it was Naruto who had inspired his eldest daughter to be better and stand up for herself…and helped him bridge the gap between him and his nephew Neji. Hiashi had been told by Naruto about the incident and Hiashi decided to offer his support to Naruto's training.

Flashback…

"I see…so that is why you came to my house asking for advice Naruto-san?"

Naruto nodded to Hiashi as the two spoke in the courtyard…Hinata and Neji were also there as well as Hanabi, Hinata's younger sister. The three younger Hyuuga were surprised to see Naruto when he walked into the Hyuuga family estate one day…asking to speak to Hiashi. At first the servants, some of the Head Family, and some of the Branch family refused, but both Neji and Hinata vouched for him and here he was…discussing the events of what had happened in the mission to find Tsunade…

Hiashi had heard it from his daughter Hinata and had to admit that if such an evil power exists in their world and Naruto was the one to face it first hand meant that he would be the only one to defeat it…he had seen Naruto's abilities and was impressed by them and he was stunned that this undead creature Naruto described had been able to best and nearly kill Naruto and it was only with the aid of Shizune and the new Hokage Tsunade and his…resident that he survived to end the deadly threat of the Wraith Knight.

Naruto came there and asked him if there was any way for him to ask help from Hiashi and the Hyuuga clan. Hiashi thought about it and replied.

"Naruto-san, I owe you a debt that I am willing to pay in any way I can…and if helping you in the way of the Konoha shinobi to better face this evil is the way to do it…then I do so gladly."

"Thank you Hiashi-san…but…I'm not of your clan and I don't have the Byakugan…"

"That is true…but your abilities and skills are worthy indeed, and while you cannot master the Gentle Fist the way Neji and Hinata can…you can learn the methods of our fighting style to better improve your own combat skills…Neji, Hinata please come forward."

The two came close to Hiashi and Hinata tried not to faint at being so close to her crush. Neji was still calm as always but his relationship with the Head family had softened and he was now losing his anger and he has Naruto to thank for that fact.

Hiashi then asked both his daughter and nephew to train Naruto in some of the key tenements that made the foundation of the Hyuuga's Gentle Fist Style. Both agreed and that was the beginning of another factor in Naruto's training.

End of Flashback…

This meant that when Neji was free, he would teach Naruto some of the tenements of the Gentle Fist and so did Hinata…and the two Hyuuga clan members were marveling at Naruto skills as he slowly but surely began to grasp the methods and style of the gentle Fist…it was hard as Naruto did not possess the Byakugan as they did…but he was able to improvise and adapt…a very admirable thing…

Hinata was ecstatic at being close to her crush and she was having a VERY hard time but toughened herself up and taught Naruto as best she could along with Neji. She was happy now that she was able to be this close to Naruto and to know that she was helping him be stronger made her happy. She also made the food for them all and Naruto would make her even more happy as he called her a wonderful cook.

And true to her word, Naruto would come to the Hokage Tower and when Tsunade was able to find some free time…she began to teach Naruto about chakra control and how to better use his chakra despite the presence of the Kyuubi's chakra in his own. The blonde would test Naruto on what he had learned with Iruka and further train him and how to focus chakra to a point in his body and how to safely release his chakra…the training was tough…and Naruto struggled greatly as chakra control was never one of his strong points. But he kept on pushing and working hard…much to Tsunade's approval.

Tsunade also loved the free time she had with Naruto…the blonde would smile when she gave him support and blush whenever she teased him and she loved the idea of teasing him a lot. She was tough on him to help him train hard and he didn't complain too much as he knew that her training could truly help him in the soon to come conflicts. But once in a while…she would tease him and that made him blush furiously as he knew that she was now a beautiful blonde woman at the age of twenty…only eight years older than him.

She then took it further and showed Naruto a sample of her duties as Hokage to give him a feel of what it meant to be Hokage of Konoha..instead of getting too frustrated with all the paper work…Naruto attacked it with interest and used his training with Iruka and the tutoring he got from Sakura to even help her with some problems and with Holy Talon providing him with extra lessons in politics, economics, strategy, and diplomacy…he proved to be getting there…making Tsunade more sure that Naruto was destined to be not only a worthy Hokage of Konoha…but a great Dragon Champion worthy of the legacy of Holy Talon and those who wielded the sword. And she hoped someday…well, that was for another time…when Naruto was older.

Shizune then took over as she would also train Naruto in the same lessons as Tsunade on the topic of chakra control and she was happy to be able to help Naruto-kun in the struggle of learning how to fully master the part of chakra control in battle. She did admit that she was not as gifted as Tsunade or as knowledgeable as her mentor…but she truly had her own talents and Naruto considered her talented as a medic-nin and it did her heart good to be praised by Naruto…she also taught him what she knew about the arts of medicine and other arts that she felt he needed to learn.

She normally had duties as Tsunade's secretary and also as a emergency medic-nin and Jonin but she was willing to keep her promise and help Naruto in his training…and she began to be sweeter towards him as she found him to be a real sweet and kind hearted guy…she liked him and wished that she had met him when she was younger. She wondered if she was starting to like Naruto in a far more romantic sense like Tsunade…she was at first worried about her acting like a happy school girl with a crush on a young man…but she didn't mind as she began to teach Naruto and flirted lightly with him on a few instances…just to see his reaction and it was nice to see him blush a lot.

It was not just Tsunade and Shizune as well as Naruto was training even harder with his teachers from Dagern as well as Jiraiya, the previous Dragon Champions and Holy Talon and as the days passed…Naruto's overall skills as a ninja was steadily growing and even Tsunade had to admit that at the rate of his training which while slow was improving and growing harder and tougher, Naruto could very well become more than a Jonin or even an ANBU…but a Sannin like her, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya as Naruto's overall skills and abilities were proving to be greatly stronger than most of the Genin and Chuunin in Konoha…even Kakashi admitted that his student was reaching a Jonin level…though slowly at the moment as he had to be careful not to over stress himself.

Naruto also visited Lee and he vowed that someday he would find a way to help him and Lee had a feeling Naruto would truly keep his word and Gai thanked Naruto as both he and Naruto helped Lee keep his spirits up. The weeks passed as Naruto pushed himself further to master his way of the ninja, along with the talents of a Dragon Champion and become stronger for the soon to come encounter…and he hoped that he would have a chance to use his talents…

Little did he realize that on the day he was called to the Hokage's office…he was going to get his chance to show the ninja world just how far he had evolved as a ninja at this point and time.

--

In the Hokage office…

Naruto was surprised as he, and Sakura were told the details of the oncoming mission that Tsunade was giving them at the moment…it was a simple escort mission but the cargo convoy was VERY important.

"A medical supply convoy?"

Tsunade nodded.

"That's correct…the supply convoy will be arriving in the Land of Waves in a few days and then will heading out from the Land of Waves and ending it's trip to the capital of the Feudal Lord here in the Land of Fire…and I am aware of the fact that the Land of Waves is familiar to your team, Naruto. According to this…the convoy is carrying rare herbs, chemicals, first aid tools, and medicines. That makes the cargo very valuable in the right hands…the merchants asked us to send some escorts as the supplies from the caravan could help with various medical needs both in the outlying towns and to Konoha itself…but because the rumors of bandits terrorizing the roads…they need better security along with their already present guards."

"Anything else Tsunade-sama?"

Sakura asked as she was eager to finally be working with her team yet again.

"Yes…the cargo can help in high grade surgeries as well…and they might very well help in healing critical cases…like Gai's student Rock Lee…the medicine there will double ensure that the surgery that he can be cured with will have a much higher rate of success and will also help in the rehabilitation."

Naruto was pleased and it showed…however there was something that concerned him as well…

"What's the reason for the ninja guards Tsunade, don't they have enough?"

Tsunade didn't mind the fact that while Naruto didn't call her the Hokage, she knew that he respected her in his own way…which was why she didn't mind being called by her name by him at all as she liked it.

"Normally yes….but the fact that they have high rate medical supplies and more means that the cargo will be targeted by bandits…if the supplies are stolen, then they can be used to make chemical weapons or worse…or can be used for earning money by bandit groups…if they take all the needed medicine…then they could extort the people who need those supplies…which is why added security is needed. There is a chance that other groups will be after it…namely Orochimaru's Sound ninja."

"Why's that?"

"Until he can use that jutsu of his to transfer into another body…he will need medicine to relieve the pain from the damage done to him by the Third's use of the Shiki Fuujin jutsu, he will need all the medicine he needs to fight off the pain of his dead arms…that is why there is a chance that Kabuto would no doubt lead raiding parties of Sound ninja to secure more supplies until the time is right. In that regard…we need to make sure that if there is a chance for this to happen, we can deny Orochimaru any relief."

Naruto smiled at the thought of denying Orochimaru any relief from the pain he so richly deserves in his mind, and nodded…but he then realized that there was someone who was not present in the mission planning. And it was none other than Kakashi himself. He had a good deal of re4spect for his Jonin sensei and the thought of going without him was not a healthy idea…as he thought back on the Land of Waves mission.

"But what about our Jonin sensei Kakashi-sensei? Isn't he going to lead us Tsunade?"

"I'm afraid not Naruto…Kakashi is currently on a mission of his own…as you know Kakashi is a highly skilled Jonin and a former ANBU Captain himself. He is one of the few Jonin we have left at active combat duty who can be spared… and while he hasn't fully recovered from the events of the battle with Akatsuki, he is still able to do his duties at the moment…for that reason you will be forming up under a temporary Jonin-sensei for this mission and the Genin team under the said sensei."

There was a knock on the door and when Tsunade made the call for the new arrivals to come in, Shizune walked in first and in walked none other than Yuhi Kurenai and her Genin squad of Kiba, Akamaru, Shino, and Hinata. Naruto was somewhat surprised that he and his group would be working with another Genin team…not that he had any problem working with others at the moment…however this was the first time he had heard of a seven ninja team…a rather high number at the moment.

"My team and I are here as you requested Hokage-sama."

"Very good Kurenai…considering the value of the cargo of the convoy you and your team are escorting, I have asked Kakashi's team to temporarily work with your own until the convoy completes it's deliveries to the various towns and here to Konoha as well before it arrives at the Feudal Lord's city."

Naruto however was not very comfortable with the idea as he knew that there was solid reason why ninja teams were only limited to three member cells and a single Jonin sensei…adding more would imbalance the team and make the risk of casualties higher…he didn't plan on endangering other teams and decided to speak.

"No offense or anything Tsunade…but isn't this kind of unorthodox? Normally a ninja team has three Genin and one Jonin…having extra ninja can be a problem, and could incite unneeded casualties."

Tsunade didn't get mad but knew that Iruka's lessons were rubbing off on his former student.

"Normally yes…but as it stands…we are fearfully short of experienced ninja and it will be a while before Konoha rebuilds…so we need all available ninja we have…besides…I think this will be a good test for you to use the skills you've learned so far."

Naruto thought about it and had to agree with the logic there…no sense learning so much if he didn't put the training to the field to see how he would be able to handle things using what he had learned. He nodded and stepped back…Tsunade then gave another report.

"Sasuke is still not fully recovered from his ordeal with Itachi and while he is physically recovering, his mental state is still questionable…and he is to be under observation and secure treatment…therefore you will have a temporary squad member…who's arriving now."

The group turned and to Naruto's surprise…it was none other than Kin herself who had retained her normal clothes but now had a Konoha forehead protector on her head which replaced her former Sound forehead protector. The Kunoichi smiled and greeting and bowed to Tsunade.

"Thanks for letting me join this mission Tsunade-sama. I won't disappoint you."

"I know that…Naruto, I am aware of the fact that it was through your actions that Kin was saved from committing suicide and she had been given full citizenship by the Third before he passed away in the battle, and she helped in the battle as well when you pursued Gaara of the Sand…until she is given to an official Genin squad and until Sasuke is given the all clear by me and the medical-nin, she is to be part of Team Kakashi for the duration of this mission. As she is familiar with the methods of the Sound ninja and also has proven her loyalty to Konoha, she is the best choice should there be any sign of Sound ninja activity that could pose a threat to the convoy. That is all…take whatever you need to be ready for this mission."

The ninja nodded and left the room and Tsunade went back to her work…she then looked at all the text books on medical practices and surgical procedure…she had made a promise to Naruto to find a way to help Lee recover and with the books she had been able to increase the chances by 58 percent and this new mission seemed to increase those chances even more.

--

Later…

Naruto checked his gear and double checked his supplies in his newly acquired back pack, this back-pack was a magical gift that Leena had handed to when she tended to his injuries during his time training. The bag could store large amounts of material and objects which otherwise would have weighed down if they had been brought in other containers. Naruto had packed in a good amount of supplies, including food, spare clothes, exploding tags, shuriken, kunai, smoke bombs, disguise mats, his newly restored Orchaelium chain-mail suit, and amazingly enough…herbal medicine, bandages and other needed medical aides given to him by Leena…

Naruto realized that while he would have Holy Talon with him for the mission…he couldn't use too much of Holy Talon's powers….and if he had to, he would have to use only a small amount of the powers of the sword to ensure that there would be enough power for the sword to use and also allow the sword to recover it's full power…hence the need for the extra tools and to keep Holy Talon's healing powers well in reserve…he had asked for medical supplies from the elf healer and she was more than willing to give Naruto the supplies. He thanked her and as soon as she was able to teach him how to use the medicines, she returned from where she came.

Naruto also had a specially crafted Reflex Bow made for him by another elf named Faernor, who was a Falcon Ranger. He was the same Falcon Ranger who Naruto summoned to train him in the way of the Falcon Rangers. The elf warrior taught Naruto several techniques in woodcraft and survival, and also taught him tracking and archery, in fact it was he who crafted Naruto's new Reflex Bow and presented the weapon to Naruto along with a special quiver filled with arrows…the quiver was magical and it allowed Naruto to store twice as many arrows than a normal quiver would. He then placed the quiver on his back as well as the Reflex Bow and it was in easy reach, and he moved Holy Talon to his waist. As long as he didn't use too much Dragon magic…he would be fine with Holy Talon being used as a normal sword…

Naruto had learned how to fight with Holy Talon as a normal sword under the training of another Dragon Champion named Randarl, a former Sword Adept and a highly skilled one as well, the former Dragon Champion taught Naruto how to fight with a sword in one hand and also showed him how to counter attacks with only the sword in his hand while using his hand as a shield in substitution for the lack of one. Naruto was not comfortable with using a shield which might make him imbalanced…but he was assured that his Orchaelium splint mail armor would more than make up for the lack of a shield.

Naruto then took out his collapsible battle wing blade short spears, both of which had a straight blade in the beginning and two curved double edged blades on the sides near the main blade…he pressed the magical trigger and the blades retracted and the spears shrank into a small stick form. The pair of short spears was something made for him by Rumkil when he summoned the dwarf smith to make him a pole arm to train alongside his Steel Lancer mentor Talken. The Steel Lancer taught Naruto the use of the short spears in both hands well and showed Naruto how to combine both spears at the back ends to create a powerful single spear with blades on either ends for a deadly staff fighting style used by Steel Lancers. He then placed both spears in a holster on his other leg for easy reach…making it seem like he was using another kunai pouch

He double checked his gear and then placed on his new Orchaelium armor which was known as splint mail and then placed on a black cotton short sleeved shirt, his usual orange and blue jacket which in truth had been retailored by a friendly tailor in Konoha to fit his new height and size, boxers, his pants, and naturally his forehead protector. Once he was fully dressed he left his apartment and locked the door…he had given Kin a spare set of keys to the apartment as she was his apartment mate after all.

As soon as he was done…he slung on the pack and smiled at the weight as it was very comfortable indeed. And headed for the gate…and as soon as he arrived…he spotted Kurenai's team along with Sakura and Kin.

"H-H-Hi N-N-Naruto-kun!"

Hinata said as she greeted Naruto and Naruto likewise greeted her…earning some glares from Sakura and Kin and covertly…Kurenai. The Jonin was still trying to figure out how to act towards the blonde ninja, as she knew of Hinata's deep feelings for Naruto and she cared for Hinata as a surrogate daughter/little sister, but she was attracted to him in the sense that he had certainly grown and his looks no doubt would grow even more with age, and the fact that she had seen him buck naked certainly made it harder to resist the urge to grab him…however she placed her thoughts aside as she checked the time and spoke to her assembled team.

"All right…we're all here…so let's get a move on."

The group moved out and Naruto was moving along and was very eager to visit Wave Country and see how it was doing since he had last been there. It was also when Kiba and Shino came forward.

"You seem interested in going to Wave Country Naruto…what's up?"

"I have some close friends there Kiba…and it's where I got a bridge named after me there…and that is the very same place where I got Holy Talon."

"Really?"

Naruto nodded…the group moved on and when the group took a break for the day in the forest…Naruto and Sakura filled them in on how the mission in the Land of Waves went down and how he had acquired Holy Talon…since Naruto respected and trusted his companions…including Kurenai, he told them on how he and Holy Talon bonded when he was bleeding from the injuries that Zabuza had inflicted on him.

--

A few days later…

The combined team arrived and saw the Great Naruto bridge and the group apart from Sakura whistled as they saw the bridge named after Naruto. Kurenai had to admit that having a bridge named after themselves was very honorable for anyone to have. She spoke then to Naruto to show her appreciation and admiration.

"You made quite the impact here Naruto-kun…to have abridge named after you."

Naruto smiled at Kurenai and replied.

"Yeah…it's great the old man gave my name to the bridge…and I hope it worked out."

The Jonin smiled back as they crossed the bridge and when they made it into Wave Country…the prosperity that Tazuna hoped for truly was there as Wave Country was prosperous indeed…there were new buildings and the people were all smiling and working hard together. There was even a well equipped and well trained security force of soldiers in the city and they were all doing a fine job. The people there spotted the incoming group and some of them quickly recognized Naruto and greeted him.

"Hey! It's Naruto Uzumaki!!"

"The ninja who defeated and killed Gato! Naruto-san…come by and buy something from my store!"

"Come on and pay my humble shop a visit hero!"

"That's the brave Naruto-kun!"

"Hey Naruto-san! Tell us how you and your team helped save our town again!"

"Naruto-kun! We want you to teach us how to fight like you!"

"Hey Naruto-kun…come by and we can show you a good time!"

Some of the younger women and older women in the area also smiled and greeted Naruto in a very saucy way… making Kiba and Shino look at Naruto with smirks and slight envy…while Hinata, Kurenai, Sakura, and Kin were not too happy to see the women making their moves on Naruto…the group arrived and to their surprise…there was a mural depicting the battle with Gato and his men on one side…and the villagers and Team Kakashi on the other…and in the front was Naruto holding Holy Talon and his first summoned army coming in for the battle. And there was also a statue how Naruto defeated and killed Gato in single combat where the words were written in gold letters…

'Naruto Uzumaki of Konoha…Ninja hero of Wave Country…Our champion who freed us and gave us a future.'

Sakura smiled and spoke.

"Looks like you've become a national icon here in Wave Country Naruto-kun."

Naruto was in awe and was even happier as he and the others made their way to see Inari, Tazuna, and Tsunami.

--

Tsunami's house…

"Hello Naruto-kun, Sakura-kun…I am happy to see you both here again."

Tsunami said as she was greeting Naruto and the rest of the team but she quickly noted the changes Naruto had undergone since she had last seen him. She smiled nevertheless as she knew that Naruto was still Naruto despite his new looks. She considered him a great family friend…after all…it was he who rekindled the fiery spirit in her son and helped free their Contry.

"Hello Tsunami-san! I'm really happy to see you again! Where's Inari?"

Tsunami smiled and pointed to the dock and saw Inari happily fishing with his fishing rod and Naruto smiled and called out to his friend. Inari turned and was happy to finally see Naruto again and the two had fun chatting while Sakura and the others smiled. Sakura introduced Hinata, Kiba and Akamaru, Shino, Kurenai, and Kin to Tsunami and soon Inari and Naruto came back…the young boy happy to see his close friend again and so was Naruto…it was also when Tazuna came to the sight. The elderly bridge builder laughed and greeted Naruto and his group with a smile.

"Naruto-kun! It's great to see you again!"

"It's good to see you again Old Man Tazuna!"

The elderly bridge builder didn't mind and smiled at the blonde ninja as he welcomed them into his humble home. The place was still the same as Naruto remembered it back when he stayed with Inari and his mother. Inari had grown and was very brave indeed as he was busy helping out as best he could. Tazuna was happy indeed that Wave Country had become a prosperous port center and in honor of the battle…he made the mural and statue for Naruto's honor…he was also the one that knew that the people Naruto and his group came to escort were there…though they were only a half day away from the port in Wave Country…so like before…Inari and Tsunami allowed Naruto to stay in their humble home for the time being.

Kurenai thanked the family and allowed the team under command to relax and take some time to relax before the next stage of their mission.

Naruto wondered what would happen once they meet the people of the convoy they were going to escort for the duration of the mission. He knew that sooner or later…he would have to place his skills and lessons to practical field use as soon as the groups after the valuable supplies in the convoy appear. He relaxed and decided to go out and explore the rest of the new Wave Country that he helped in protecting so many months ago…

--

To be continued…

--

Author's notes:

Well…I'm back and forgive me if the chapter is kind of short than the other works…but it is still early and I am still suffering from the sickness of cough and asthma yet again…but hey, don't worry about me…I beat this before, and I can beat it again. Now on with the story…

As you can see…Naruto is undergoing the first few days of his re-training and Sasuke is still bed ridden at the moment, so this gives Naruto plenty of time to get his act together as a ninja and also to train as a Dragon Champion and is taking lessons from a few of the warriors he has summoned…in this case… the Steel Lancers, The Sword Adepts, and the Falcon Rangers, and his trainer spirit among the Falcon Rangers has even created a Reflex Bow for him, along with a magical quiver to store more arrows…and naturally that means that Naruto has taken Ranger Training as well as ninja training, and Ranger training involves the use of bows, swords, daggers, and the use of Nature Magic. And to even that up…he has been trained by his Steel Lancer mentor in the use short spears and his spears can be connected into a staff form…

How will the first few lessons of training in these fields help him as the story progresses and what new skills has Naruto learned from his respective mentors…we shall see soon enough.

As you can see…Naruto's in quite the company for this mission, and when I say that, I mean in the female company. Sakura, Kin, Hinata, and Kurenai…what will be the outcome of this situation when they each try and get Naruto's attention and will Naruto succumb to being in the company of the four females…who HAVE seen him buck naked?

That is totally up to me at this point and time…but feel free to comment when you can.

I'll work on the next chapters later on of this short arc…and we shall see the results of Naruto's first few weeks of training. And how will Sasuke feel as Naruto's star begins to grow and glow even brighter than his now?

We shall see soon enough as well.


	23. Notice and Apology

Hello readers

Hello readers

I know that it has been quite some time since I have updated my stories and I cane bet that your all getting anxious and curious on why I have not updated…but I have a very good reason for the lack of updates on any story.

If you have read the recent news on Asia…it would have been told that Typhoon 'Frank' had hit the island of Panay…and it was on June 21, 2008. And my home town of Kalibo Aklan was right on the path of the damn Typhoon.

At exactly 7 AM we were hit hard by the damn typhoon that ravaged my home province and town for four solid hours…four windows in my 2nd story home living room were ripped out and destroyed…sections of the roof were torn off and another window was ripped out on the side…near by bed and the wall to the room was shaking! My mother's blood pressure was hitting the bloody roof and both me and my brother did our best as there was water coming in from the gaping wound in the living room which we had to bail out.

The situation got worse when the flood happened and there was 7 feet worth of dirty, muddy water that flooded my home town! Pigs and other livestock were passing by in the water…people were swimming for their lives…and even the roof of a house passed us by…and after the flood…things didn't get any better, there's mud all over the place…houses were wrecked…power lines sliced off…trees obliterated and littering the place, the stench of rotting trees, garbage, and even dead animals and whatnot was everywhere, communications was dead, and everyone…rich or poor, we were all affected.

My home town looks like a damn warzone!

The past few days have been hell…but we're rebuilding…thanks to government support and the dedication of those who pitched in to help save our bacons. Power and water is slowly coming back, food is coming in, and more relief supplies come in daily…but as you have read…I can't update anything since my home is still out of power…thankfully my PC is in good shape and undamaged…so hopefully when power comes back then I can get back to work…but until then…I can't update anything no matter how much I want to.

For that I apologize to all you my fellow readers and I pray that you all can understand my situation and be patient with me…as soon as power can the internet comes back to my hometown…I will return to my work in writing…but until then…my family can home comes first.

See you soon!


	24. Medical Mission Part 2

Naruto – The Twin Swords

Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Naruto or any media involved.

Chapter 21

Part 2

Medical Mission…

( ): Thoughts

((" ")): Holy Talon's voice

--

'_No matter how many years pass…no matter how many battles are fought, and no matter which side wins…there is an unspoken rule that exists for all eternity…'_

'_Never leave your enemies alive…'_

An old military saying of the Dagern infantry…

--

Wave Country…

Naruto was busy enjoying the festive atmosphere and richness of the place as Wave Country was certainly different now from the last time he and the others came to this place. Back then it was a mess and in squalor and the people were no better…but now there was a vibrancy in the air and things seemed to be even more beautiful than before. He liked the fact that he was the one responsible for the change. The people were happy and the place was alive.

"Man…this place is cool…the whole country looks prosperous…hard to believe you and your team did all this Naruto."

Kiba said as he and Akamaru were alongside Naruto as the blonde explored the city and Inari was along as well…the young boy was pointing out some of the new sights and the young boy was really proud of being with Naruto…and he was full of questions.

"So how are things back in Konoha? I heard that something really major happened there a few weeks before."

"Yeah…right of the middle of our Chuunin exams…Sound and Sand attacked us and we were fighting for our lives there. And we won…but the village is in dire need of repair…and we lost the Hokage…"

"Oh…I'm sorry about that…"

Inari was not happy at the fact that Naruto's home of Konoha was attacked of all things…and he was not happy in the sense that he wasn't around to help Naruto…the blonde ninja did so much for his home and he was not around to help Naruto when his own home was in danger. Naruto saw that and assured Inari.

"It's all right Inari…we won and the new Hokage's a really good person and we're rebuilding now at the moment. Konoha will be back on its feet soon enough."

Inari saw the smile on his hero's face and smiled back. The trio then arrived at a nearby fish market and the shop owner smiled at Inari and spoke.

"Hey there Inari…how are you doing?"

"Pretty good…by the way…I want you to meet my guests…Naruto Uzumaki and Kiba Inuzuka and his dog Akamaru from Konoha!"

The shop owner looked at the two Genin and smiled broadly at Naruto.

"Welcome to you both…especially to you Naruto-sama to my humble shop! You might not know me but I was among those who saw your battle with Gato and his men and I was there when you dealt with that corrupt and evil man…is there anything I can do for you?"

Naruto smiled and decided to buy something for them to eat back Tsunami's house and made some orders for fresh fish and crabs for the meal…he was able to reach for his wallet and gave some bills while the man gave a few back and replied.

"It's all right…I'm giving you a discount price Naruto-sama for all you've done here in Wave…enjoy them…they are fresh from the sea!"

"Thank you…we'll be seeing you sir!"

Naruto and the others headed back to Tsunami's house to bring the food they had bought and when they arrived…Tsunami smiled and took the items and worked her magic in the kitchen in her home while Inari and Naruto sat outside and traded stories about recent events while Kin, Sakura, and Hinata looked at the entire city on top of the roof of Tsunami's home.

Sakura was impressed about how different the Wave Country was when she was last here and smiled at that it was with the efforts of her team that it was accomplished utterly.

"The place has changed a great deal since I was last here…and to think I got hit by a pickpocket here a long time ago…"

"So…you and-N-Naruto-kun stayed here with Tsunami-san, Tazuna-san, and Inari-kun, Sakura-san?"

Hinata asked as she looked at the wonderful view of the entire Country and the capital city itself, she was happy that this place was vibrant and alive and to know that Naruto was treated like a hero and national icon made her feel happy for him.

"Yep…Inari used to be really frightened and would stand up for himself and Naruto was the only one who got him fired up. Inari was the one who got the entire Wave Country on our side to beat up Gato and his gang…and there…Naruto killed Gato in combat…the guy was no fighter and should have given up…but he refused Naruto had no other option but to fight."

"So this Gato guy was Naruto-kun's first kill huh?"

Kin asked as she looked at the rest of the view of the entire Wave Country and the Feudal Lord's own complex…after hearing how run down and decrepit the

"Yes…."

"So what happened to that missing-nin from the Mist…the one you called Zabuza and his accomplice?"

Sakura shook her head at the memory of Zabuza and his companion. They never did find out what happened to Zabuza and that masked ninja who worked with him. All traces of him vanished…but she knew full well that someone like Zabuza would not remain hidden for long…he did make a promise to face off with not just Kakashi, but Naruto as well.

"We don't know…but I for one am not in the mood to meet him or that kid he has with him again…Sasuke-kun and Naruto-kun got pummeled before Naruto-kun got that sword Holy Talon and drove them off…and I saw him summon his first army here…it was great…"

The Kunoichi chatted together a bit more until Kurenai showed up and smiled at the trio.

"Time to grab some lunch girls…Inari-kun volunteered to keep an eye for the arriving boat that will be carrying the merchant convoy we'll be escorting so get ready to eat up."

"Hai Kurenai-sensei!"

The four Kunoichi came into the house which had been remodeled and was really neat and clean…along with a small picture of Kaiza present with a smile and being there with Inari and Tsunami…the family had brought out the picture and cleaned it up for it to be re-hung again. Tsunami spent some time chatting with the group and was happy to meet Naruto again and Tazuna likewise was happy to see the blonde ninja and teased him that this time…he was traveling with a much larger number of beautiful ladies…making Hinata blush, along with Kin, while Sakura blushed as well while Kurenai merely smiled and drank her tea…

Naruto blushed about that comment and the two men grabbed some of the hot food and had a grand time…Naruto didn't tell them of all his adventures for the past few weeks…but Tazuna and Tsunami were aware of what had happened to Konoha when Sound and Sand attacked during the Chuunin exams…news traveled pretty fast and both father and daughter were relieved that things between Sand and Konoha were back to a normal situation. Kiba and Shino were also commenting on Tsunami's cooking and both Genin admitted that she was good cook. They also shared some stories with Tsunami and instead of being intimidated by Shino's mannerisms she smiled at him and this allowed the ninja group to relax a bit and when the meal of hot seafood, rice, warm tea, and cool water was over…the younger Kunoichi and Kurenai decided to help Tsunami clean up while Kiba and Akamaru went out to enjoy the breeze…while Shino decided to go bug watching…leaving Naruto alone to reminisce about past events and also to relax himself before the arrival of the convoy they had to escort.

It was then that Tsunami spoke to her guests…namely to Sakura as she knew Sakura from before.

"Naruto-kun's grown up a lot since I last saw him Sakura…how has he being doing?"

"Oh? He's fine…training hard as usual and amazing as it sounds Tsunami-san…he's training double hard and even going back to school! Back then he was the worst student ever…but now he's becoming a very good student…makes me wish he was like that back in the Academy back home instead of bumming around and causing trouble."

"Hmmm…you seem to be liking this…back then you were not very nice to Naruto-kun…what's with the change of heart Sakura?"

Sakura blushed and then told Tsunami how Naruto had risked his life to save her and Sasuke from Orochimaru…Tsunami was shocked and so was Kurenai as they heard how Naruto had managed to fight Orochimaru and then hearing how he had saved Sakura from dying when Orochimaru's sword stabbed her in the stomach, and she told them how he had said he would save her once again if she was in danger…Sakura then told her of the duty she had of helping Naruto study along with how much she had seen him grow up…that was enough thought she made absolutely no mention of the fact that she had seen Naruto naked.

Tsunami smiled and then turned to both Kin and Hinata and spoke to the two of them on what was their tie to Naruto. Hinata was first and replied how much Naruto meant to her personally though she was very shy in saying her reasons…the others already knew…Sakura knew about Hinata's long time crush on Naruto, and so did Kin recently…but Kurenai knew more. Tsunami smiled warmly as the shy wallflower Hinata told them how much she admired Naruto but she had never gotten the chance to say anything until Naruto had changed and became more friendly with her…she surprised them all…even Kurenai when she told them that she and Neji were teaching some methods of the Hyuuga Gentle Fist to Naruto help him in his Taijutsu skills…earning a bit of a glare from both Sakura and Kin… and naturally she made no mention of the fact that like Sakura and Kin…she had seen her crush in his full glory.

Kin was next and told Tsunami of her past association with Sound and how Naruto had saved her from committing suicide and helped her see beyond what she had learned in her former village and how Naruto had struggled to have her a place to stay and to start a new life…she owed Naruto a new life and a chance to be free from Orochimaru and that was why she was eternally grateful to Naruto for being there to save her from herself and give her a new home and she never regretted it for a moment…she also didn't mention that she had seen Naruto naked…like Sakura and Hinata.

Tsunami then asked Kurenai how she knew Naruto and the Jonin explained that she was not as familiar as Sakura, Kin, and Hinata when it concerned Naruto but admitted that she had changed her opinion of him when she had once thought of him as the class clown and now she saw him as a tough and highly talented ninja…of course…she was NOT going to mention the fact that she and Anko had seen Naruto completely buck naked in the hot-spring resort.

Tsunami smiled and sighed.

"My…Naruto-kun has truly come out on his own hasn't he? Once Inari-kun hears of this…his hero worship of Naruto will truly grow stronger."

"Mom!"

The Kunoichi and Tsunami turned as Inari arrived and the young boy gasped and as soon as he got his breath into his body. The boy was excited and then told them that the convoy had arrived and was now waiting for them near the docks that Tazuna had set up weeks before, and the others including Naruto were already waiting outside. The Kunoichi smiled and walked out to meet with the merchant convoy as Naruto, Kiba, Akamaru, and Shino were waiting for them.

--

Later…

The convoy had left Wave Country a few hours before and was now making the trip to drop off it's wares to buyers in Fire Country and then to both Konoha and the home city of the Feudal Lord…right now the rest of the guards were protecting the convoy while Kurenai's group were busy working…Hinata had her Byakugan ready while Kiba and Akamaru were moving about near the convoy to pick up any scents that could be described as enemy to the convoy. Sakura and Kin backed up the small guard contingent...and Naruto?"

He was currently working on recon duties ahead of the others...he was dressed not in his usual orange and blue ensemble but was decked in forest green and bark brown as he patrolled the forests nearby and was armed with his Reflex Bow and notched several arrows in the bowstring…ready to let loose with the arrows…he was being tracked by Hinata as she would serve as the eyes that watched his back…

Naruto had taken out several vials of liquid that had a special masking scent that made him blend into the forest and Kiba had to admit that both his nose and Akamaru's as well couldn't detect the blonde's scent when Kurenai asked them to test the liquid's smell as Naruto sprinkled it on his clothes and weaponry…along with the new outfit of green and black cloth and leather that Naruto had taken out…along with black cloth and leather to further shield himself from normal vision and to blend into the trees that were there around the paths they were currently taking. He also learned another spell from the Nature branch and that was known as Forest Skin that allowed him to blend in better with the forest and make it even harder to spot him…the spell also melded with his weapons…making it hard to see him even with his bow and arrows were there and ready to fire. As he explored the woods and kept silent…he recalled what he learned from his Ranger mentor.

The first rule of a Ranger was to keep his or her senses utterly alert and to use the land to his or her advantage…to wait for the right signs and then also to attack only if victory and a quick resolution to the battle was feasible. To strike fast and hard and eliminate the enemy as soon as the enemy revealed weakness and vulnerability…but to also be wary of traps and dangers, to watch for any sign of dangers. And to be wary of wild animals and threats that could be waiting in the undergrowth. He had some serious training and also learned how to fight and think like a Ranger…learning the way of the Falcon Rangers in swordsmanship and spear combat-mastery, along with tracking, hunting, and gathering wild herbs and more. He had passed the rudimentary basics and was not yet a fully fledged Falcon Ranger and was also determined to be basic apprentice in the way of the Steel Lancers by his own mentor.

Naruto watched over the forest and quickly made his way through the area by looking for the quickest and more effective paths to cut down his travel time exponentially and help him move ahead and protect the convoy…

They arrived at the first town hours later and Naruto quickly changed back into his normal clothes and rejoined the rest of Kurenai's team and watched as the merchants sold their wares to those who were interested in them…Naruto reached into his bag and took out some ramen cups and headed to a nearby inn and asked for some hot water to cook his food…and as soon as he was assured that his ramen was well cooked, he handed them to his team and they ate while keeping an eye on the merchants and watched out for threats from within the town and outside of it.

Kurenai then ordered the team to relax a for a bit and also to make routine patrols to make sure that there were no other people who had followed them into the town…Naruto and the others then divided into teams and Naruto was paired with Kiba and Akamaru, while Shino was paired with Sakura, and Kin was with Hinata…the Genin made their way to patrol the town and when the time came to head back…they were happy that there were no signs of anyone pursuing them at the moment. Their Jonin sensei however reminded them that they should not get too complacent in the situation they were in…just because there were no bandits at the moment certainly didn't mean that were won't be more in the coming future.

As soon as they were able to get the word that the merchants had sold the current quota of medical supplies, they packed up as they still had three more towns to visit before they would arrive in Konoha and then all the way to the Feudal Lord's capital city. Naruto was already dressed in his usual Ranger garb and headed out to scout for the convoy while the others would secure it. Naruto was still using his Ranger training and felt comfortable as he trekked through the forests…but he knew that sooner or later…the forests were going to fade and he would have to remove the disguises he had for the moment. But it was great to be doing those things as they kept him at the very peak of his game and that was needed.

He kept several arrows ready in his Reflex Bow and was ready to shoot and warn the rest of the convoy of a possible incoming attack…he hoped that it would not happen as the supplies were too valuable to be lost…but knowing that the cargo was indeed very tempting to many parties…including Orochimaru's own henchman Kabuto…there was going to be a fight sooner or later in the coming day…but for now…he was not in the mood for a soon to come battle.

--

Later that day…

Naruto sighed a bit more as he was currently training alongside Hinata as they were currently taking a break from the travels of the convoy as the merchants and their guards were taking a break as well…they were nice enough folks…though there were a few of them that Naruto didn't quite like...but were okay. He put that aside as he and Hinata attacked the same target while Kiba and Akamaru watched and cheered the two on while Shino observed only…Sakura decided to do a routine check on the convoy's supplies to make sure that there would be enough for Konoha to use when they got there. Kin likewise was also looking at the two and couldn't help but admire Naruto's determination and feel jealous that she couldn't help Naruto out as Hinata had the time to train with him…

Kurenai likewise watched the pair working together and smiled bit…it surprised the Jonin at first when she recognized the Gentle Fist being taught to Naruto…she had heard that Hinata was helping Naruto in his training as a ninja…but she was not expecting that she was teaching the basic maneuvers of the Gentle Fist to him. Naruto didn't have any known blood inheritance traits, and he certainly didn't have the Byakugan so he couldn't unleash the full power of the Gentle Fist as he couldn't use the Byakugan in any way, shape or, form…but the Jonin had no doubt that with his growing abilities and his determination…Naruto would improvise and overcome his lack of the Byakugan soon.

The day wore on and things seemed to be settling down for the time being as the convoy and the merchants ordered a halt in the area to get to get some needed rest for their group and feed the oxen that pushed the carts filled with the supplies and materials. The ninjas maintained routine patrols as night fell and at the moment it was Naruto who was on patrol…while Kiba, Akamaru, Hinata, Shino and Kin were taking a break…while Kurenai was chatting with the merchant leaders on their next journey. Naruto was tired as he scanned the lands before him…his Reflex Bow in hand and notched with several arrows…but he focused not on his exhaustion…but on keeping an eye on the lands before him and making sure that despite his growing sleepiness…he was ready to fight at a moment's notice.

The full moon was out and that helped greatly until he went back to the camp and sighed as he sat down with the other Genin and he felt his stomach growl…

"Damn I'm hungry…"

"Here you go…pretty good trail mix this…"

Naruto took the box dinner from Sakura and quickly ate what was there…including rice, sashimi and vegetables…he ate the food with gusto and didn't hesitate to eat another serving from the camp fire and didn't mind when shy Hinata handed him another box dinner and so did Kin…Kiba, Akamaru, and Shino merely looked on with surprise as Naruto inhaled the food like a vacuum cleaner and then took a good long drink…Naruto finished the box dinners and as soon as the last crumb of food was gone…he sighed and held his large pot belly and spoke.

"Man I am full…I can't eat another bite."

Hinata and Kin laughed at Naruto's content look and even Sakura couldn't help but giggle a bit at the utterly funny way Naruto looked and even Kiba and Akamaru were laughing…it was then that Kurenai appeared and smiled at the scene of her team getting along with Kakashi's own team…although Sasuke was not around at the moment….Kurenai then spoke to the group.

"I've just spoken with the convoy leader…they've sold a good portion of their wares in the town we passed so they are happy with the progress they're making…so much so they've given us all a bonus for helping the security…it's not much at the moment…but count your blessings as they come I always say…here…these are for you all."

Kurenai then handed them small envelopes and the Genin found a handful of money bills…that was a great sign as they tucked them away and then Kurenai bid them a farewell as she took her turn to be on guard duty…The Genin decided to relax a bit but Naruto decided to warm up his brain a bit more on his lessons and was now with Sakura…who had brought with her a few books that Naruto needed to read and he read the books and would ask help from Sakura who was more than happy to help him out.

Later…Naruto decided to go get a quick shower…he had recently scanned the forest area before him and knew that there was a small river and a large pool of cool water nearby…he had decided to remove his armor and his clothes…leaving him only in his under shirt and short boxers…though he made sure to carry a kunai on the off chance he was attacked…he was rather sleepy from the food, and the extra studying he had done with Sakura's help…and even Hinata and Kin helped out…he looked at his companions who were currently sleeping with Shino's bugs on the alert…he had to give Shino credit…the bugs were extremely hard to find and would make perfect sentries…he then wondered just where his temporary Jonin sensei was. They had agreed to wake each other up and do routine patrols but for now…they were resting…

Naruto sighed as he sleepily made his way to the water fall…his hearing was enough to guide him to the location where he had found the water fall…but as soon as he walked into the water…his danger senses quickly kicked in as he was suddenly attacked as soon as the light from the full moon had faded. He had no idea what was going on…and without any other choice began to fight with his unseen attacker…

(Whoever this guy is…he's good!!)

Naruto fought back as best he could but the light was not making things easy as he tried to move and fight…his senses were still drugged by lack of sleep and the sudden attack and the darkness as well and he was forced to fight as best he could in his current state…whoever it was that was fighting him was good as the person evaded his kicks and punches…along with his kunai…but it was when he punched the intruder with his free hand that he hit something…soft and pliable and covered in cloth.

"What the?!"

(Was I dreaming it…or was that a woman's?!)

Naruto had no time to react and even answer that question in his mind when he was suddenly knocked on his back and fell right down.

--

Naruto gasped as he realized that he had just landed on his back in a pool of cool water coming from a nearby river…and he was now looking at just who he had attacked in the dark as the light of the moon was now back after the cloud passed…the second he saw just who he was looking at…he blushed bright red…

And the blush he had on his face matched the same blush and the eyes as Naruto found himself staring at a nearly naked…and soaked Yuhi Kurenai…

The Jonin had been taking a quick shower in the waterfall after doing her rounds of patrolling and had decided to cool down with a quick dip in the nearby pool of water when she heard the footsteps coming in and it was then that the cloud bank had covered the area and forced her to have to rely on the dim light to see the outline of her foe…she drew the kunai she had kept on her still present kunai holster and quickly moved in to attack…but the stranger appeared to be very talented to have evaded her attacks and fought her to a standstill…but she was not a Jonin for nothing despite being recently promoted and managed to knock her foe down and got ready to strike the attacker as the light revealed the person…

Only to reveal a half undressed Naruto who had gone to the lake to take a quick shower to deal with the heat of the forest…

Naruto looked at the nearly nude Kurenai who was only wearing a simple set of cloth garments to cover her bust and her…modesty…and both were soaked in water…along with her and despite Naruto's desire not to look…he was seeing the sexy and beautiful Kurenai in her undergarments and she was soaked in water as her hair was soaked as well as she held a kunai ready to attack him…

The two said nothing for a few more moments as the shock was still there…and then Naruto spoke slowly…

"K-K-Kurenai-sense?!"

Kurenai then spoke slowly…

"Naruto-kun…?"

That was enough to jolt Naruto to awareness and he covered his eyes and tried his best not to look at the nearly naked Kunoichi who was on top of him and in a VERY suggestive situation…Naruto tried not to do something perverted as wild ideas suddenly flooded his head as the image of the nearly naked red eyed Kunoichi was still there…

"K-K-Kurenai-sensei…please c-c-cover up…um…"

Kurenai then realized the situation they were in at the moment as she was only dressed in her undergarments after all…and she blushed even more as she realized that she was asking for trouble as she was still in a very suggestive position over Naruto. However…she suddenly couldn't help but speak slowly as the desire to tease undeniably attractive Genin below her was growing stronger…

"Naruto-kun…"

"Y-Y-Yes…"

"Don't be frightened…I won't hurt you…"

"B-B-But…I…"

"Do you find me ugly Naruto-kun? I'm hurt…"

That was enough to force Naruto to open his eyes and shake his head as despite the situation…the last thing he wanted to do was hurt the feelings of the undeniably attractive Kunoichi before him.

"No! I don't mean that…you're really attractive Kurenai-sensei! You're not ugly at all, you're very attractive and sexy…oh…oh kami…I said that out loud didn't I?"

Kurenai chuckled as she placed away her kunai and smiled at Naruto who was blushing bright red as she smiled at him…he was very handsome and very adorable when he was blushing bright red like that at the very moment…she then ran her fingers on Naruto's face…making him gulp…much to her amusement.

"Oh yes you did…and thank you…to tell you the truth Naruto-kun…you're the only guy who was brave enough to say that to me."

"I…I…I am?"

"Oh yes…you have no idea how lonely I am…most guys don't approach me at all…"

"But why? I mean…you're a beautiful woman…and…"

"Beautiful…yes…but all the other men are too intimidated to be near me since I look this way, they think I am a goddess they can't approach…and while being called a Goddess is flattering…it can be really lonely…"

"Kurenai-sensei…"

Kurenai smiled as she reached Naruto's face and stroked him yet again…making him blush even more by the moment…he had NEVER been this close to a woman before…sure there was the time with Tsunade…but she was not nearly naked before him at the time…and Kurenai was…he couldn't help but admire how beautiful Kurenai was…sure she was not having her eye makeup and the red lipstick…but in the moment…that didn't matter to him as she was gorgeous no matter what.

Kurenai then smiled as she reached for his hands and touched his hands under water…making Naruto yelp as she felt the sword calluses there…they told her just how hard Naruto had been training and she felt intrigued as she lifted his hand out of the water and then smiled at the still blushing Naruto and teased him yet again.

"Don't be afraid of me Naruto-kun…I won't hurt you…your too kind hearted a boy to hurt…go ahead…touch me…"

Naruto nearly had a nose bleed that would have passed for a fountain at the thought of touching the nearly naked and soaked Kunoichi before him. Kurenai saw that and smiled gently at Naruto…

"Go ahead Naruto-kun…I won't hurt you…and I won't bring this up again…"

"But…what if the others…?"

Kurenai smiled and replied at that question.

"Don't worry…they are still resting from that training session and resting at the moment and we're a bit too far away…and I promise…I won't say anything about this to anyone…including Sakura, Hinata, and Kin…what happens here and now…will be between the two of us. Besides…you touched me already…or have you forgotten that punch you gave my chest?"

Before he could argue…Kurenai moved forward and she was even closer to him and he couldn't stop himself as he reached out with his hands and touched Kurenai's face…feeling the smooth skin of the Jonin who smiled and even blushed at his efforts…and she giggled.

"You have no idea how utterly cute you look right now Naruto-kun…"

Naruto blushed even more and Kurenai giggled at that…relishing this moment…no matter how scandalous it was when she thought about it…here she was…seducing a blonde teen no older than 12…but looked around 16, he was the crush of her student Hinata, becoming slowly a popular sight among the other females in Konoha as she had heard, and the favorite of the new Hokage Tsunade…she knew that if she was caught by anyone and the news got out…she was in serious trouble…

But she didn't care at the moment as she was enjoying the utter closeness she had with the blonde ninja…who couldn't help but blush even more as he moved his hands slowly past Kurenai's face and into her hair…finding her hair to be very nice to the touch…like silk…though why he thought that was off as he had never touched silk in his whole life before.

Naruto then looked and saw the rest of her form…the reflected moonlight doing a good job of illuminating Kurenai's figure along with the droplets of water that were there on her body…only her undergarments shielded her modesty…but Naruto was not thinking about that as he found his eyes studying every feature of Kurenai's face and then he was staring at her red eyes…she looked very exotic with them…sure he had seen the Sharingan…but Kurenai's eyes were natural and they were attractive as well…

Kurenai laughed a bit and smiled as she blushed even more…

"Careful Naruto-kun…your making me blush again…"

"I can't help it…your really attractive Kurenai-sensei…"

"Thank you…and you are handsome Naruto-kun…even if you're so young…you can really be a heartthrob when you're older…you have very beautiful eyes…"

"S-S-So do you…Kurenai-sensei…"

"Flatterer…"

The Genin couldn't help but look down and saw Kurenai's…cloth covered breasts and the water making the cloth stick to her skin…making him blush bright red as he was staring at her clothe covered breasts…Kurenai saw that and teased him yet again.

"You've touched them already Naruto-kun…don't worry about it…go ahead."

Naruto gulped and pleaded with the Kami that he would not faint that this moment and time as he slowly reached out…

However…the sounds of the camp with several guards moving about brought a stop to the whole thing that was going on and forced both Kurenai and Naruto to stop their actions…they looked at one another and realized that they would have to stop and both sighed as Naruto watched Kurenai step out of the water…and he saw her silhouetted by the moonlight and he nearly fainted as she turned and smiled at him in a very saucy way that made him feel his heart beat even faster…In a few moments…after picking up her clothing that she had draped on a few rocks nearby, Kurenai came out and smiled at Naruto and spoke to him…

"It's best we keep this between ourselves Naruto-kun…I don't want to be enemies with Hinata, she is my student…and she has always had a crush on you…and I know that you have feelings for Sakura, and Kin adores you for being there for her. I don't plan on fighting them…even if I am a Jonin…but I meant all that I've said to you…and thank you for being the kind young man you are…oh yes…I can't wait until your older Naruto-kun…maybe then I can be more open towards you."

Naruto couldn't help but look at the Jonin and he felt like he was going to die with embarrassment as he understood that…As soon as he recalled the need for a shower he cleaned up and then as soon as he was done…he made it back to the camp and tried to get some sleep.

--

The next day…

The rest of the gang woke up and Naruto did as well…though he woke up rather early and decided to get a cold shower…so as to stop his vivid imaginings due to what happened last night between him and Kurenai. He realized that he had been in what most young men would have only dreamed of in their wildest fantasies…

He met up with the others and couldn't help but look a bit flustered when Kurenai smiled at them…but her smile seemed brighter when she looked at him.

The convoy moved on as they still had a number of stops to make and deliver the goods…Naruto managed to put those thoughts out of his mind for the moment as he worked on his use of his Ranger skills and training as he was once more in recon duty…only this time…Hinata was coming along with him…Kurenai had decided to have Hinata cover Naruto and Naruto welcomed the company as he and Hinata moved ahead…with him acting as her guardian.

It was there that Hinata showed her own growth before Naruto as she kept up with him and he could see that Hinata had grown up. And for a moment…he wondered what Hinata would look like if she had grown up like either Tsunade or Kurenai…the moment he did just that…he lost his focus and slipped off the branch he was on and landed on his back with a huff.

"Naruto-kun!!"

(Damn it Naruto…keep your damn focus on the mission…)

As soon as he opened his eyes…he found Hinata leaning over him…and the moment both of them realized the situation and Naruto blushed and so did Hinata…

(N-N-Naruto-kun is so handsome…)

Naruto was staring right at Hinata and couldn't help but realize that this was the absolute first time he had been THIS close to Hinata and seeing her eyes this close…he had to admit that the first time he had seen the Byakugan, it kind of made him a bit wary, but now as Hinata was looking at him he couldn't help but find the shy Hyuuga girl as very attractive…and for a moment…he wondered what would Hinata be like is she was grown up and not so shy…and before he could stop himself…an image of Hinata having the measurements and proportions of Kurenai suddenly popped uninvited into his head…and then before he could react…he saw Hinata in the same measurements as Tsunade and in the same outfit as Kurenai from last night.

The image of a full grown sultry, and downright sensual Hinata Hyuuga in her undergarments and covered in water with a very seductive expression on her face with a deep red blush burned it's way right into Naruto's brain and made him blush bright red as he mentally slapped himself for getting such images at a time like this.

(AAAUUUGHH!! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH ME?! THERE'S NO WAY HINATA WOULD EVER DO THAT?!)

"A-A-A-Are you all right Naruto-kun?"

Hinata moved back as Naruto raised himself and groaned in answer.

"Yeah…just lost my focus for a minute there Hinata…ow…damn cut…"

Hinata gasped as she spotted the small gash on Naruto's arm that was the result of his slip and she quickly took out a small bandage and some salve and before Naruto could reach for his own medical supplies…Hinata bandaged him and he saw how much care Hinata placed on his wound and it made him smile a bit in spite of himself and that further told him that Hinata really cared about him and that was something that he found even more attractive…

"T-T-T-There…a-all done N-N-Naruto-kun."

Naruto smiled and replied.

"Thanks Hinata, I will repay you someday…you're a real kind girl…can't wait to see you grow up to be a really strong ninja."

"Thank you…"

Naruto and Hinata then resumed their work as they moved ahead of the patrol…Hinata with her Byakugan and Naruto with his Ranger training…it was at this point that the convoy arrived at a nearby town and this was yet another location for the merchants to ply their wares. And this allowed them to take their time and relax…Naruto managed to find a ramen store and used his money to buy himself some ramen and this time he had found a very good ramen shop and chow down as he went for everything that the shop had on selection…he then bought some extra ramen for his companions…Kurenai had heard rumors of Naruto's appetite when it involved ramen…but even she was surprised at how much ramen the blonde could stuff down his stomach. She couldn't help but smile as the others watched in amazement at the rapid pace the blonde would go when it came to munching down his favorite food.

The ninja group then got ready to leave the town and meet up with the rest of the convoy…however they were unaware of the fact that someone had managed to spot them and was able to determine what they were doing. The figure was wearing normal civilian clothes and apparently was a skilled operative to have avoided the ninja team and left the area…

However… the person was not unnoticed by Holy Talon as the sword then spoke to its master.

(("Master Naruto…we're being tracked…"))

Naruto frowned a bit as he spoke mentally to his companion and trusted ally.

(How many?)

(("One so far…probably a scout of some sort."))

Naruto sighed as he realized that this meant that the enemy forces were soon to make their move…it won't be long before the convoy would soon be under attack by whoever the scout worked for…they couldn't attack them while they were in the town as it was inviting trouble in bucket loads but there was no doubt on his mind that as soon as they were out of town…things were going to get interesting…

They moved on and as soon as they reached a nearby valley the group decided to take another break as the convoy did the needed checks on the animals to see to their health and welfare. The merchant leader then gave another small bonus to the ninja group and Naruto took the time to take a break for himself on watch while the other ninja were also on patrol…this time however, he was surprised to see that Sakura had decided to follow him on the patrol on the outside of the valley…Kiba, Akamaru and Shino were on the middle…while Kin and Hinata were there in the convoy along with Kurenai…Naruto couldn't help but recall the incident from last night with the one he had recently with Hinata as he and Sakura did the outer perimeter patrol and couldn't help but wonder if he was losing his mind at the moment…Holy Talon heard that mental thought of it's master and couldn't help but chuckle a bit…that got Naruto's attention very quickly.

(What's so funny Holy Talon?)

(("It's the way your acting around the females in the group Master Naruto…while it is a normal thing for most young men your age as you are…nearing the stage of human growth known as puberty, you seem to be rather…shall we say…more innocent to say the least."))

(Are you making fun of me?!)

(("No…it's just rather nice…remember what I said about me having several Masters who were similar to that old hermit ninja Jiraiya?"))

(Yeah I do…so what about them?)

(("I recall one Master…a human like you name Darc who used a special camouflage spell to enter a hidden spring at one point and…well, you can guess…"))

(He peeked on some women didn't he? Was he a dirty old man like the Pervy Sage?)

(("No…he was about the same age as your Jonin sensei…Kakashi, but unlike your sensei…he was the kind who preferred real women…suffice to say he got his reward when several women came to the spring for a bathing ritual…unfortunately…the women in question were a band of sword masters and they were far from happy to have a peeping tom in their midst…Dragon Champion or not…"))

(Ouch…so did he wind up being beaten?)

(("Actually he was challenged to a duel by the women and he won…and managed to get a wife from one of the ladies in the spring…at least a few years later…but she was the only woman who had come close to beating him in fair combat…though it was hardly fair as she and her comrades had a very effective way to distract him…he was IN a spring after all…"))

Naruto couldn't help but shake his head as he had a very clear idea on what was it that Holy Talon was implying at the moment…and he decided not to think of that as the idea of having to fight a woman in a spring wearing Kami only knew what was not the healthiest of ideas and was no doubt extremely distracting to just about anyone else in the area. He sighed a bit at that and focused on the patrol.

Sakura then came next to him and spoke.

"Are you all right Naruto-kun?"

"What do you mean by that Sakura-chan?"

"You seem distracted at the moment…don't tell me you're thinking about that battle you had again and where…?"

Naruto shook his head and replied.

"Don't fret Sakura-chan…I'm all right and I am alive…just managed to think about this whole mission…I've got a felling things are about to get very exciting when the time comes."

"You mean a bandit attack…don't worry…we're all ready for that."

"I know…if anything gets out of hand Sakura-chan…I will be ready to help you all out."

Sakura nodded but she replied back.

"I know that Naruto-kun…but I can take care of myself…I'm not the same Sakura you knew a while before…I am not going to let myself be helpless again…let me fight no matter what so I can prove that I'm not a burden to either you or Sasuke-kun."

Naruto knew that Sakura was serious…he could sense that no matter what he said at this very moment she would not change her mind at all. He was impressed on how she and Ino had fought each other in the Chuunin Exams before and knew that Sakura wanted to be a strong ninja and he liked that a lot.

"You're never a burden Sakura-chan…you're going to be a great ninja someday…I have no doubts about that all."

Sakura smiled as they went on their patrol and then they stopped as they headed back towards the convoy and Naruto could sense…with Holy Talon's aid that no one was attacking the camp, it was then that he and Sakura arrived to meet up with the others and they were now with the convoy…Sakura and Naruto then went to the lessons that Iruka had left them and the pink haired Kunoichi began to review the lessons to Naruto after an hour or two of work being done.

The two were near the convoy but apart from the others to have some privacy at the moment and Naruto couldn't help but look at Sakura as she smiled as they reviewed the lessons and then he couldn't help but imagine what Sakura would look like when she was older and she had no doubt in his mind that she would be a very attractive ninja when she was a bit older now…however the moment he thought that…he saw the same image of Sakura in her undergarments…the very same image of Kurenai when the incident happened and then she was now taking Kurenai and Hinata's place in the image and Naruto blushed bright red and was happy that Sakura was currently turning to see the sun set downwards towards the other side of the valley.

Naruto managed to stop thinking about that image but it was already implanted in his brain and he had to focus on other things to get the lessons done…and he did…however as he looked at Sakura again…he couldn't help but see the image of her in the same situation once again and the idea of her in a near nude state of dress and on top of him, smiling seductively at him and…

(AAAAAUUUUUGGGGHHHHHH! DAMN HORMONES!!)

The fact that Kin appeared and sat down with them and seating close to him and handing him some snacks certainly didn't help matters as he suddenly saw her in the same image…he had to admit that Kin did look nice…and no doubt she would look very attractive given a couple of years, and it didn't take long for him to imagine Kin in the same situation. The image of the former Sound Kunoichi in near nudity and giving him a seductive smile was beginning to really have an effect on the young man as he managed to keep calm but was having a rather hard time of it as well.

Later that night…he and the others went to sleep as the guards decided to take the watch for tonight to let the ninjas get their rest break…but Naruto took the time to set up a few wards and traps to make sure that the convoy was not suddenly attacked while they were all getting some needed sleep and Holy Talon was already alert as well and was already prepared to wake him up and warn him of any incoming danger to him.

--

The next day…

Naruto woke up and felt like he had been plagued by dreams…but the dreams were of a different sort and they were not bad…it was the fact that he couldn't stop having them when he didn't want to have them that was very aggravating to him. The images were very interesting as he thought about the incident with Kurenai a few nights before and then he saw the images change…

First it was Kurenai who he was with, then it turned to Ayame, then it was Sakura he was with, then Hinata, then Kin, then Tsunade, then Shizune, then Temari, then Shizune, then Ino, then Tenten, even that crazy Jonin Anko was in the dream as well, and even Ino…the whole time he felt like he was in heaven because instead of any of the women going ballistic and beating the holy hell out of his sorry rear end…it was the other way around as they began to…

(AAAAUUUUUGGGGGGHHHHHH!!)

Naruto swore mentally as he banished such thoughts before they got to him yet again. He didn't need them at the moment as he was still doing his job as a Konoha ninja…and a Dragon Champion…but the effects of his very vivid imagination were already present as he looked at his boxers and mentally swore as there was a tent on them. He quickly calmed his mind once more with some calm breathing and then he felt his body relax and calm down and he felt his erection begin to fade…it was a good thing he was sleeping in a spare bunk near Kiba, Akamaru, and Shino and he knew that he was away from the ladies in the group at the moment…and they were not nearby because until he calmed down, the minute he saw them in his current state, he would suddenly react yet again…and the last thing he wanted was to face either Kurenai, Kin, Sakura, and Hinata with a blasted hard-on.

As soon as he was done and his body was now cool, he sighed and spoke…

"Thank Kami that's over and done with…"

He then turned and saw that Kiba and Shino, along with Akamaru were still sleeping at the moment and he was lucky that he didn't make too much noise to wake the two up…if he did, then there was no doubt in his mind that Kiba would be teasing him all morning and while he didn't think Shino would join in…he was not going to take the chance and wind up with even more embarrassment in the day. He turned and got into his clothes…not wearing his armor but taking Holy Talon with him and his Kunai pouch, and as soon as he was done, he then left to take in the fresh air as he left the tent and welcome the new day…He walked about for a bit and then smelled the food being cooked by the people of the convoy. Missed having the normal servings of ramen that he craved back in Konoha…but placed the thoughts aside and took some of the food…just as he spotted the others in his group finally waking up…he greeted Kurenai who smiled at him and in a rather…saucy fashion…no doubt she was teasing him yet again as she still had not forgotten the incident that happened between the two of them a few days before…making Naruto blush a bit, he gave her a bit of a smile and she smiled back even more…just as Sakura, Kin, and Hinata arrived, along with Kiba, Akamaru and Shino.

The blonde was now with the rest of his group and they were getting ready to move on…Naruto got on his gear and was about to move out with Shino on forward patrol when Holy Talon suddenly spoke to him via mental link.

(("We've got danger Master Naruto! I can sense several bands of people with foul intentions…and they appear to be after the medicine!"))

(How far are they from here?)

(("At least several hours, and there are a large number of them heading towards us…we need to intercept and deal with them before they arrive."))

(How many are they?)

(("At least three groups at best…fairly large number there as well…no doubt they are well armed at the moment as well…they are still a fair distance from us at the moment.

Naruto nodded mentally and turned towards the direction of the bandits and then moved out…the looks on his face…serious and defiant was enough for the others in his group and the guards to know that something was seriously wrong at the moment.

"What is it Naruto?"

Kurenai asked as she saw the serious look, and Naruto turned and replied.

"I've got a feeling we've got bandits heading our way…I'll go ahead and slow them down a bit and head back here to you guys."

Kurenai wanted to halt Naruto and prevent him from getting injured…but she knew that considering the fact that Naruto had begun to show great promise in the fields of Kenjutsu, Ninjutsu, and Taijutsu, along with the powers given to him by the sword…he was more than capable to taking care of himself. She was not the only one as Hinata, Kin, and Sakura were worried. Kiba and Shino got ready and the Aburame clan heir spoke.

"I'll accompany Naruto and support him from the rear."

"Count me and Akamaru in…no way are we staying here!"

Akamaru yipped in agreement and Kurenai nodded, happy at least Naruto was going into battle with back-up; she then turned to Hinata and spoke.

"Hinata…I want you to use your Byakugan to track the bandits and make sure that we are sure about where they will attack us!"

"Hai Kurenai-sensei!"

Naruto nodded as he knew that the Byakugan would really come in handy in this situation…Hinata would serve as the eyes that watched their back and the perimeter so as to make sure the bandits didn't get the drop on them. The blonde ninja was now in his armor and grabbed his Reflex Bow and readied several arrows for combat and went ahead towards where Holy Talon had sensed the bandits…with Shino and Kiba, along with Akamaru behind him…the trio arrived up the nearby hill and spotted the incoming band… Naruto quickly used the same spell he had used before in the Chuunin Exams and the invasion of Sand and Sound.

"PIERCING VISION!"

The same light appeared in his eyes and he then decided to see just how many threats there were in the first bandit group…

At least thirty strong and wielding a large number of weapons and no doubt ready and willing to use them. Kiba and Akamaru were ready and so was Shino and then Naruto decided to try a few spells that were low in terms of Mystic Fire needs but very lethal in terms of use…he channeled his energy into the arrows and then the tips of the arrows glowed a pale violet and then Naruto released them into the air…

"PARALYSIS ARROW!"

The arrows hit several of the bandits and sure enough…they were suddenly unable to move as if they were stopped cold and frozen into place by the shots fired by Naruto as they hit them dead center. The blonde ninja then took out several more arrows and began to fire them at the crowd of bandits in a very rapid but calm pace…taking several more out with good accuracy, though he was not that skilled an archer yet as some of his shots missed their targets…but with the bandits being as bunched up as they were at the moment…it hardly mattered at this point as even stray arrows would hit their targets well.

The bandits continued to attack and charged right at the three ninja…Shino used his Destruction Bugs to confuse and blind his foes and strike at them as well…while Kiba and Akamaru used their Double Transformation Jutsu to even the odds a bit more…Kiba had already fed Akamaru a red soldier pill and the little puppy was now ready to fight as the two used the Inuzuka clan's signature Taijutsu fighting style to even up the odds in the battle that they were in at the moment. Naruto provided the long range support for the battle…Shino would provide the cover and the defensive power…while Kiba took the offensive attacks.

Several bandits came closer and were armed with cross-bows and took aim at Naruto with their weapons…the blonde ninja spotted them and quickly fired three arrows at them…taking out the bandits…but another had a rapid repeating crossbow in his arsenal and was already firing at Naruto…forcing Naruto to dodge and weave from them bolts…cutting off his chances of firing any retaliatory shots…the bandit fired another bolt and this was suddenly intercepted by Shino…who took the bolt in the chest…and the succeeding bolts struck him in the head and the shoulder.

The bandit grinned but the grin left his face when Shino broke apart into Destruction Bugs…showing that Shino had used the same clone technique he had used on Kankurou before during the battle in the forest when he, Kin, Shikamaru, Sakura, and Naruto pursued Sasuke when the Uchiha had pursued Gaara and his siblings. This allowed the Shino to attack with his bugs and defeat the bandit before he could fight back…Another bandit got knocked aside with his buddies as Kiba and Akamaru attacked them with the same technique that they had used against Naruto in their battle in the Chuunin Exams.

Naruto nodded and focused on providing ranged support to the two Genin from the rear…relying on his Ranger training to pick the right targets and to hit the exact spots where his arrows could do the most damage on the many foes that were heading towards them. He used normal arrowed for the moment and then reverted to using the more powerful arrows that were imbued with Mystic Fire to augment their powers in combat. He fired three arrows which glowed deep blue and white for a second as he fired them.

"ICE ARROWS!!"

The arrows…imbued by Water Magic quickly proved themselves to be worthy of the namesake as they hit their targets and several bandits found themselves covered in ice with the arrows and unable to move and fight properly as they felt their limbs beginning the freeze up from the magic that was imbued into the arrows.

Naruto then sensed another band of attackers while he supported Kiba and Shino…he knew that there were other groups of bandits in the area and while he wanted to engage them in combat he knew that he could ill afford to cut his support to his team-mates as he loaded several more arrows at the bandits. Several more fell to his shots and the Genin were given a break when the bandits pulled back.

Kiba smiled and spoke confidently.

"Serves them right for thinking they could get the drop on us!"

Akamaru barked…while still in his Henge form of Kiba…but Shino was not convinced at the moment as he looked on.

"Don't relax yet Kiba…I've got a feeling they'll be back for more…"

And sure enough…the bandits came back and were in larger numbers as well. Kiba growled and replied.

"I hate it when you're right Shino…"

"Keep it cool you two. Here they come!"

Naruto replied as he quickly took aim with his arrow and fired…killing another bandit who was apparently an officer of the bandits…the man halted and clutched Naruto's arrow that was in his throat and pitched forward with a loud cry as the blonde ninja loaded another arrow and enchanted his arms to further his strength and into the arrow shot.

"PIERCING SHOT!"

The arrow flew true and straight and with enough power and force…the arrow managed to slice through one bandit…and right into another one behind him…and yet another, and another…allowing Naruto to down several bandits with only one shot. The shot impressed Shino and Kiba as they focused on defending Naruto as he provided the long range support with that Reflex Bow of his…however they were into the action as several more bandits closed in…Kiba fired several shuriken and took down others while the rest tried to avoid his shuriken…allowing Akamaru and him to attack in close range.

Shino's bugs provided defense and attack to his other team-mates…but Naruto wondered just what the other bandits were going to do…he could tell that these guys before them were meant to be distractions and decoys…so where were the rest of them at the moment?

He got his answer when Holy Talon spoke to him.

(("Master Naruto…the other bandits have made their move! They are heading right for the convoy at this moment…they are planning to use a pincer attack?"))

(Pincer attack?)

(("It's an attack from all sides like a crab's pincers when it grips something…the other bandits plan to surround us and crush us all in one fell swoop."))

(Great…just what we don't need at this moment!)

--

Back at the convoy…

Hinata looked through her Byakugan and was impressed as she saw Naruto calmly firing arrows at the bandits but she quickly turned away when she spotted three more bandit groups coming right at them from the sides of the valley…they had avoided Naruto, Kiba, Akamaru, and Shino and were now heading towards them.

"Kurenai-sensei! We have several more of them heading our way!"

Kurenai nodded…she trusted Hinata's Byakugan quite well and she knew that Hinata did as well. She then took out her kunai and looked at both Sakura and Kin…the pink haired Kunoichi had her kunai ready in both her hands and Kin got her Senbon ready for combat. Hinata likewise got ready to fight with her family Gentle Fist Style as the guards got ready to fight…the groups before them were not that numerous…but with them attacking on both sides…this was going to be a rather tough fight.

Hinata knew that this was going to be a hard mission for her and this time, there was great danger involved…but she knew that she had to give everything she had in order to prove that she had indeed become a strong and brave ninja to her family and to herself…Naruto-kun was here and she wanted to prove to him that she was strong as well.

Kin knew that this was going to be a hard mission but she looked forward to it as she readied her Senbon with bells, and so was Sakura as she got ready with her weapons and focused herself in the battle ahead of her and the others with her…this was going to be a very serious and dangerous battle…just like the time in both Wave Country when Gato was in power…and when the Sand and Sound ninja attacked Konoha.

Sure enough the bandits arrived and were charging right for them all as the guards also got ready to fight for both the cargo and their lives…the men and women there showed some fear but they trusted the Konoha ninja who were with them at the moment…even though the Genin were still pretty young at the moment.

Kurenai quickly made her Genjutsu and bound several of the much faster bandits and held them tight…allowing her to defeat them quickly…they were not in the very same league as Itachi and that gave her the edge in restraining them quickly and using her kunai to take them out quickly in time as she moved on and fought with several bandits…some of the lecherous men in the band looked at her and it annoyed her that she was getting ogled at by the men who as she could smell…REALLY needed to take some serious baths at the best moment. The Jonin placed the thoughts aside as she continued to lash out with her kunai and her fists and kicks as several more bandits were knocked aside by the female Jonin. She quickly leaped upward and landed away from some of the bandits and then used her Genjutsu once more and managed to take out several more bandits as she quickly moved back to support her other comrades and she saw another bandit aiming with a bow and she quickly fired a kunai…not at him in particular…but the bow string and the kunai sliced the bow-string…rendering his bow useless.

Hinata used her Byakugan to aim for the vital areas of the bandits coming right at her and she managed to evade the attacks of the bandits as they tried to finish her off quickly…some of them commented how nice it would be to have her as a plaything and that made her angry as she quickly fought back with several powerful but soft looking attacks…she knew that she had to be stronger for herself, her family, her village, and for her Naruto-kun and did her best to defend herself effectively as she was able to incapacitate several more bandits with several quick and precise blows.

Kin used her Senbon to wound several of the bandits and also her own supply of shuriken and kunai…she also used her trademark Senbon with bells to further confuse the bandits and allow her to get her attacks in and to make sure that they were kept off balance…allowing her to attack with impunity…but she was careful not to get overconfident with her attacks and her abilities as she was still a Genin…besides…she had no intention of dying today and was going to fight her hardest. The bandits were also acting perverted as they leered at the former Sound Kunoichi and it made her blood boil at that and gave her an even better reason to bash them all to the ground with her Taijutsu and Sound Jutsu as well.

Sakura was also using her skills and physical training to even up the odds…she used her own Bushin training to her advantage along with the Replacement Jutsu to even things out…several bandits that tried to attack her found themselves either hitting clones or were hitting each other as their comrades were then in the pink haired kunoichi's place when she used the Replacement Jutsu to change places with them and she used her kunai to even the odds. The bandits commented on her hair and called her a weird if very pretty catch…she was not happy as she gave them a piece of her mind at that those words and bashed them to the ground.

The women and the guards were fighting their best as more bandits came at them and by Kurenai's estimation…there must be at least three to four large bandit groups in the area at the moment and no doubt several other reserve groups… this puzzled Kurenai greatly as she fought off three more attackers.

(Why are there so many of them…bandits aren't this numerous and this organized…something is off.)

It was then that Kiba, Akamaru and Shino returned, much to the relief of the others…but they were all somewhat surprised when they saw that Naruto was not with them at the moment. And they then saw him facing off with several other bandits on the top of the hill. Kurenai then spoke for herself and the others on asking what Naruto was doing there by himself.

"Kiba, why aren't you, Akamaru and Shino with Naruto?!"

"He said he can hold the line by himself for the time being and sent us here to back you up…the stubborn guy thinks he can hold off an army by himself!"

Kiba replied as Shino spoke.

"Naruto was right you know…we need to be here to help the others…and with his skills and usage of Kage Bushin, he can hold his own."

Kiba nodded and spoke.

"All right…but let's all hope he's going to be all right…Kage Bushin can only go so far in a fight…Neji's already proven that before when he and Naruto fought."

The group got ready as more of the bandits came on the scene and headed towards them…the female Genin, Kin, Sakura, and Hinata hoped that Naruto would be safe…and so did Kurenai…but they knew that they had to trust him to survive…it was going to take a lot than an army of bandits to beat him after all. The fight was renewed as the rest of the bandits wasted little time and headed right for the convoy…while others were focused on Naruto who was still firing his arrows at the groups that came before him.

--

Back with Naruto…

The bandits who were facing Naruto wasted no time as they knew how dangerous he was with his bow…but they were confident that they had the advantage as they surrounded the blonde ninja at the moment and denied him any chance to be able to help his fellow ninja. Naruto gritted his teeth and focused on them as he knew that they were his current concern…he had no doubts in his mind that his fellow ninja could take care of themselves and Kurenai was going to make sure that she would be there to support her team along with Sakura and Kin.

He then took out one of his short spears and unleashed the weapon and spun it around and parried a bandit's own spear…the blonde ninja recalled some moves with the spear and blocked aside a thrust aiming for his face…he then thrust his spear into the ground and moved forward and was in the air for a moment and he pulled out his spear and then lashed out with a powerful swing that sent the spear smashing right into the bandit's face!

WHACK!!

The man was sent flying backward by the blow into his fellow bandits and Naruto quickly blocked another attacker with his spear's shaft and landed a solid elbow into the face of another bandit and then retaliated with a swift kick in the balls…knocking the man over with a massive cry of pain…and Naruto finished it off with a knee to the chin…just as he leaped into the air and landed a series of kicks into the faces of several others and he quickly lashed out with his spear…the weapon's middle blade missed the two men…but the blades on the sides didn't miss at all as the two men were badly wounded by the attack and Naruto kicked both of them and he lashed out with his still extended short spear and used the butt of the spear to hit one of the bandits in the crotch and dropped him like a sack of potatoes and he used the spear's shaft to knock another bandit down with a sweep to the legs. He then managed to deal with several bandits coming at him in single attacks…The blonde ninja then turned away and managed to move away towards the convoy which was still under attack… however the bandits wanted nothing like that and several more intercepted Naruto…just as he was arriving to support the others.

The blonde ninja got his still present spear and managed to take down several…even using his spear like a javelin to take out one of the bandits and he quickly rushed in and attacked with his Taijutsu…using his training in the normal forms of Taijutsu and what he had learned from both Neji and Hinata in the use of the Gentle Fist fighting style of the Hyuuga clan. The attacks proved to the real difference maker as he was able to hit the enemies fast and hard and make sure that each hit he gave them was going to be effective and halting them all cold and out of the fight for sure…he however had to move away as he was attacked by another band of bandits and he was able to get his spear from the man he had hit…and he quickly used a spell that he found very useful as he landed on the ground and he quickly summoned the Mystic Fire to power the spell…keeping in mind to keep his use of Holy Talon's Mystic Fire or Dragon Fire reserves to a minimum and rely on his skills at this stage of the fight as to make sure that Holy Talon would be able to recover on it's own.

"ENTANGLING VINES!!"

The bandits had no time to react when massive vines suddenly burst forth from the ground and lashed onto their arms and legs…both holding them into place and also restraining them as the vines not only bound their legs but also their arms as well.

CLANG!!

Naruto gritted his teeth as he held off the two bandits…one armed with a pair of heavy swords and the other with a massive club with his two spears while Kiba and Akamaru, along with Shino, Hinata, Sakura, Kin, and Kurenai were fighting their own opponents who were attacking the convoy…while being supported by the guards of the convoy at the moment. He quickly pushed his attackers aside and got some fighting room and blocked the club wielding attacker and then jabbed with his other short spear to wound the attacker…

The bandit roared at his wound on the arm…but before he could attacked…Naruto jabbed his spears into the ground and leaped into the air and landed behind him and lashed out with a powerful smash on the head with the spears still in his hands…sending the guy flying and right into several other bandits. He then blocked another attacker with both speared and managed to push the bandit back and twirled his spears at high speed and managed to force the bandit and his companions away and he then leaped into the air and smashed right into them and taking out several of them and managed to injure the rest. He quickly combined both short spears and made a double spear staff and used it to fight off several more attackers…the ninja swung his weapon at high speed and created a powerful vortex like shield to defend himself and also to suddenly attack.

He used his lessons from his Steel Lancer mentor and managed to even up the odds and then tried a new tried a new trick that he had developed during his training in the arts of magic and also his reviewing in the Academy…He placed aside his combined spear for a moment and the made the hand signs for his favored jutsu but mumbled something as well…uttering a spell under his breath.

"KAGE BUSHIN JUTSU!!"

The Kage Bushin and Naruto were now armed with the combined short spears and attacked the bandits…several of the bandits were knocked out cold by Naruto and his clones…until one of them was suddenly stabbed by multiple attackers…the bandits grinned…but the Kage Bushin smiled and suddenly burst into a massive firestorm and it was enough to send several bandits running away with themselves or body parts and hair on fire. The other attacking bandits were also surprised when their own targets burst into flame and caught them off guard.

Naruto grinned as he managed to knock back several bandits and blocked another attacker…his fusion of the Fire Branch spell Fire Flash and his Kage Bushin was really paying off and he was even more eager to try other Spell/Kage Bushin fusions later on…but he focused on the here and now as he then spun his spear staff to block several barrages of crossbow bolts and arrows fired at him by several bandits, he quickly separated his spears, returned them to their stored form and quickly took out his Reflex Bow and then notched arrows of his own and quickly relied on his Ranger training and fired his shots at his attackers.

His Ranger training paid off nicely as he was able to hit his foes with deadly accuracy and either wound them in such a way that they could never use their weapons or render them unable to move in the quickest ways…he however did make some mistakes as he was not all that used to using a bow and some of the bandits did manage to evade his arrows…he moved and fired as best he could and quickly recalled his Ranger mentor's training and pulled out yet another bunch of arrows and then focused himself and with a single fluid motion unleashed a barrage of arrows that filled the sky as he was engaged by several bandits…and then more came right at him…a veritable army…too many for one Ranger in training to take on alone.

Naruto then had an idea and quickly summoned more of his Kage Bushin…

"TAJUU KAGE BUSHIN!!"

Before the dumbfounded bandit army was a veritable army of Naruto clones and the real Naruto…the ninja and his clones got read as half of the three thousand clones suddenly followed several odd gestures as the original ninja and then slammed their hands on the ground…

To the shock of the bandits…the ground glowed deep blue and the clones and Naruto pulled out shields from the earth using alchemy to create the shields from the metals underneath them and which comprised the earth itself…the shields were all in silver-grey and shaped like diamonds with a rising middle and lower parts on the sides and had the symbol of Konoha on them with a sword behind it and a Dragon flying in a roar behind both. The half of the clone army that has the shields suddenly took out their short spears as Naruto shouted.

"First Line…Spear Wall Formation!!"

The clones shouted and placed the shields in their hands their speared were now on the shields…ready to thrust outward to stab anyone foolish enough to get close to them…leaving the bandits stunned and shocked as they stared at the wall of shields and spears.

The clones behind all took their Reflex Bows and notched in their arrows and half of them were aiming forward at the bandits while the other clones armed with their bows aimed upwards and in the moment of it all…Naruto gave the command as he and his clones' unleashed hell.

"ARROW STORM!!"

The arrows were unleashed the bandit forces were shocked out of their skin when they looked up and saw myriads of arrows coming right at them, nearly blocking out the sun and hordes of arrows heading right for them…and they did the only thing they could…They ran all the way back as the entire area was filled with arrows and many bandits who were not able to move fast enough were quickly hit hard many died with others were severely wounded, by the arrows fired by Naruto and his Kage Bushin, which he quickly dispersed and then took his own shield with him and slung it on his back quickly and held it in place with chakra…he moved out and began to fire several arrows towards some other bandits that were heading straight towards the convoy and also attacking his fellow ninja…

He managed to take several of them out of the picture as he rushed in to help the others…placing away his Reflex Bow and got ready to leap in. He could tell that despite the pincer move…the bandits had not counted on Kurenai's gifts in the art of Genjutsu and Taijutsu…she might not have done very well against Itachi…from what he had heard…but she was more than a threat to simple bandits.

Kiba and Akamaru were using the same trick with the smoke pellets to confuse their foes while Shino used his bugs to shield his team-mates and confuse his enemies. The others were also doing fine as Sakura was beating away several more bandits, Hinata stunned them and

It was then when the bandits were moving back to regroup that Naruto suddenly heard a whirling sound and he instinctively ducked and looked to find a certain sword imbedded in a nearby tree…he recognized it anywhere…just as the mist suddenly came right at him and the rest of the convoy…this was certainly not looking good and it was then that he heard a familiar voice.

"Nice to see you again after so long kid…you've grown a lot since I last saw you…"

(You've got to be kidding!!)

Naruto quickly rolled out of the way as he felt danger coming his way and saw the familiar face before him as the ninja aimed his massive sword before him and smiled underneath the mask.

"Good to see that you've' gotten better than before in our last fight…now we get to have the chance to catch up on what we missed out on in the Land of Waves before…and this time I get to finally have the money I need to make my dreams come true…and you are in my way."

Naruto growled as he placed aside his reflex Bow and took out both his shield and Holy Talon and faced…Zabuza once more.

Sakura and the others were about to move in as the guards assured them that they were all right and help Naruto but they were able to move back to avoid several razor sharp Senbon and then out of the mist appeared yet another face who readied more Senbon to fight them with…in this case however…this one wore a mask…

Sakura gasped at this and shouted as she recognized the masked arrival.

"YOU AGAIN?!"

Haku nodded a bit behind his mask and replied.

"It's a pleasure to see you as well…though your other companions are unknown to me…I cannot let you pass through here…Master Zabuza has another chance at fulfilling his dreams…and I will not let any of you try and stop him."

Sakura, Kin, Hinata, Kurenai, Kiba, Akamaru, and Shino got ready as Haku made the hand signs and summoned the ice needles from the water in Zabuza's nearby mist and got ready to fight with the other Genin and the Jonin got ready to fight as well with him. The Chuunin level youth got ready to fight in this battle…he knew his duty…to distract the others to allow Zabuza the chance to catch up with an old debt that he had to settle with Naruto.

The two of them still had a dream that had to be realized and he was not going to let the dream fade no matter the situation. They had been given another chance to do this and he was not going to let it slip away…though their new employers made him rather uneasy.

Elsewhere…

"So what is the situation?"

"The bandits have fallen back…wasteful trash…not that we can blame them for that…that blonde ninja really gave them a beating…the Mist Swordsman's engaged him now and I think the two of them are about to fight…though I can't be sure with all this fog before us."

"That is Zabuza's chosen style of attack…hide in the mist and strike…that is how he was able to advance to Jonin Rank before he went rogue…he is good and not someone to take lightly…even by Naruto-kun."

"I see…but what of Zabuza's companion? As far as we have gathered he is the last of his clan and bloodline…he certainly has some promise."

"That he does…I have talked it over with our Master and he will be interested in an experiment to pass the time until the medical supplies are in our hands…for now we watch…have the men ready to move in just in case…there are a LOT of viable subjects to gather here….Orochimaru-sama will be very busy if this works out."

"As you command Kabuto-sama. All ninja prepare to move only on direct orders!"

"Hai!"

Kabuto nodded as he and his Sound Ninja detachment were hidden and waiting for the outcome of the battle before them, the men and women in the Sound ninja team were all eager to do the will of their Master and his subordinate at the slightest command. The personal Medic-nin of Orochimaru waited and pushed up his glasses as he touched his stomach and his legs…areas where Naruto had wounded him before…he had recovered but nursed a new respect for Naruto and a rivalry as well.

(So Naruto-kun…you have truly changed…you use your Kage Bushin in ways even I couldn't have thought possible…but now you face a skilled fighter like Zabuza…and you are in his chosen jutsu...how do you plan to fight your way out of this one? This is a good chance for me to see what you have been doing these past few weeks…and how you have progressed. Now Naruto-kun…show me your true power!!)

In the mist…

Zabuza readied his newly re-forged and reinforced sword and held it at the ready for battle…he knew that he couldn't clash blades with Naruto and had to rely on new maneuvers and tactics to win…and he had a few already to use in battle…this was going to be a challenge indeed…he had hoped to fight both Naruto and Kakashi…but he couldn't get too greedy. He had once and it nearly cost him…but this time he was prepared.

"Are you ready brat?!"

Naruto calmed himself and readied both sword and shield and replied.

"Give me your best shot!"

Both ninja moved in to attack…Zabuza with his sword on his side and ready for a massive and deadly swing...and Naruto with his shield in front of him and Holy Talon at the ready…as they both charged…there was a loud roar from both of them as they were ready for a serious fight.

--

To be continued…

--

Sorry it took me a while and this is kind of short…but after that disaster with Typhoon Frank things have been very hectic as of late…the town's recovered more now and internet is slowly being restored and so is mine, and things are back on track at the moment, and my family and relatives are all right…the town will take time to get get back to the old state it was before this whole mess and a LOT of people have suffered both physically and mentally from the flood. The expenses needed to rebuild the town and the province I live in are huge at the moment but we are all alive and all right.

Naruto now has a new jutsu …the Fire Kage Bushin…essentially a suicidal Kage Bushin that is inscrolled with a powerful Fire Flash spell that works like a grenade…allowing Naruto to lure in his foes and devastate them or injure them greatly, and it costs less chakra as Naruto has developed enough skill to use less chakra than before and can tap into the Kyuubi's chakra to amplify the powers he has.

As you can see…we had some interesting scenes between Kurenai and Naruto first and then some scenes between the other girls and Naruto before we got down to the bandits making their moves on the convoy…after all…there's major profits involved if those supplies were taken and if your wondering just how in the heck did Zabuza come back along with Haku…

Then that's my surprise…they had to appear somewhere in the story at some point and considering the time skip sine they were last seen in Wave Country…you can bet that the two of them would have come up with some new jutsu of their own to off set and stand up with Naruto and his companions…And it seems that Orochimaru and Kabuto have been able to hire Zabuza and Haku to attack the convoy…how will the battle turn out for either side?

We'll find out on the next chapter of Medical Mission so hold on and enjoy!


	25. Medical Mission Part 3

Naruto The Twin Swords

Disclaimer: I hereby state that I have no ownership of Naruto and all related media and characters to said series…because if I did I wouldn't be writing about it in the first place.

Chapter 21

Part 3

Medical Mission

( ): Thoughts

((" ")): Holy Talon's voice

--

CLANG!!

Naruto held off the incoming strike from Zabuza's head cutter sword as the Missing Nin from Water Country attacked with his sword…aiming for Naruto's neck…planning to kill Naruto in one fell strike. He pushed the blade aside and charged right at Zabuza but the Jonin quickly faded away into the mist and evaded Naruto's strike.

The blonde ninja swore mentally and quickly moved away as he felt the Jonin strike at him once more but with an overhead strike for his head…the blonde ninja then blocked with his shield a kick from Zabuza that hit his shield and he moved back…the Jonin then faded away and Naruto remained on the defensive.

(I can't engage the brat head on and I can't cross blades with him since his sword could very well shatter mine easily. So that means I have to plan this one out…)

Naruto looked through the mist but recalled how hard that was when he had faced Zabuza for the first time and how he had to work with Sasuke to stand a chance with this guy before. He knew that back then he would have fared little better against a Jonin that gave even Kakashi a run for his money..but that was then…this is now. He had spent his time training long and hard to make up for the time he wasted and now was the time to even things up with Zabuza.

Once concern he had was the fact that Zabuza had a partner…that masked youth that as far as he knew was a high Chuunin level missing nin like Zabuza…he had learned much from the battle when he chatted with Sakura and Kakashi, and even Sasuke at some point after their mission in Wave Country. That young stranger had a bloodline trait like that of Sasuke's Sharingan, and Neji and Hinata's Byakugan…meaning that he was a serious threat to him and the others and knowing that this guy in question was working with Zabuza, he had to be near the area as well.

(Damn it…that guy could be attacking the others at this very moment…I've got to deal with Zabuza quickly before things get really bad!)

(("Master Naruto! Look out!"))

The blonde ninja ducked as Zabuza's blade came swinging out from behind him and would have cut deeply into his back if he wasn't looking. The leather and chain-mail armor he had would have withstood the damage but Naruto had learned his lesson when he had faced the Wraith Knight weeks before and knew that he had to keep on the move if he wanted to avoid being injured badly.

"Not bad…I'd say you've improved a good deal since I fought you kid."

Zabuza said as he remained hidden in the Mist and he was focusing on some how to take advantage of the mist to score a hit on the blonde ninja…the Jonin sensed that the blonde kid had changed since he had last seen him and he had heard a ton of rumors on what he had accomplished and he had to admit that the idea of defeating someone of that level despite being a Genin was a very tempting prospect. When he had been hired by Sound for this mission he had been promised a large payment and a percentage of the earnings of the selling of the spare medical supplies…enough to help finance his dreams of assassinating the Mizukage of his former home…though he was not happy that he could not yet take his due debts to both Naruto and Kakashi.

But his interest grew when he had some hired bandit scout report to him who were the ninja hired to protect the convoy…and the mention of Naruto made him even more interested as he finally had the chance to face off with the blonde who nearly decimated his head cutter sword before. And the fact that the Jonin level swordsman had seen how Naruto fought the bandits told him that this kid had truly come out on his own…he thought now on how much fun it would be to face a ninja of that caliber.

(You must be very proud of your student Kakashi…I'd say he's even better than that Uchiha kid you had under your care…I'm going to enjoy this fight and I will love the idea of bringing you his dead corpse when we meet…though I am curious as to why you're not around…)

That had been one of the only let downs of this mission…when Zabuza asked if Kakashi was among the ninja he was disappointed to find out that the Copy Cat Ninja of Konoha was not with the group and seemed to be out of action for the time being. He was hoping to face off with the Jonin sensei of Naruto to finally even the score but he curbed his disappointment as Naruto was proving to be more than an equal match for him. He then thought on how Haku was doing.

(This battle will be a good test of Haku's jutsus…this will be a first for him to face those who are with Naruto…)

--

With the others…

Kurenai looked on as she and the others were now facing Haku who was still armed with his Senbon. The way the masked ninja held himself told her that despite being young…the boy before her was no stranger to fighting and from what she learned for Sakura this young man was gifted with a Kekkai Genkai…just like Hinata and her cousin Neji were with their Byakugan and Naruto's team-mate Sasuke was born with the Sharingan of the Uchiha…but this power described by Sakura confused her a bit.

(That Kekkai Genkai seems to use ice element…but ice is a combination of water and air…that must mean that this boy is a resident of the Water Country…but I know for a fact that all of the families with bloodlines were hunted down by the people of Water Country years before because they feared civil war…could this boy be a survivor of such a clan?)

"You all are not going to interfere with the battle of Zabuza-sama and that young man…if you try…I will have no choice but to take you all out."

Haku said calmly and this pissed off Kiba and Akamaru.

"Oh yeah?! Let's see how confident you are if I and Akamaru beat you into submission!"

Kiba wasted no time as he took out some shuriken and fired them at Haku who quickly fired his Senbon to counter…the needles did their part and blocked the attack thrown by Kiba…Kiba closed in and so did Akamaru in order to use their signature jutsu…but Haku calmly waited and then took out a gourd of water and spilled it on the ground…water filled the ground and Haku quickly made several hand seals and Kiba tried to attack with Akamaru…

"NO YOU DON'T!!"

"MIZU BUSHIN NO JUTSU!!"

Kiba's attacks hit home at Haku…but to his shock…the ninja exploded into water and he was suddenly covered in liquid and then the real Haku appeared from the side…apparently using the mist to escape Kiba and Akamaru's attack while his clone took the blow and he then made several more hand signs…but with only one hand…shocking Kiba, Akamaru and the others except Sakura…who had seen it before.

"GET AWAY KIBA! AKAMARU!!"

The warning came too late as Haku's jutsu took into effect.

"HYOUTON KATTO HOUYOU!!"

The water on Kiba suddenly became like ice and took the form of blades and were now sharp enough to pierce through Kiba's clothes and cut into his skin…wounding Kiba and also Akamaru as they reeled back and were cut badly.

"AAAAAUUUUUUGGGGGHHHHHH!!"

Kiba moved back wounded and so did Akamaru…the ice quickly fell off and returned to water form as Haku calmly aimed with more Senbon in each hand and fired them at Kiba and Akamaru…further wounding the Genin and his dog familiar as he was forced back. Hinata gasped in fear and so did the others as Shino came in with his Destruction Bugs and forced Haku away while Kurenai fired her kunai at Haku as well…allowing Kin, Hinata and Sakura to get Kiba and Akamaru away. The young Genin looked at the bloody cuts on his arms and those on his chest and swore as the Senbon were still there and so were the ones on Akamaru. The puppy was still alive and he was happy for that at least. But he swore at the pain as he and Akamaru got up.

"Damn! That guy is good…that's some Jutsu he's packing…why didn't you say that he could do that Sakura/?!"

"That's because it's the first time I've seen him do THAT jutsu!!"

(That guy's improved…he must have been training extra hard since I last saw him…this is not good!!)

Haku moved away as the bugs came after him and he then moved the water and made some hand signs and Shino realized that the mists that came out were too cold for him to use his Destruction Bugs and they would not survive the cold before them and therefore he recalled them back. That allowed Haku to swiftly attack Shino and land a kick on the Genin and just as he was about to use another jutsu…Kurenai made her move to stop him as she began to make the right hand signs to use her Genjutsu…at first she was cautious….recalling the time she had been easily countered by Itachi back in Konoha a few weeks before…but she knew that this masked boy didn't have the Sharingan and this might give her the edge needed to help her team. She quickly made the Genjutsu and faded from sight…

Haku knew that things were not looking good at the moment as a massive nest of vines suddenly erupted around him and quickly restrained his moments and then he spotted a deep red rose move towards him and open up to reveal none other than Kurenai who attacked with her kunai…Haku knew that it was Genjutsu as he recognized the style Kurenai used….though he had to struggle to free himself and stabbed his thigh with a needle…but not too deep to hurt himself too badly to inhibit his ability to fight. The Genjutsu faded and he quickly blocked Kurenai's kunai with his Senbon, he quickly moved away and kicked a large amount of water and quickly made several hand seals with his free hand…

(He can do hand seals with one hand?!)

Kurenai had heard from Kakashi about Haku's aptitude with making hand seals with one hand…but she had not entirely believed it…and now she realized her mistake as she spotted several massive clouds of ice needles appear behind Haku and Haku attacked.

"SENSATSU SUISHOU!"

The ice needles were unleashed in a massive hail right at Kurenai and the others and they had to move fast and avoided a good number of the needles, but not all the needles missed and the group Naruto had traveled with were injured by the flying needles. Shino had used his Destruction Bugs create a massive cloud to shield his team-mates…however the needles were far more effective and many cut through the shield and wounded them. Kurenai clutched her left arm as it was cut…Sakura held her right leg on the thigh as she was bleeding there, Shino also had several gashes on his arms and left shoulder, Hinata had several wounds on her legs and right arm, Kin also had a gash on her cheek, several puncture wounds on the left leg and another on her side, and Kiba and Akamaru were also cut in several areas of their bodies. Haku turned as several of the other convoy guards came into the scene to try and help…he quickly disabled them with some quick and precise attacks and then focused on keeping Kurenai and her team away from interfering with Zabuza and Naruto's fight.

Kiba growled and fired several shuriken and Haku recovered quickly as he summoned up his chakra and used his new jutsu.

"HYOUTON TATE!!"

As he did the hand seals with his free hand, the water quickly responded and moved to his arm and he formed a pure shield of ice on his arm that blocked the shuriken and sent them flying as the shield of ice was strong enough to withstand the cutting power of the shuriken. Haku then moved in and then used the hand seals and the shield returned to water that Haku quickly divided and placed in both hands and used another jutsu and the water expanded and turned into long icicles that took the form of swords.

"HYOUTON TSUGURI!!"

The Chuunin level ally and body guard of Zabuza was now armed with swords made of ice and managed to fend off a counter attack by the other Genin. Sakura's attacks with her kunai were blocked by Haku and then Kin tried to attack but Haku moved away and managed to wound Kin on the leg and forced her back with the cut on her leg, Hinata managed to fight and force Haku away and Haku quickly decided to get some room, just as Kurenai came right at him with her own kunai at the ready on the chance that Haku would attack them suddenly.

Haku briefly wondered how the battle was progressing between Naruto and Zabuza as he removed the ice blade he had formed and took out his Senbon for combat as the others in Naruto's group got ready to fight once more against him…he didn't want to kill them as he was against killing but he didn't plan on being killed by them either…Zabuza called him too soft hearted…and that was true…but he would not change this mindset as he got ready as Kin threw her Senbon right at him as Kurenai once more attacked with both Genjutsu and her kunai. This was the first time he would face a Jonin and he knew that he had to be careful as Kurenai was dangerous even with his Kekkai Genkai on his side…but he was not going to give up and allow him to fail Zabuza…

--

Back in the mist…

Naruto focused his senses as he tracked Zabuza…he knew now that despite his skill, this was going to be his first time fighting Zabuza by himself without support from anyone…he had managed to outmatch Zabuza before with Holy Talon's power and indestructibility…but he knew that Zabuza would no doubt be more careful this time around in their new battle with one another…just because he had forced Zabuza to retreat in the battle in wave Country and nearly destroyed the man's sword with Holy Talon didn't mean that Zabuza would be foolish enough to try attacking him head on…

If there was one lesson his mentors had imparted on him…it was that an enemy that survives a battle with you will take two possible routes…the first is to avoid you as he or she would know that fighting you would be a mistake to the highest degree, and the second was to find a way to overcome your strength and play on your weakness and using other ways to beat you. And he knew that Zabuza did not become a Mist Seven Swordsmen by being careless.

His wariness paid off as Zabuza suddenly unleashed a massive wall of water right at him and he was forced to hold his ground as he blocked with his shield for the incoming blow as the water smashed into him like an explosion and pushed him back…the blonde ninja suddenly turned and blocked Zabuza's attack with his shield as the Jonin attacked from the side and then to his surprise…Zabuza came out from the other side and he blocked with Holy Talon…but the sword sliced through the sword and the other Zabuza and reduced it to water…the other clone exploded into water and then the Jonin who had been watching the whole thing did several hand seals and used his next attack.

"DAIBAKUFU NO JUTSU!!"

The massive volume of water that came right at Naruto forced him to think quickly and summoned up another spell from his arsenal..knowing that using Hand seals would take too long and leave him vulnerable to attack from them Jonin before him. Naruto quickly cast the spell and focused his attention on the spell and the powers given to him by Holy Talon as the sword glowed a bit in deep red flame.

"BURNING GEYSER!!"

The massive wave of flame suddenly leaped out like a wave as well and the fiery wave slammed right into the column of water that Zabuza had used against Naruto…the end result was a massive explosion of heat and mist as the water and fire slammed into each other and cancelled each other out and the entire area where Naruto and Zabuza were fighting in was quickly covered in steam. Naruto moved out of the way and lashed out with one powerful slash that cut deeply into Zabuza…except it was a Mizu Bushin…not the Jonin himself…Naruto quickly spotted Zabuza coming in and he quickly realized what was about to happen and he managed to make a quick spell.

"FIRE BULLET!!"

The attack hit Zabuza dead on…revealing yet another Mizu Bushin and out from Naruto's back came the real Zabuza who quickly fired a pair of kunai and forced Naruto to defend himself with his shield…the kunai bounced off the shield Naruto had with him at the moment,…but that was enough for Zabuza to close the gap and take out another kunai to kill Naruto with his signature killing move the didn't rely on the head cutter sword…Naruto knew that this was bad…as Zabuza came at him with the kunai as the Jonin spoke.

"Now you die!"

"Guess again! IRON SKIN!!"

The Jonin attacked but to his shock…his kunai didn't cut the skin or even the flesh of Naruto's body which had taken a metallic grey hue and like metal…his kunai didn't draw blood…but instead drew sparks when it cut Naruto's skin…

The shock was enough for Naruto to quickly turn and land a charging strike on Zabuza with his shield…the attack sent the Jonin back a few feet as he recovered and threw his kunai at Naruto's throat…only to have the kunai bounce of Naruto's metallic skin on impact. Naruto breathed a sigh of relief at the quick move he had done…had he been just a few seconds or even a moment slower..he'd be dead right there and then.

Zabuza was not the kind of guy to give up as he readied his head cutter sword and once more faded back into the mist that he used to make his attacks happen. Naruto deactivated the Iron Skin spell and managed to focus on finding out just where Zabuza had gone to…however, Zabuza then spoke.

"You're good brat…that was one interesting jutsu you have…being able to turn your body into iron at a command…and without any hand signs no less…are you like my companion then? Or like that Uchiha kid with the Sharingan?"

Naruto knew that he would have to find a way into tricking Zabuza into thinking the wrong information about him as he recalled that Zabuza had fled the area before the two of them could fighter seriously and there was no way he would have snuck into Konoha in order to finish either him or Kakashi as there was no report of the Mist Seven Swordsman's actions in any part of Konoha at the time.

"You might say that."

Zabuza chuckled and replied.

"Good then…this will be a lot more challenging than I thought…and that is going to be rather interesting to say the least."

Naruto tensed up as another attack came from Zabuza in the shape of several kunai and then as he blocked the attacks he was forced to move back and avoid a powerful slash from Zabuza's sword and he then slashed behind him as he sensed movement and managed to take down another one of Zabuza's Mizu Bushin that was about to attack him from behind and that allowed Zabuza to close in with another powerful attack with his head cutter sword…forcing Naruto to duck and roll to the side to avoid Zabuza's follow up swipe with the massive weapon. The ninja quickly moved back as Zabuza then fired several more powerful attacks with massive arcing slashes with his head cutter sword…apparently he wanted to make sure that Naruto didn't have the right time to attack him and keep Naruto on the defensive and hinder his offense.

Zabuza however had some other plans in mind and quickly deployed several Mizu Bushin and used the mist he still had on with him to hide his attacks…he then attacked as he ordered the Mizu Bushin to attack Naruto from all sides…forcing Naruto to defend himself and fight back even if he was surrounded at the moment and then as the blonde ninja was being surrounded by the numerous Mizu Bushin and the battle ground in the area was heavily saturated with water…the real Zabuza then made the hand seals of another jutsu that he designeds from his other jutsu and he needed the Mizu Bushin to buy him time and set up the trap that he planned to finish Naruto off with. The hand signs were the same as that of the Suiryudan No Jutsu that he used before and Kakashi had copied…but it was not going to be the same as the one that he had used before…it had variation and was an all new jutsu that he had trained in using just for this purpose…as soon as he was done with the hand seals…he unleashed the attack.

"SUITON! RYUUKI SUIRYUDAN NO JUTSU!!"

The water that surrounded Naruto suddenly erupted and formed into a Dragon of water...just like the Suiryudan No Jutsu which it was based on…but it was apparent that the trap had worked as Naruto was not bale to predict an attack from underneath him..the blonde ninja was tossed into the air and Zabuza quickly took advantage of that by leaped upward and the spotting Naruto flying and he attacked once more with his head cutter sword.

"Now you're dead!"

Naruto gave a look of exhaustion but glared right back at Zabuza and replied.

"Not yet! WIND HAMMER!!"

Naruto turned and lashed out with Holy Talon and Zabuza blocked with his sword as a massive current of air came from Holy Talon and slammed hard into his sword…the impact was unexpected and even made the sound of a hammer hitting his sword with a clang…Zabuza landed on a tree branch and barely moved away by flipping backward as Naruto charged at him with a powerful swing of Holy Talon and cutting the branch he was on with hardly any effort at all, Zabuza managed to throw several kunai at Naruto that he blocks with his shield and Naruto retaliates with another powerful swipe of his sword.

"DRAGON FIRE!!"

The same silver white flame that Naruto unleashed before in the Forest of Death roared at Zabuza and forcing him to move back into the mist and evade the attack as he thought of how to beat Naruto as he realized that the young man had truly grown stronger as he moved through the forest as he planned out another attack.

Naruto got ready and tried to track Zabuza using his Ranger Training and managed to pick up the trail made by the Jonin but he was wary as the mist was still about and he strained his senses to try and make due in the mist and that paid off as he blocked several kunai coming right for him and he used his shield to block the attack and then turned to face the direction of the kunai and then Naruto decided to try something that could capture Zabuza.

Zabuza moved in and decided to take his time and then took out a kunai and then tossed it right at the tree…but this one had an explosive tag and when the explosion occurred he quickly moved through the forest and then fired several more kunai with explosive tags and caused several explosions to distract Naruto and as soon as he saw the Konoha Genin move about and lower his guard…he attacked…the explosions distracted Naruto greatly and Zabuza quickly took advantage of it and attacked with a powerful slash…and it managed to cut into Naruto's body…going all the way diagonally from the right shoulder to the chest…Zabuza smiled at that.

(Finally you're dead…what a minute…)

Zabuza was surprised as the expression of pain and shock faded from Naruto's face and was replaced with a smirk…something that no normal ninja would have on his or her face when death was on them. The blonde however had that expression and then….despite all odds…he spoke.

"Got you!"

The Jonin was shocked as the ninja he had supposedly killed faded from view and then to his surprise, his sword was buried deep in a collection of vines and then Naruto…the real one appeared from near a tree using the Forest Skin Spell and shouting out.

"ENTANGLING VINES!!"

Zabuza watched as the vines erupted right for him and they were lashing out to grab him…forcing him to try and escape the trap that Naruto had apparently used to lure him into. The Jonin managed to retreat and slice off several of the vines…but they were not going to let him escape so easily as they followed him and due to the distance that he had been in when he had been lured in by Naruto, that vines that were not cut were able to grab Zabuza…one grabbed his torso and another grabbed his right arm and wrist…making him unable to use his sword properly. This was the opening Naruto needed as he charged right at Zabuza and unleashed a powerful combination of attacks that sent Zabuza reeling as punches and kicks slammed into him as he was held fast by the vines until Naruto landed a powerful kick to the stomach that sent Zabuza flying back. The Jonin growled at the impact and then focused himself in fighting Naruto as soon as he was assured that he was recovering from the attacks but Naruto was having none of it as he managed to flip over Zabuza and unleash another Wind Hammer attack in closer range…not allowing Zabuza the chance to recover quickly as the massive wall of air slammed hard into the Jonin and sent him flying off his feet.

Zabuza recovered and moved into attacking Naruto, but the ninja used several Kage Bushin to confuse Zabuza a bit more and he planned his own counter to Zabuza's tactics as he and his Kage Bushin attacked Zabuza from all angles until he managed to land a powerful kick to Zabuza's mid section and he ducked as the Jonin swung his sword…Naruto however was in the dead-zone of Zabuza's swing…the dead zone was the one area where the range of a weapon was rendered useless and Naruto knew it…his teacher Khalen told him that all weapons operated on a dead-zone that any skilled fighter could exploit and he was going to take that chance and quickly did so as he swung his shield side first into Zabuza's stomach and then lashed out with a slash…

"AAAARRRRRGGGGHHHHHH!!"

Zabuza roared as Naruto landed a powerful cut to the side of his body that spilled blood and a burning sensation…Holy Talon…sensing the number of people Zabuza had slain had not hesitated in wounding the Jonin and the slash on his side was enough as Naruto quickly moved and then turned and landed yet another slash that cut into the right arm of Zabuza…the slash didn't bite too deeply into Zabuza's arm and didn't cripple Zabuza in any fashion…but that was enough for Naruto land a powerful shield charge right into Zabuza's back…giving him room to fight.

"Damn you!"

Zabuza roared at the pain as he looked at his bleeding arm and his side…still shocked the despite his skills the blonde kid had certainly given him a run for his money and this was proving to be a fierce battle indeed…he was now at a disadvantage as his wounds would slow him down as he quickly moved back into the mist and Naruto charged after him…

The Falcon Ranger training kicked in as Naruto tried to track the blood but realized that the mist would make it harder until he recalled a trick that he had been taught by Holy Talon and he quickly placed aside his shield and then took Zabuza's blood from Holy talon's edge and then with a silent chant to summon his Dragon Fire and focusing in the Focus Spell, he quickly jammed Holy Talon to the ground and placed Zabuza's blood on his fore fingers and middle fingers and then wiped the blood on his closed eyes and as soon as he felt his body ready for the spell then unleashed the spell.

"BLOOD VISION!!"

Naruto opened his eyes, which now glowed blood red and his normal line of sight which was limited by the mist Zabuza used to hide himself was replaced by a murky black and white background but there were glowing red spots on the ground and then he followed them after getting his shield and sword and spotted Zabuza as the Jonin stood out with his figure in deep red…his Blood Vision Spell was able to locate Zabuza.

This spell was used by Falcon Rangers and even Mages to track foes in certain areas where light and vision were severely depleted and the other senses…even hearing and smell could be distracted and misled…this spell relied on placing the target's blood in the tracker's eyes and focusing the unique energies of the person's blood into the tracker's vision…when active…the spell allowed the person to see the blood of the target like it was glowing and it was useful…but only if the blood was fresh and not drying out.

Zabuza was shocked as Naruto suddenly burst at him…he had gained some distance and tried to come up with a counter strategy…but the blonde somehow beat him to it…and it shocked him for a second when he saw Naruto's eyes glowing blood red for a few moments befoe Naruto slashed at him and he was forced to block with his sword…the sword was hit and the sound of paper being torn by hand was heard and Zabuza moved back and saw a long gash on his sword as Holy talon had bit deeply into the metal..Naruto then landed a powerful kick to Zabuza's head and that sent the Jonin reeling and falling unconscious.

Naruto was about to attack but suddenly a strange shimmering wall of water came before him and then he recognized a figure in the sheet of ice as Senbon came right at him. He brought his shield up and blocked the Senbon as they bounced off his shield.

"I will not let you harm Zabuza-sama!"

Haku said as he was now coming out of the mirror and facing Naruto once more…

--

The bandits had moved back as they had seen the mist being unleashed by Zabuza and they knew better than to charge into the mist and wind up killing each other or being caught up in one of Zabuza's attacks at the moment.

Haku knew that he had no other choice but to break away his attacks from Kurenai and the others and decided to use his Kekkai Genkai and formed a massive sphere-like wall of ice that contained the others….it was tasking on his chakra for the time being but he had no choice and managed to isolate the group from the battle…and the ice walls held them back, along with allowing him to move all over the place…just like his normal jutsu did…though in a more mobile and flexible motion…like a fish in water…he then fired several accurate shots of his Senbon and managed to paralyze them but not kill them, he also managed to injure Kurenai and hold her to the ground after she had managed to fight hard against him using his Senbon…knowing that he would have to be careful with the Genjutsu mistress, thankfully she too had been paralyzed.

He had managed to train long and hard enough to increase his stamina and chakra to make this move but he had to be careful now as Naruto would no doubt still be able to fight and defend himself as he teleported with another Ice Mirror and faced Naruto.

The others tried to find a way to shatter the ice but there seemed to be no way and they were also badly injured and unable to move…even Shino's Bugs attacking the cold walls were not effective at the moment…leaving Naruto to face Haku alone.

Naruto however was not aware of Haku being in league with Zabuza…at least not yet as he recognized the mask.

"You again?! I should have known you'd be in the area."

"Yes…I am here and I will not let you harm Zabuza-sama…."

Naruto however was getting very angry and spoke back.

"You lied to me once…but you won't be able to escape me this time!"

Naruto charged right for Haku with his shield at the ready as the mist began to fade with Zabuza out of commission, the mist became to lose it's cohesion and this allowed more sun-light to come into the area. Haku fired his Senbon at Naruto and then flipped over the charging ninja when the shield blocked the Senbon…he fired several more at Naruto turned about…but Naruto knew that he was going to attempt the attack and quickly turned around and blocked the Senbon with his shield and then with a powerful toss…sent the shield right at Haku like a discus and Haku had barely evaded the thrown shield and that gave Naruto the opportunity to attack as he reached for one of his spears and extended the weapon and sheathed Holy Talon for a few minutes and used the spear to stab and slash with against Haku…the extended reach of the spear gave Naruto the offensive advantage as Haku had to keep moving.

(Those Senbon appear to be his main weapon of defense at the moment…keeping him off balance should be the key here!)

Haku moved as the tri-bladed spear Naruto wielded continued to lash towards him and give him a great deal of trouble as it made attacking Naruto quickly in both long and short range harder for him as Naruto would swing the weapons in arcs that shielded him and also to attack from any angle…along with powerful thrusts that further imbalanced him in combat as Naruto would not only attack him…but be constantly on the move and attacking both with feet on the ground and in the air as well.

Naruto then leaped into the air and fired the spear right at Haku and as the masked ninja moved back…the Dragon Champion took out Holy Talon and attacked with a spell of his own as a collection of small spheres of water appeared before him and he attacked with his own version of Zabuza's favored attack.

"WATER DRAGON MISSILES!!"

"What?!"

Haku watched in shock as the spheres of water took the form of dragon heads roaring at him as they slammed hard into the ground…ripping out deep gouges in the ground before him and forcing him back as he watched Naruto land and unleash more of the said spheres.

(How is he doing that?! He didn't have that kind of power or that kind of skill since I had last seen him…this is not going to be easy at all..I had thought his companions would be hard…but he is different…this is not the same child I knew so long ago!)

Haku dodged more of the attacks as the mist vanished and revealed the battle field to everyone watching as Haku and Naruto faced one another as Naruto stopped using the Water Dragon Missiles and charged right for Haku and Haku decided to use his Kekkai Genkai and then he made his move as he used his trademark jutsu…only to realize that he had low chakra left.

(No!! Not now!!)

Haku could only watch in horror as Naruto came at him with several Kage Bushin…he fired his Senbon but the Kage Bushin took the blows and Naruto came right at him with Holy Talon drawn and ready to slay him…the only thoughts in Haku's mind as he heard his ice wall that held off Kurenai and the others fall was…

(Forgive me Zabuza-sama…I have failed.)

"Now you die!"

Naruto struck right for Haku's mask and the blade bit through the mask easily…but to Naruto's shock…Holy Talon did not draw blood and he moved back…wondering just what was going on at the moment…why didn't Holy Talon kill this one?

(What's wrong?)

(("This one..he isn't evil Master Naruto…"))

(What?)

Naruto looked as the mask fell off and then he saw a face…a face he quickly recognized…

"No…"

--

Naruto looked on in shock as the mask he had cut fell from the face of Zabuza's assistant…to reveal none other than Haku himself…the Dragon Champion looked on in shock as he realized that the one he had called friend and the one he had vowed to defeat to avenge the others of his group were one and the same. The Dragon Champion and ninja of Konoha looked on as the mask fell completely off…but not a mark of blood was on Haku's face…not even a scratch…showing that Holy Talon had sensed no evil in Haku and such did not slay him…

"Haku….?!"

"Naruto-kun…it has been a while…."

Naruto shock his head and couldn't believe what he was looking at as Zabuza began to recover from the powerful blow that he had landed on the renegade Jonin. He should have defeated Haku to finish Zabuza off…but the shock of discovering that a person he had called friend was actually the very same person…

"No…you're with him?!"

"Yes…I am sorry to have lied to you…but it is the way of the ninja to mislead and deceive their foes no matter the situation…"

"How can you be associated with Zabuza?! You're the gentlest person I know ever since I met you back in Wave Country! If you truly were evil…then you would have never survived the attack I gave you!"

"What do you mean? I thought you held back that attack Naruto-kun…that's why you only cut my mask…"

"I didn't cut your mask…I was going to kill you with that strike…but Holy Talon will not kill those who are not truly evil…why are you with him Haku…why are you with Zabuza?!"

Haku looked at Holy Talon and saw no blood on the edge…it made him wonder why that was the case…the blow in his mind should have torn through him and ended his life the very second Naruto had used it on him, yet he was still alive. He looked at his mask and saw no blood either…he then directed his attention to Naruto and saw that the blonde wanted answers and he knew that the time had come for him to tell Naruto the truth.

"I was from Water Country…just like Zabuza-sama…but I am different…like you're friend Sasuke-kun, I was born with a bloodline inheritance, a Kekkai Genkai. But after the civil wars that were started by those like such as the Kaguya Clan…the people of Water Country began to exterminate all those who were of such bloodlines, stating that we were the cause of so much death and destruction…my mother tried to hide her own ties to this power I have, and she did. I was born in a happy life and knew nothing of my own powers but one day…when I was young, I revealed my gift to my mother and she was utterly afraid of what might happen…and her fears were realized…"

"What?!"

"My father…he and the other villagers feared the bloodlines and they killed my mother…and I saw all that to my horror and I saw my father cry but I knew that despite his love for my mother and me…he was going to kill me through that hatred of all those with advanced bloodlines…he never got a chance as I awakened my powers…I slew my own father and I fled…I became a beggar to survive and I was alone…I was not wanted…I wanted to feel anything but the emptiness in me…and Zabuza came…"

"He didn't reject me for my bloodline and took me with him and here I stand…"

"But why? You might be a tool in his eyes for all you know."

"I know."

"Then why are you with him?!"

"Because I wanted to feel needed, I wanted to be accepted no matter how it turned…I wanted to be acknowledged….even if only as a weapon and tool. That is why I am with Zabuza-sama, I want to belong…and I would give my life to allow Zabuza-sama to accomplish his dreams."

Naruto looked at Haku and he understood what Haku was saying as he had been like Haku once…he wanted to belong too so long ago. He then thought back on when he met Haku and spoke.

"So why didn't you kill me when you and I first met?"

"I was going to…but something stopped me, and do you remember what I told you Naruto-kun?"

"I remember… you said that when one fights to protect someone dear to them…then they are much stronger than ever before."

"Yes…I heard how you defeated Gaara of the Sand…to save your friends, and you proved yourself more than a match for even Orochimaru…you proved those words true…even I doubt I can beat you in a head on fight with my Kekkai Genkai…but I will not let you harm Zabuza at all…I have sworn my life to ensuring his dreams come true…and I will not break this vow."

Naruto knew that there was no way he could kill Haku…but he could see that Haku would not relent in his intentions..there was no way Holy Talon would be able to help him and he knew that Holy Talon would never slay those who were not pure evil in heart…but what can he do?

(("Master Naruto, you know I can't slay him…"))

(Are my friends all right Holy Talon?)

The sword reached out and probed the unconscious and unmoving Genin and Kurenai and found that they were very much still alive and well, no doubt the attacks that this Haku had thrown at them was not designed to kill instantly but to paralyze them into place and render them unable to help at all.

(("They are alive Master Naruto…they aren't dead at all…merely paralyzed…apparently this Haku person will not kill no matter the circumstances."))

Naruto was relieved but still, despite the situation before him and the fact that his comrades were still alive at the moment… he had to do something in order to defeat the Genin…but he couldn't use Holy Talon and he couldn't find it himself to slay anyone who was not evil in the least…doing so would be against everything a Dragon Champion stood for…but he had no other option and decided to try and defeat Haku without killing the young man he considered a friend.

With that in mind..he re-sheathed Holy Talon and took out his kunai and with a small application of Dragon Fire…converted them into a pair of twin bladed swords, one was shorter, at least a foot and a half while the other was of the same length as Holy Talon. Naruto had recalled Vane's lessons in the art of the War Blades and placed both blades at the ready to fight Haku…he knew that he would be at a disadvantage as there was a chance that Zabuza would recover from the attacks and come after him and fighting two opponents, one who would kill him without hesitation, and another who he didn't want to kill was something he was not ready for.

"Naruto-kun…I'll be honest with you this day…I have no desire to kill you…but I will not allow you to harm Zabuza-sama or allow you kill me."

"Then I'll have to beat you Haku…one way or the other…but I don't want to kill you as well."

"Then we are at an impasse…"

Naruto leaped at Haku and attacked with both swords at the ready as Haku attacked with his Senbon…the weapons were small but apparently Haku had been able to forge his needles properly and while they had been useless against Holy Talon as the weapon had sliced through them with little to no trouble…they were able to hold up to Naruto's own, newly created weapons. The two fought one another fiercely as Naruto spun either the short sword or the long sword in defensive arcs when Haku fired the Senbon at him and when he attacked with either sword, Haku would be able to block the attacks with his Senbon but he found himself being unable to use his jutsu at the moment as he had to defend himself from Naruto's attacks with both swords as Naruto constantly attacked him with the blades in different angles that made defensive action a high priority for him in order to survive the attacks being leveled at him by Naruto. Naruto and Haku moved back and forth as Haku leaped back and fired his Senbon to get some distance but Naruto was having none of it as he moved his blades in arcing patters to protect his body zones and close in with a massive flurry of blade attacks and spinning arcs that hit Haku hard and the two Genin were now in what would have seemed like a dance of death.

The irony was that neither wanted to kill the other…Naruto wanted to find a way to defeat Haku without killing him, and so did Haku and the ninja knew that considering how skilled Naruto had become trying to do what he could and protect his friends…he might not be able to match up with him but he was not going to give up so easily. Naruto then realized that maybe all he needed was a few strikes to get past Haku's defenses. He focused his Dragon Fire reserves into his blades and they glowed briefly in purple and he got ready to fight Haku once more.

Haku however saw what was happening and knew that Naruto was up to something and tensed himself up and thought of using his Ice Mirrors to get an advantage over the blonde Dragon Champion and finish this fight so as to let Zabuza recover from the blow that Naruto had inflicted on him.

The option however was about to leave both his hands and Naruto's

--

"So…Zabuza has failed…very well then…attack and leave no one alive."

"Hai Kabuto-san. All forces attack!"

From where they were hidden came a large number of Sound ninja…all of them were Chuunin and Jonin ranked and quickly sought to finish the battle and take what they could either way and kill those who were about to attack them..Naruto and Haku turned to spot the Sound ninja heading for them both and that forced them to halt their fighting of one another and they focused on defending themselves from the incoming attack. Naruto recognized them as Sound ninja and Haku merely spoke.

"So they were going to betray and kill both me and Zabuza-sama…just like Gato tried to do…I will not let that happen!"

That showed that while the two had left…they had stayed long enough to hear Gato's plans when the businessman came to settle matters in Wave Country himself with his hired band of mercenaries and soldiers. Haku got his Senbon ready and Naruto used both swords…the two began fighting together as the Sound ninja tried to slay the two but they were being taken down by the duo…while they were not working together…they were lethal, Haku paralyzing and defeating them with non lethal force…while Naruto moved and weaved into the maelstrom of blades, bodies and more…his two swords moving and drawing blood as several Jonin found themselves facing a deadly whirlwind of blades as Naruto attacked.

Kabuto watched Naruto and Haku and had to admit that it was interesting to see them fighting side by side…but as he was enjoying the sights he noted that the others in Naruto's group were also there and directed a good number of the Sound ninja to attack the others…Naruto however had other ideas as he leaped in and faced off with the redirected ninja and fought them to the death…Naruto still abhorred killing but the Sound ninja were an evil bunch and he could sense that as he knew that they would not hesitate to attack them when they were down and out, he then spotted the bandits coming right at him and the others and therefore…he decided to bring in some magic to the battle.

He tossed both his swords into the bodies of two Sound ninja and then chanted a spell as the earth before him began to shake and crack and then he released the spell.

"EARTHQUAKE!!"

The bandits and the Sound ninja had no time to react as the earth before them suddenly broke apart and moved right for them and sent them flying in all directions and it was then that Naruto took both his swords from the bodies of the dead…and placed them aside and drew out Holy talon and fought on with the survivors and that gave them the beating of their lives as bandits and Sound ninja were being torn down by the attacking blonde ninja…and those who were about to attack the others and the convoy were wiped out by the blonde's attacks.

Haku managed to down several more Sound ninja with his skills and experience…plus Zabuza's training…however, he was becoming exhausted and his low chakra reserves prove to be a serious blow to his combat skills as several Sound ninja were able to get lucky hits with their attacks…but no wounds as Haku was able to skillfully evade them. It was then that he and Naruto spotted the other Sound ninja arm up crossbows and they quickly went to defend themselves…Haku however saw that a good number of the Sound ninja were aiming for Zabuza and he quickly rushed in to protect the only man who made his life have meaning…

The crossbows released their bolts and Naruto rushed in to help Haku and managed to help Haku block most of the bolts..but some had explosive tags and forced Naruto away from Haku…Haku then spotted one coming right at Zabuza as his only father figure was standing up and recovering..without a second thought…he moved in front of the bolts and was hit hard…Haku suffered at least three deep wounds on the stomach and a gash on the shoulder and Zabuza turned to see Haku fall to the ground with a bloody mess on his stomach and shoulder as he was forced back as the crossbow bolts tore through him and while he did force them from hitting Zabuza…his body was ruined by the attacks.

Naruto was horrified when he saw that and he rushed towards Haku in an effort to see if there was a way to save the still living young man.

"HAKU!!"

Naruto turned and glared deeply as he looked for the attackers…shielding Haku's body with his own.

--

Kabuto smirked at the sight of Zabuza who was still badly injured by the attacks Naruto had inflicted on him…he and his team of Shinobi had planned on finishing him off when they were able, and that was why they used that powerful attack of crossbow bolts…some were filled with explosive tags…Naruto and Haku deflected some of them…but Haku apparently took the hits that managed to get past his and Naruto's defenses to save his master…still it was not over as he looked at Zabuza and he replied.

"You've really lost your touch Zabuza-san, it's a shame that you lost and therefore you are no longer of use to either me or Orochimaru-sama. Shame that your protégé nearly died saving your pathetic hide…all for helping you try and kill Naruto-kun. But he could prove useful…after all…the ability he has is QUITE rare as many of his kind were all slaughtered in the battles in Water Country…Orochimaru-sama will be interested in being able to make Ice based Jutsu for a change."

Naruto glared darkly at Kabuto and pointed Holy Talon at the Medic-nin and replied as he stood protectively before Haku who was still breathing and alive.

"You will never lay a hand on him you scum…I will never let you have even a hair on his head!"

"Why would you want to shield someone like him Naruto-kun? He's dying either way and he is a tool after all."

"Shut up! He's a person…not some tool you can discard!"

Zabuza looked at Naruto and wondered what was going on in the blonde's mind as Naruto's face was showing utter fury and rage. And for the life of him…there were tears in Naruto's eyes…as the blonde Dragon Champion defended Haku who was still alive though barely.

"Why are you fighting still Naruto? Haku is dying so there is no need for this…"

"You can't mean that Zabuza! Haku looked to you are the only one who saved him from being alone! He treated you as a real father…and no doubt loved you as one…and gave his life for you! And here you are….making him look like he was nothing more to you than a tool!"

"Haku and I are ninjas…and we are more tools than humans…you should know that after all…you are a ninja as well."

"I am NOT like that ninja type! I am my own ninja! And I will never let anyone treat me as a tool! Haku is no tool Zabuza…he's a living being with a heart…he was kind, gentle, and truly a good person…and he was devoted to you…YOU! The man who became a father to him! He saved your life and now you're going to let this bastard desecrate his body all for his twisted plans?! Ninjas we may be but we are human as well, no matter what we say and we can feel things and emotions…it would be an insult to being human to say we're nothing but tools!!"

Naruto then directed his gaze at Kabuto and spoke evenly.

"I will say it again…I won't let you do what you want with his body. What the heck are you doing snatching people's bodies anyway?"

Kabuto replied at that.

"I'm merely doing what I do best and Haku-kun's body will certainly be a useful addition with that bloodline inheritance of his. Besides…he is dying already so why bother protecting a corpse Naruto-kun?"

"I'd ask you the same question Kabuto…but I already have an idea of that answer…tell that snake summoning bastard that he had better find something else to do before I track him down kill him…or has he forgotten just how close I came to killing him for the past few times?"

Kabuto glared and replied.

"He hasn't…regardless…I will have what I came for…"

Naruto glared and replied.

"You want Haku's body and bloodline inheritance so badly? Then you'll have to come and get it!"

"I don't have to…Zabuza, you're companion is going to be dead soon and is of little use to you or anyone…so hand him over."

Zabuza stood up and looked at Haku and saw his breathing begin to slow down…Naruto looked at him and shouted once more.

"Damn it Zabuza!! Don't do it!! Don't hand Haku over to this madman to do what he wants!! He is not some tool you can throw away!! You were his father! The only father he ever had even if you treated him like a tool!! You can't tell me you would let that be thrown away!!"

"Stop it…"

"I won't let you do this…Zabuza, I am not going to let you hand over Haku's body to that man! I won't yet Hauk's memory be thrown to the dirt like this!! DON'T DO IT!! For Haku's sake…don't let Kabuto have him…."

Zabuza turned about and with his bloody right hand took his head cutter sword as Naruto looked on in desperation at the thought of Haku being handed over to the Sound ninja…Kabuto nodded to several of his men as they moved to get Haku…

Only to be suddenly killed as Zabuza lashed out with his head cutter sword and the two men fell dead as Zabuza turned and faced Kabuto and his other Sound ninja. The Sound ninja backed away a step and Kabuto pushed up his glasses and glared at Zabuza.

"So…you're turning on us? The ones who employed you? How foolish…Orochimaru-sama will have you marked for death then…"

"He might…but I will die on MY terms…not his. I will not let you harm Haku."

"Oh really? And why are you willing to fight to protect him…he's just a tool after all."

"No…he is…my son. And I will not have you desecrate him while I am around."

Naruto gave a wide smile and quickly used Holy Talon on a summon spell and from the sword came several beams of light and from the light that was released from Holy Talon came several armed warriors, three Sword Adepts, two Zealots, one Falcon Ranger, and one Dragon Cleric. Naruto quickly indicated Haku and the Dragon Cleric nodded and kneeled and used the same green flame that Naruto himself used and to Zabuza's surprise…the wound on Haku began to fade away and to his surprise…Haku's countenance began to improve considerably and then Naruto gave orders to his summoned soldiers.

"Defend him and let none harm him."

The summoned warriors nodded and were now shielding Haku as he began to recover. This left Naruto to deal with the wound he had given Zabuza and used the green flame…Zabuza was surprised when the flame didn't kill him outright…somehow, Holy Talon had sensed something different in Zabuza and therefore the blade's healing magic tolerated him and healed his wounds. Zabuza then replied to Naruto for the medical aid.

"Thanks kid…maybe there is truth in what you said after all…is Haku going to be all right?"

"Yeah…don't worry, Dragon Clerics are great healers and fighters."

"I'll take your word for it…now then…shall we?"

Naruto nodded and he readied Holy Talon and Zabuza got ready to fight as he readied his head cutter sword as the two now faced Kabuto, the surviving bandits, and the Sound ninja…The Jonin and the Genin were ready to fight and that was enough to make the bandits leave the area…they had already witnessed how lethal Naruto was as a fighter and to face him and Zabuza who was known to be a deadly fighter was enough to send them running…that left only Kabuto and his band of Sound ninja to face Naruto and Zabuza…and Kabuto realized that despite the fact that they were still able to outnumber both Zabuza and Naruto…they knew that fighting this many foes was going to be counter-productive to his work and he looked on and replied.

"It seems that favor is on your side Naruto-kun…we'll be seeing each other again soon enough."

With that, Kabuto and his ninjas left the area…allowing Naruto to relax and so did Zabuza…Naruto turned and saw that Haku was in better condition now despite the bloody mess on his clothes at the moment. Zabuza then took the time to speak to Haku while Haku was still amazed that he was still very much alive at the moment. Naruto directed his attention to the others and moved towards them

He made it to Hinata first and began to use the green flame of Life Magic to heal her wounds and he took out his healing supplies from his magical bag and began to treat Hinata…the training he got from Liana helped him a great deal as he used the salves and bandages, along with the balms as well…Hinata moaned and then opened her eyes and blushed bright red when Naruto was right in front of her at the moment.

"Are you all right Hinata?"

"H-H-Hai…I'm all right Naruto-kun."

"Good…here, take these…"

"Naruto-kun! Behind you!"

Hinata pointed and Naruto turned to see Zabuza and Haku there with the summoned soldiers but the Jonin had his sword on his back and did nothing that was considered hostile and the Jonin spoke.

"Calm down…I have no quarrel with you Leaf ninja anymore…after all, Naruto saved Haku's life and that is enough."

Haku agreed and replied.

"Thank you Naruto-kun for the aid…though why you did that is beyond me at the moment."

Holy Talon then read the minds of both Haku and Zabuza and was assured that neither had any malice or ill intent on anyone here and towards Naruto as well. Naruto was told this by the sword and nodded. He then got to help Hinata up and handed her some of his stored supplies and began to help patch up the others…who apparently were still alive…Haku had not killed them directly but had merely made sure to hit their bodies in areas that would render them unconscious…in the very same fashion as he had done to Zabuza when he had first appeared in front of Naruto's team, as was told to him by Holy Talon earlier when Haku appeared to stop him from finishing Zabuza off..

Naruto shrugged and managed to speak to Hinata who still eyed the two with suspicion and for good reason as she recalled how Haku had managed to use his skills to place them down without killing them. It didn't take long for things to be worked out between the two groups…though Kurenai and the others were wary of Haku and Zabuza…Naruto however said that he would be responsible if anything went wrong and since the others trusted Naruto…they decided to let him take the risk…

Zabuza and Haku looked at the sun and decided to do something…Zabuza took off his old Mist forehead protector and then his head cutter sword and placed it in a hidden location to be forgotten and Haku did the same as he left behind his own forehead protector. The two decided to sever their pasts and make a new life for themselves…Zabuza didn't know why…but he knew that while he could not live his dreams…he could at least live for Haku and give the boy a future and if that future required him to give up his dream for the time being, then so be it.

As the others were being treated with the medicines that Naruto had on his magical backpack pack along with some help from the surviving convoy leader and members…as soon as everything was back to normal…the convoy moved on with it's mission to deliver the goods it carried….though they now had two extra guards to go with them..though only Naruto seemed to be the one on their side for the time being…

Kurenai knew that things were going to be rather interesting from here on out.

--

Two days later…

The arrival of the convoy to the capital city of Fire Country was great news to the people of Konoha, along with the supplies they were also able to get their hands on for their own needs. The Daimyo was pleased with the job done by the Konoha group and their new allies that he doubled the reward for the job and even gave small bonuses for each member of the Konoha group and their new allies, Zabuza and Haku…and the term small would be misleading as the pay was nearly 10000 worth per member and even Zabuza and Haku were also paid well. Though it had taken some rather creative bartering and diplomacy to get Haku and Zabuza through the gates as they did have a high criminal record to speak of which made them rather large targets for those with a grudge on the former Demon of the Mist.

The return of the group was well received at the moment and the time came for Tsunade to handle the results of Naruto's latest escapade as a ninja….namely when like he had done with Kin weeks to a month before, he petitioned for Zabuza and Haku to be given sanctuary and citizenship in Konoha…

--

In the Hokage Tower…

Tsunade scratched her head as she read the documents before her and couldn't help but peek over the paper to a certain blonde ninja who was currently dressed in his usual outfit but with Holy Talon on his back. Naruto was not alone at the moment as a certain former Mist Seven Swordsman was with him, along with a certain young boy who was among the last of the bloodline clans of the Land of Water. The Hokage had been stunned to see that Zabuza and the young man named Haku was with the group…even more so when Naruto made this petition before her.

As soon as she read the documents and she placed them down…she massaged her head and spoke to the young man.

"Now I know what Sensei felt when you managed to talk him into allowing Kin to be in this village."

"Tsunade…I…"

"Naruto…stop…"

Naruto nodded and waited as Tsunade looked at both Zabuza and Haku…the Mist Seven Swordsman had discarded his old head cutter sword a few days before they had arrived here on a small stone monument along with his forehead protector…along with Haku's own…ever since they had decided to align with Naruto for the time being...both had decided to sever themselves from their past…and with that their old identities.

It still made Tsunade uneasy to have the two in the village…after all, Zabuza had been listed in the Bingo Book of both Konoha and Fire Country, it certainly didn't sit very well with the Council to have to grant citizenship to the two…even Kakashi was a bit taken back by Naruto's actions and so did everyone else in the Jonin groups of Konoha…however, Tsunade knew that Naruto had done something most people would have deemed impossible…made a veritable mass murderer turn a new leaf as she was aware of Zabuza's reputation when he was a younger child… she had not forgotten that he changed her points of view also so she could understand at some level what happened.

Haku was another matter as the young man would not abandon Zabuza and she could see that Naruto was right about Haku seeing Zabuza as a father figure and she was told about Haku's own past and had to admit that she did feel some sympathy for the young man…after all, the actions taken by Water Country…while somewhat understandable was still too brutal and too bloody to be considered as a good option of preventing civil war and strife in the country itself. After hearing about Haku's past from Haku himself…she had to admit that she did feel sympathy for him.

Tsunade thought over the options that were present before him and knew about Kin's own circumstances and recalled that she had done a good job on her first assignment as a Genin of Konoha and she was formerly of Sound…her skills also proved useful when she faced off with the bandits though she was not able to defeat Haku. The Hokage then looked at Naruto was patiently waiting her decision but she could tell that he was nervous and also showing some degree of impatience on the whole matter at the moment,

(Hmmm…I guess his decision to support Kin helped Konoha in the end…and having these two could prove helpful…and I know Naruto is too stubborn to change his mind…very well then.)

"All right…I'll sign the documents and begin the process of having Zabuza and Haku as citizens of Konoha."

Naruto was ecstatic with the decision and Tsunade couldn't help but smirk at his happy expression. Haku and Zabuza couldn't help but look at the energetic blonde ninja who had petitioned for their citizenship in his home village and smirk a bit…Zabuza's smirk was hidden by his mask and would have been rather freaky with his sharpened teeth, while Haku's own smirk was seen. Tsunade coughed and Naruto focused his attention to her quickly and became serious.

"However…you should know that while this request has been accepted…they will have to undergo a probationary period and will be under ANBU surveillance for the duration of three months until we are sure they will not betray Konoha as procedure requires…and like Kin as well, anything that happens with them and then the responsibility for their actions is on your shoulders Naruto Uzumaki…is that understood?"

"Hai Tsunade!"

The Hokage smiled and nodded to the three.

"Good…I have a lot of work let to do so you may take your leave. Oh yes…both Zabuza and Haku will be given residence in one of the apartment complexes here in Konoha for their stay, and when the probationary period ends…we will discuss their positions in Konoha."

The three nodded and as they left Zabuza turned to Naruto and spoke.

"Why don't you call her Hokage-sama? I know that the term is more respectful, yet you don't call her that."

"I am rather curious about that as well Naruto-kun."

Naruto smiled and replied.

"I call her Tsunade because it's my way to respect her, sure I can call her Hokage-sama and all but I prefer using her real name and she doesn't slug me anyway so that tells me she's all right with the whole thing."

"Still…you two seem to have some history."

Naruto grinned at Zabuza and replied.

"Trust me…it's a long story."

As the trio walked out of the Hokage Tower…there were a number of people who looked at the trio with different array of emotions…for those who still disliked Naruto, it was their usual looks of disgust…while those who grew top admire and respect him called his name with greetings and smiles…teenage girls and even younger girls would giggle and point at not just Naruto..but Haku as well…if Haku was not wearing shinobi clothes at the moment to show that he was a male..there was no doubt Haku would have been mistaken as a girl and thought to be Naruto's girl-friend…and that would have been asking for trouble.

As the trio arrived at the apartment being given to the newly instated Konoha citizens…they turned to see Kiba and Akamaru walking nearby, along with someone that neither recognized at the moment but he saw that it was a woman…probably a year or more older than him. Kiba turned and walked over with Akamaru on his head once more…as the young puppy usually rode on his master's head.

"Hey Naruto!"

"Hey Kiba…how are you and Akamaru doing?"

The young Inuzuka smiled a bit and replied.

"Better at least…the wounds are all gone…though I still have some bad flashbacks…"

Kiba then glared at Haku and Akamaru also gave unfriendly barks at the young man…no doubt not forgetting the time Haku had been their enemy previously. Haku spoke to Kiba to assure that he would never kill anyone.

"I had no intention to kill anyone…I only placed you and your familiar in a non lethal comatose state, I abhor killing after all."

Kiba knew that to be true and merely snorted.

'All right…but I still don't trust you yet."

"In time…maybe you will Kiba."

"Keep it calm you two…we're not here to start fighting again."

Naruto said as he got between Kiba and Haku, hoping that the two didn't decide to throw blows at each other…he knew Kiba and Akamaru were truly aggressive and hot tempered…as they were quite good at what they did in combat…and he knew while Haku was the gentle type in nature, he was more than a match for most young ninja and being trained by Zabuza in the ninja arts made it clear that Haku was not to be taken lightly. Fortunately the other person accompanying Kiba stepped in.

"Kiba! Calm down, there's nothing to be gained by fighting each other here and now…"

The young Genin growled a bit more and relented as he spoke to Naruto and Haku.

"Naruto here trusts you, and I trust him as well, so for now I will trust you in what you say…but make no mistake that if you try something foolish…I and Akamaru will be the ones to knock you down…got that?"

Haku nodded and Kiba walked away with Akamaru to listen to his master…while the person turned and Naruto was able to look at the woman. She apparently was a rather attractive sort and seemed more calm and level headed…it was then that he recognized the same fang marks on her cheeks which resembled Kiba's…this made him curious as he had never met this person before…and Kiba didn't mention who she was. The woman turned and offered a smile and spoke to him and the others.

"I'm sorry about how my brother acts…he's not one to let grudges go easily."

"That's all right…hold on…Kiba is your brother?"

"Yes…oh, I forgot…my name's Hana, Hana Inuzuka…and you must be Naruto Uzumaki…am I correct?"

"That's me…but why have I never met you before…and I didn't know Kiba had a sister."

Hana smiled and replied.

"I was there during the invasion of Konoha with my mother and her own familiars, along with my own as well. I'm a veterinarian so I don't normally handle missions unless it requires the special talents of my clan. I also happen to be the one who treats Akamaru after any mission where he might get injured. Kiba told me a lot about you…but some of the things he told me doesn't seem to apply to you anymore."

"I bet they don't…well. I have to get going, good bye Hana-san, Haku-san, and you too Zabuza."

Naruto left as Hana went on to catch up with her little brother and also to get her work done…there were some important details that he had to attend as soon as she could and there was also the need to use the new supplies of medicine that she knew she had to thank Naruto for bringing in a few days before…she had thanked Kiba and Akamaru, along with Kiba's team for the jib well done, along with Sakura, Kurenai, and Kin as she was a bit short handed at the time for medical supplies.

She then thought about Naruto and had to admit that she was rather surprised to meet him in person.

(For a twelve year old Genin, he looks much older than that…and good looking too…hmm, no sense thinking about those things for the time being…I have work to do.)

With that in mind, the sister of Kiba walked on towards the veterinary hospital to do her usual rounds of treating the many animals that were both pets to the villagers and the animals used by the ninja for either tacking or summoning for mission requirements.

Naruto arrived in the training area and with Holy Talon now in his hands…began to do the usual kata patterns for the sword styles that he needed to master from Vane as he decided to learn how to fight with two blades in hand as he took out one of the transformed kunai and began to train and before he did so…he removed his upper clothes and was now bare-chested and began to train in his routine…

Unaware that he had a hidden audience as Hinata, Kin, Sakura, Ino, and Tenten were looking on with binoculars in order to see Naruto in training without disturbing him at all and the girls would comment on how he was doing at the moment, along with drooling at the sight of his exposed muscles…unaware of the fact as well they were NOT the only watchers of Naruto at the moment…

Ayame was doing her usual delivery rounds for their ramen stand when she saw Naruto walking towards the field and she decided to follow him and to her surprise…Naruto had removed his upper clothes and began to train bare-chested and she couldn't help but admire the way Naruto looked and she couldn't help but admire the view.

(Naruto-kun…)

"Oh yeah…this might not be the same as what I saw last time...but damn this is great stuff!"

Anko said with glee as she looked through her binoculars as she got to watching the blonde ninja go at it with his training…she was itching to sink her teeth into him and see if he was as hot as she had seen him and she couldn't help herself as she licked her lips lovingly at the sight of the blonde hunk training and she wondered if he was as energetic in private as he was in public, if he had that much stamina and energy…she was going to have a TON of fun with him…the big question on her mind was how she would be able to capture the blonde hottie without being caught.. She then turned to her companion and spoke

"What do you think Kurenai-chan? More than enough reason for you to take me up on my suggestion to grab him and do the deed?"

Kurenai merely glared at Anko as the Jonin laughed a bit more and went back to looking…she had kept her rather…unique meeting with Naruto in the near nude a few days before from Anko in order to make sure her friend didn't spill it out…knowing Anko's love for flashy things and being loud and boisterous, there was a big chance her friend would have spilled it all out in some manner and Kurenai was not in the mood to have to deal with being hounded by her friend to take her actions to the next level and having to deal with the people in Konoha being shocked and worse…she also worried about how she would be able to explain herself to Hinata…she treated Hinata like a surrogate daughter and being in conflict with the shy and quiet girl she had practically raised herself was a rather unpleasant thing to do…but still…there was a great deal to tempt her at the moment as she looked through her own pair of binoculars.

They were NOT the only ones however…

"Hmm…so Naruto looks like that eh? This is one way to pass the time."

Tsunade said as she looked through her own pair of binoculars as she was on the top of the Hokage Tower at the moment. She had been busy with the paper work before her and thankfully, for a few minutes she decided to take the time and view Konoha as she went to the top of the Tower…she looked out to her old home and marveled that it was still standing after the beating it received from Orochimaru's Sound ninja and their former Sand ninja allies…to think that Naruto had commanded a counter offensive to force off the invaders and managed to minimize the destruction…some of the older sights of the village were there…while others were destroyed. Her explorations of her old home was stopped as she found herself looking at Naruto.

The blonde and young again Hokage smiled as she looked at Naruto and had to admit that whatever Holy Talon had done to condition him was certainly worth it in her book…Naruto may still be 12 years old but more mature now…but he had a body most guys his age would have only dreamed about…she looked a bit more and couldn't help but glare a bit as she spotted both Kurenai and Anko giving Naruto the once over. She felt a sliver of jealousy at the two women and moved on and spotted the other girls staring at him, namely Hinata, Kin, Tenten, Ino, and Sakura…she could understand that for the time being and she went back to Naruto…she smiled even more at the thought of how Naruto would look when he would become older…and she couldn't help but feel a thrill at the idea as she began to think rather hot thoughts…had she been back to her past age 50…she would have considered it foolish…but now that she was 20 years old…well they were growing even more…after all…she owed Naruto a good deal and besides…she found that she had a lot of fun teasing Naruto and the idea of being…

(Heh…I guess being young again brings it all back, you have no idea what awaits you Naruto-kun…)

Tsunade smiled warmly as she thought back on her younger days when wars were not always what she had to deal with…and she had gathered knowledge over the years since she left the village and a good portion of them didn't always involve combat but more…personal and…pleasurable was the best way to put it.

However Shizune's cry for more work coming made Tsunade cut her viewing short…too short for her liking as she left to go back to her office and get back to work.

Naruto didn't know why but he had a feeling that he was being watched but since there were no dark auras and intentions directed towards him that he could sense…he decided to focus on his training for the time being…unaware of the growing libidos that were being directed at him by a large number of females. Holy talon was the only one aware of the whole thing as it sensed the energies and emotions being directed at it's master and it could only say one thing.

(("This is going to be an interesting time."))

(What did you say?)

(("Oh nothing…"))

--

Author's notes:

Sorry for the slight mess…had a ton of things to work on as I am updating most of my other works so I had a lot on my mind at the time I made this. Either way…I hope that this is enough for you all to tide over to the next chapter as I need to get things organized at the moment.

What will be the outcome now that Haku and Zabuza are now being placed in as citizens of Konoha? Will either be with Naruto on his next mission? Ah…that will still be seen…and for those asking me on how Naruto will handle the relationship stuff…that's up to me actually so expect things to get interesting from here on out. The women close to him will probably be getting ready to try something on the young blonde…so you might expect Naruto's social life to take a VERY quick trip to the side of unique…

As you can see…Tsunade is also getting into the act and knowing the former 50 year old woman..things between her and Naruto will get rather interesting in the soon to come chapters before we got down to the more serious details.

Oh yes…I will be adding some characters of my own creation soon in the story…who they are will be a secret until then…so expect things in Konoha to get rather crowded.

--

Trailer:

A month later…

Naruto sweated as he worked on the final touches on his first sword of the day. The blonde ninja placed away his sharpening stone and looked the newly crafted katana over…seeing if there were any flaws on the construction of the sword. He saw none and smiled as his teachers in the art of being a blacksmith looked on with approval. Rumkil and Thorell looked the blade over and tested it with their own hands and nodded.

"A good blade this one is laddie…a bit different from the ones we make…but good all the same…"

"You've taken yer first step as a blacksmith and ye did good too. There's more to learn however but you've made progress."

"Thanks…now I need to test this out, and I know just the person who can test this for me!"

--

Later…

"So let me get this right Naruto…you want me to test this blade on this?"

Kakashi asked as he pointed to the large block of stone and nearby was a thick bar of solid steel. The Jonin had gotten back from a mission when the blonde Genin presented him with the newly finished product of his training, he admitted that the blade looked good and had good balance…but now Naruto was asking him to subject such a piece of work to this? Sakura, Kin, and Sasuke looked on as well…the Uchiha was nearly reaching full recovery at the moment and he was curious what the blonde was up to this time.

"Yeah Kakashi-sensei…I want to see how this performs."

"Naruto-kun…are you sure about this?"

"There's no way that thing can cut stone and steel dobe."

Sasuke said with a smirk…wanting to see Naruto's reaction to being stung. It had been a while since he had been on a mission since being allowed to leave from the hospital.

Naruto merely grinned back and replied.

"And if it does cut through stone and steel then you're going to wish you never said that Sasuke, Believe it!"

Kakashi sighed and knew that Naruto was serious about the whole thing and took out the sword and admitted that the near silent hiss of the sword from the wooden sheath told him that the blade was smooth and well sharpened. He struck at the rock first but to his shock and that of both Sasuke and Sakura…the sword didn't chip or shatter at all…but cut through the stone with a nearly effortless arc…the cut halves of the stone fell apart and the cut was clean and smooth…the Jonin felt the cut stone and marveled at the utterly flat and smooth feel of the cut. He was impressed indeed and decided to look at the blade and was further impressed when he saw no damage to the blade…the edge was as sharp as ever and no signs of tear, and chipping were there…not even a crack on the sword was there at all.

He then tried the steel bar and to his surprise and amazement the sword sliced the bar cleanly in half…just like it had done the stone block…he looked at the edge and saw no dulling, chipping, or cracks…he then turned as he felt something coming at him and he saw the sword slice a water-melon in half with the same effortless grace that he had just cut the stone and steel with. The fruit fell down in a cleanly dissected pair.

"Wow…"

Naruto was smiling all the while…the blade was not yet perfected as he still thought that more improvement was in order for his forging. But he was happy with the results and smiled at his Jonin sensei and to his team-mates…

"I guess that means my work's a success! Can cut stone, steel and still be sharp enough to slice fruit!!"

"Wow! That is one amazing blade Naruto-kun!"

"I have to admit Naruto, this is a fine blade…it has the same cutting power as both Chidori and Raikiri, but in a solid form…you did well."

"Thanks Kakashi-sensei…it's not the best yet but I'll improve my skill on making blades and other weapons like it more later on. In the mean time you can have it for free as a gift."

"Thanks I can find a good use for this on my missions."

Kakashi said as he sheathed the sword into it's sheath and then held it close to him…this was the first time he had gotten a gift from Naruto and he had to admit that it was an impressive one to say the least.

Naruto then turned and grinned at Sasuke who was looking wide eyed at the blade.

"I guess that means you were wrong eh Sasuke? If you want I can.."

"No thank you…"

Sasuke then stalked off and Naruto was not liking this one bit at all. Sasuke was acting rather weird at the moment and he turned to face Kakashi and Sakura.

"What's eating him…I was going to say I could make him a blade like that one too. Oh well…I guess that means I can get down to making a sword for Zabuza next…hopefully it meets his approval since I have no idea what sort of sword I have to design for him at the moment. But I know for a fact that it would have to be in the same caliber of that sword he used to have at the moment. Well then…I have to get going Kakashi-sensei, Sakura-chan!"

As soon as Naruto left the scene…Sasuke looked on and growled a bit even more and as he left…he was able to find a quiet place and activated his Chidori and ripped a gash on the nearby wall of stone…venting out his frustration.

--

See you on the next chapter!


	26. Social Graces Part 1

Naruto The Twin Swords

Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Naruto, and if I did…well…I won't be writing anything like this at all.

Chapter 22

Part 1

Social Graces

( ): Thoughts

((" ")): Holy Talon's Voice

--

_There is a truth that even the greatest warrior needs to take a vacation every now and then to make sure that they do not suffer the melancholic effects of warfare and combat…and this is true for everyone in this world…_

_Even Dragon Champions…_

Words of Vane, Dragon Champion during the Festival of Harvest…

--

Konoha…

Naruto was busy training in the arts of magic with Holy Talon beside him in the field and he was looking as he focused his skill with Nature Magic and focused on making a simple plant bloom and grow into a large tree through proper applications of Dragon Fire. He had to make sure that he should channel enough Dragon Fire to give the seed the energy needed to grow…if he gave too much Dragon Fire to the seed…it would grow too fast and destroy itself, and if he gave too little, then the seed would lose it's strength and die as well.

The test sounded simple…but Naruto quickly learned that this test was similar to the Water Walking training Ebisu had given him. Like he needed to learn how to control his chakra to master other jutsu properly, he had to learn how to properly channel his reserve of Dragon Fire and that of Holy Talon to ensure that he didn't consume too much energy and waste his powers…and this was the right test. So far the plant was still only a small shoot at the moment and had only tiny leaves and nothing different yet. Naruto was sweating as he continued to channel the right amount of energy…which had to be changed slowly in order to accommodate the growth of the plant in question.

It had been a week since he began to test and it was taxing to say the least as he tried to focus his Dragon Fire into the test…there were already three dozen attempts from him that resulted in over grown and badly mauled plants…to weak and very sickly plants…this was his 37th attempt and he was going all right at the moment and it did him good to do it as well.

Holy Talon noted it's master's progress and encouraged him further with gentle and patient explanations as it rebuilt it's own reserves of power…the lack of missions for the past days had been enough to rebuilt a small but significant portion of it's Dragon Fire reserves and Naruto's own reserve as well. Naruto's enhanced growth would eventually help him create his own Dragon Fire reserve for him to use spells of his own when needed…and even create variants or new ones…just like the other past Champions have done…for now however, his reserve was still rather low at the moment…due to summoning Lord Faldren in Battle Form. However Holy Talon deemed that now was the time for it's master to rest.

((" Master Naruto…that is enough for now…you need to rest for a time."))

(I can keep it up a bit more Holy Talon.)

(("I am aware of that…but it is lunch time after all and you won't be able to train hard enough if you don't eat you know."))

Naruto felt his stomach growl a bit and nodded as he stopped and the plant was still healthy and growing on it's own for the time being. The blonde sighed and got up from the lotus position and stretched a bit as he placed Holy Talon on his back and then headed off to the Ichiraku Stand for Lunch and he checked his reserve of cash and noted that he had more than enough for a good run of ramen, the thought made his mouth water a bit as he made his way into Konoha for lunch. The reconstruction was still underway and there were a lot of working people here…most were from the village while the others were hired from the outside from other smaller towns and villages as well. It would take time still but Naruto had faith his home would pull through…he smiled as he arrived at the Ramen and stand and he was greeted warmly by Teuchi.

"Ah! My favorite customer!"

"Hey Old man, it's great to see you! How are things going?"

"Been good…business is picking up well though having you around certainly helps…you've been training real hard haven't you?"

"Oh yeah! It's hard but it pays dividends…I'm going to order a lot today!"

"Hehehehe, I knew you would…Ayame…get ready for a long haul today…our favorite customer is here!"

Ayame agreed and smiled warmly as she got out from the back and smiled at Naruto and he smiled back as the two worked on getting his meals ready and the smell of ramen was enough to get Naruto's mouth all watery and his eyes were alight as well. The blonde loved to eat and he was dying for a good meal and Teuchi and Ayame didn't disappoint at all as they presented the first of several bowls of ramen to the blonde ninja and sure enough…the blonde began eating away at the ramen like a vacuum cleaner taking in the dirt. He was so focused that he didn't notice that someone was walking towards him and the Ramen stand , it was only after eating his third bowl of beef ramen that he saw the new arrival as Ayame and Teuchi did.

"Good morning Hokage-sama!"

"Hey Tsunade, good to see you!"

Tsunade smiled at that as she knew just where she could find the blonde ninja who she knew would be having his usual ramen cravings. She sat down and ordered the house special and ate alongside the blonde ninja and she felt her tension relax a bit more as she ate her own food…it was then that she decided to speak to Naruto about the results of his mission…one of his first successes…

"By the way Naruto-kun…I have news for you about Rock Lee."

Naruto quickly turned and looked at her with expectant eyes…he knew that she had immediately began Lee's surgery and with Gai there to help support Lee he felt that Lee was in great hands…he had great faith in her medical jutsu and skills and despite his desire to help Lee..he let Tsunade heal him. It had been some time since he had heard about lee and now he hoped that it was good news.

"How is he? Did the operation go well?! Is he going to make it?! Tell me please!"

Tsunade smiled and replied.

"He's fine and recovering nicely…your efforts to secure the medicines from the convoy helped in the procedure…Lee's recovery will be long, of that there is no doubt…but his body is in better condition and he's going to be up and about in no time."

Naruto smiled warmly and was ecstatic and Tsunade could see the joy in his face…mirroring the same smile Nawaki had on him so long ago, along with Dan's own smile…both smiles made her heart ache a bit…but she gasped a bit as Naruto…without any care etiquette and social rules…reached out and hugged Tsunade and tightly as well as he heaped on her his thanks.

"Thank you Tsunade!! You did it!! You're the best!!"

Tsunade couldn't help but smile a bit and feel rather embarrassed at how openly Naruto was showing his appreciation and thanks to her in a public manner and she knew that doing that in public was considered immodest and inappropriate…even more so considering that Naruto was still a Genin and she was the Hokage, and most of all…she was older than Naruto as well and a woman as well and the way Naruto hugged her was going to attract the wrong kind of attention…

And sure enough…it was already attracting that said unwanted attention as several villagers were commenting on the fact that their Hokage was being shamelessly hugged by the blonde ninja before them…in public and in a ramen stand no less! Tsunade quickly remedied that and clonked Naruto on the head gently…though gently when being used to describe a blow from the super human strength of Tsunade was a little off key as Naruto was sent to the ground with a thump.

Naruto recovered and gave Tsunade a glare and spoke his discontent.

"What the heck was that for?!"

Tsunade waited as the people left and she replied.

"Sorry about that Naruto…but try to be a little more social when you do something like thank a person."

"What do you mean?"

Tsunade couldn't help but give a sigh as she realized that since Naruto had been a truant all his life before he finally got serious in his training as a ninja, he might have not gotten some social training and she knew that if he needed to get rid of the perception that he was an idiot by others…he would have to learn how to act in public with others…she didn't plan to get rid of his whole personality…just help him deal with being around other people at the moment…namely those of higher rank…though she was not keen on getting rid of Naruto's defiance…she liked that too much to get rid of as she wanted to see Naruto stand up to the Council once in a while…that she had to see as she recalled from Jiraiya what Naruto had done in front of the Council.

(Well…I guess some social lessons are in order.)

"For one thing Naruto-kun…you are in a public place, and I'm the Hokage…you can't just hug me out in public since others would see that as being totally inappropriate."

"Huh? I was just thanking you Tsunade."

"True…but be a bit more subtle…how about this then…drop by the Tower when you don't have any pressing appointments…you're going to get some proper social lessons today."

As Tsunade left and headed back to work Naruto couldn't help but scratch his head a bit and wondered just what was it that Tsunade was referring to at the moment and couldn't help but focus on his food…though he had to admit that maybe hugging Tsunade in public was not a good idea. Teuchi smiled and replied.

"The Hokage does have a point Naruto-kun…hugging another person out in public is not exactly a good thing unless you are close to said person. And hugging our leader like that might get you in a good deal of trouble."

Naruto thought about that and he had to admit that maybe Teuchi and Tsunade were right about that and decided to finish his last bowl of ramen and thanked both Teuchi and Ayame. The blonde ninja had not noticed the whole time that he had hugged Tsunade…that Ayame was looking at the two of them with some level of shock and…jealousy, which in itself was rather odd indeed, but she did feel jealous in some ways at the sight of Naruto hugging Tsunade.

She shook her head clear of those thoughts and went back to her duties with her father as several more customers began to arrive and she placed her previous thoughts aside for the time being.

Naruto went back to his apartment and was able to meet up with Kin who had planned to go shopping for some new supplies. Kin had proven to be a good ninja of Konoha and was no longer under probation at the moment and that was a good thing on his mind to say the least as she was not under that much suspicions at the moment. He walked up to Kin and smiled in greeting…which the Kunoichi gave back in kind.

"Hi there Kin-san, going shopping?"

"Yep…buying supplies for myself and well…you of course Naruto-kun…how's training?"

"Been great…plenty of hard work left to do but you can't be a great ninja without sweating and training your butt off!"

Kin smirked at that and decided to bait Naruto a bit.

"Say Naruto-kun…if you have nothing to do for today…why don't we go out and see the sights on Konoha…I know you've lived here for years so you know some places."

Naruto grinned at the thought but that faded as he recalled that Tsunade had told him to meet with her in the Tower for a band of lessons and knowing how angry Tsunade could get when what she asked was not followed to the letter, he was not in the mood to court her wrath…after all…despite their history she was the Hokage after all and incurring her temper was the last thing he liked to do.

"I'm sorry Kin-san…but Tsunade's asked me to drop by the Hokage Tower later for some special lessons."

"Lessons? On what? Chakra manipulation and control?"

"No…something about me learning proper social lessons or something like that. Maybe next time okay…I just need to get a shower and meet up with her in the Tower. See you later…"

As Naruto entered his apartment…Kin couldn't help but look at Naruto and wonder just what was it that Tsunade was up to…she was aware of the fact that Naruto had reversed Tsunade's age during the encounter with Orochimaru and she knew that in some ways Tsunade had a soft spot for Naruto and …

(Wait a minute!! I'm getting ahead of myself here! No way is that woman going to do THAT to Naruto-kun…it's just…wrong…despite him being hot…he's still 12 and she's…okay she's not 50 anymore…but 20 and that's bordering on….ahhhh! Get a damn grip girl…it's not going to happen….not in a million years!)

Despite those thoughts and her focusing on her shopping, the former Sound Kunoichi couldn't help but feel a shiver of doubt run up her spine.

--

Later…

As Naruto made his way towards The Hokage Tower he wondered just what was Tsunade going to teach him…normally he would be trained in chakra manipulation and control by the Hokage when he was there and when she was not very busy with whatever amount of paper-work the Council placed on her…and there were those times that Tsunade would tease him and those times made him blush bright red and made him wonder just what Tsunade was going to do to him.

(Do I really need to learn social skills?)

Holy Talon decided to answer that particular question for it's master.

(("Yes you do Master Naruto…there are times that words can have better power than swords or magic…and you might say that words also possess their own magic and potency."))

(All right…what about you Holy Talon? Can you teach me anything about social stuff?)

(("Yes I can…as I have said…for the thousand years of my existence, along with the knowledge Lord Faldren and the other Dragon Flights, I have learned many things apart from warfare, spell casting, and summoning…the other part of my knowledge is in culture and customs, both human, dwarf, elf, gnome, dragon-kind, and more…though in this realm, I have no clue yet…but it is needed to learn social skills to deal with situations were charging blindly onward is not the…healthiest of suggestions."))

Naruto had to agree with that to a point, though what sort of lessons Tsunade had in mind for him in the social sense still eluded him at the moment and he was still unsure what he would do once he arrived in the Tower…he had his old clothes on…though his clothes had been retailored and were made so to match his growth and his increase in height and muscle size…and the clothes were very comfortable to say the least. Holy Talon was there on his back as well…in the sheath. As soon as he arrived he was greeted by the two Chuunin Examiners who were currently Tsunade's aides while she was the current Hokage at the time, Kamizuki Izumo and his long time partner and friend Hagane Kotetsu, they worked alongside Shizune when it came to doing the needed assistance to Tsunade. The two Chuunin looked at Naruto and wondered what he was doing here at this time of the day…usually he would be seen training in the field and also working on other matters.

"What brings you here Naruto?"

Naruto replied to Izumo's inquiry.

"Tsunade asked me to come here for some special lessons."

"On chakra training as usual?"

"No…something on social training…though I'm not really sure about what she meant by that."

The two Chuunin looked at one another and shrugged and allowed Naruto to pass through…Naruto had been a regular in the Hokage Tower long before the time Tsunade took the office of Hokage and so all the people who worked as the support of the Hokage were already familiar with him being there all the time…though he was more frequent now that Tsunade was the Hokage and while many thought that there was nothing but simple training going on between the Hokage and Naruto..rumors had been circulating about recently.

Shizune did her best to keep those rumors quiet but she knew that things were not going to be so simple…with Naruto being the container for the Kyuubi and the fact that Tsunade was now a young woman again and her having a soft spot for Naruto, there were always going to be rumors flying about when it concerned the bond between the Hokage and the blonde ninja.

Naruto naturally had heard some of these rumors and ignored them..though he does recall the times Tsunade would tease him and he recalled how many times he had suffered from blood lose from either nose bleeds of blushing to the point his face would have passed for a tomato. He couldn't help but smile a bit at those times but he quickly placed those thoughts aside…Tsunade liked to tease him, but when it came to lessons she was strict and he knew better than to get himself distracted when she was around.

He then arrived at the door to the Hokage's office and he knocked on the door…knowing well that Tsunade would be working there in her office.

"Come in."

Naruto opened the door but to his surprise, he was not facing Tsunade but Shizune who was apparently working on some other documents that were usually in a pile on Tsunade's desk at the moment…he had always wondered why Tsunade had so much paper-work…couldn't the Council at the very least pick up some of the slack every now and then?

"Oh Naruto-kun, what brings you here?"

"I was supposed to meet with Tsunade here for some lessons on social skills, do you know where she is Shizune?"

Shizune knew just where Tsunade was and told Naruto.

"She's at the Hokage's meeting hall for visitors since she did her work early and finished it at least three hours earlier…she wanted me to tell you that she'll be there waiting for you."

Naruto smiled and thanked Shizune and left the office…allowing Shizune some time to herself as she got back to arranging Tsunade's completed work for the day. All the documents were signed with her seal of approval and Tsunade had been busy with the paper-work. Shizune was happy that the spell Naruto used had given Tsunade her youth back as it helped her have a higher degree of energy and zeal in her work…and she needed that zeal and energy.

Naruto arrived at the door and decided that instead of barging in…he might as well knock and see if Tsunade was indeed there…as he knocked five times…he heard a familiar voice, which was naturally female….and someone he knew quite well.

"Who is it?"

(Well at least she is here.)

"It's me Naruto….Shizune told me you were here Tsunade…can I come in?"

"Hold on….ah, done…all right Naruto-kun, you can come in."

Naruto opened the door and was impressed by the room…he had not been in this room since he had started making his first pranks as soon as he was able to run and do his basic ninja skills…and the Old Man Sarutobi was still the Hokage…he missed him and hoped that maybe the old Hokage would have a more peaceful sleep now that he knew Tsunade was taking the reins of leadership. Speaking of which he wondered if she was there…the only person he saw was a figure dressed in a kimono and he hardly knew her…but he decided to ask.

"Excuse me…but have you seen Tsunade anywhere…I thought she was here as I heard her voice."

The woman turned and gave him a slight amused smirk.

"You don't recognize me Naruto…I AM Tsunade."

--

Outside in Konoha…

Sakura was busy brining in some food to Sasuke and she was hoping that he would be back on his feet soon, it would be nice to see how the young Uchiha member of their group was doing ever since he had been told that he would be in full recovery in a week or more and be fit for missions. As she entered the room she found Sasuke looking out into the sunlight of the mid-afternoon sun.

"Sasuke-kun…I brought something for you to eat…are you feeling any better?"

Sasuke said nothing and seemed to be deep in thought and Sakura had learned that now was not the best time for her to be talking to him as when he was like this, no one could reach him…not even her. She worried about that as he seemed to get into these mood swings more often nowadays and that was troubling…when she had been told how he had been injured by someone named Itachi she made it her mission to find out just who Itachi was and found out to her shock that Itachi was the one who murdered the Uchiha Clan and left Sasuke the only survivor.

(So he's the one Sasuke-kun wants to fight so badly…)

She knew that she would have to leave him with his thoughts and with that, she placed the basket of food down and was about to leave when Sasuke turned and spoke.

"Sakura…"

"Yes?"

"What's Naruto doing now?"

Sakura turned and saw Sasuke looking at her in a way that was a bit unnerving and that made her worry just what was going through his mind and the moment and she recalled how he looked with the Curse Seal active before and this was somewhat similar…she calmed down and spoke.

"He's been training for the past few days since the mission we had in Wave Country was over…and he's been reading on all sorts of books lately…trying to catch up all those years he spent in a bad way."

"I see….thank you Sakura."

Sakura nodded and left the room…and as soon as Sakura left…Sasuke looked out to the outside and began to think about what he would do once he was out of the hospital and back into doing missions and more…with that on his mind he closed his eyes a bit and lay back on the bed and brooded over the situation he was currently in at the moment.

Sakura sighed and as she walked out of the hospital and headed home…a part of her wondered what was going to happen now…she had a deep feeling of worry in her and she hoped that it would pass and things would be all right…but she felt that what she thought was a lie….there were things going on that she knew she had be ready for….with that in mind the pink haired Kunoichi went home with greater determination in herself…

Unaware that deep in her body was a slumbering energy that was soon to awaken…all it needed was a key trigger.

--

Back in the Tower…

Naruto looked on and his eyes were wide and his jaw dropped like a ton of bricks…and for good reason…after all…how would one react when seeing a sight most men would have considered heavenly to the core?

Tsunade was not dressed in his usual garb of upper gi top, pants, and green jacket…oh no…she was dressed in a sinfully black silk kimono with beautiful gold thread in wave patterns and there were red flower designs as well, the obi was also in deep red with golden thread and ended with an elegant tie at the back…adding to the attractive quality of the sight before him. The kimono hugged Tsunade's very well built frame like second skin and showed her full figure while hiding it at the very same time, the top managed to contain the blonde Hokage's more than ample breasts...though he could have sworn that the kimono was tighter for a reason and that made Tsunade's breasts protrude out proudly…the blonde Hokage's hair was also not in the usual twin tails that she normally had on.

Rather the hair was in a single ponytail that had the knot held together by a pair of lacquered and decorated chopsticks and she had had some light application of makeup and she looked at Naruto with a smile that was sending the wrong signals into the poor blonde's brain.

(OH MY FREAKING GOD!!)

Tsunade smiled a bit more and spoke to Naruto.

"Naruto-kun, you better close your mouth before you start drooling all over the floor and we can't have that."

Naruto quickly noted that his mouth was indeed hanging open and he felt like an idiot at the moment, but how could he not feel that way as he saw Tsunade look like a vision? He shook his head and walked over to Tsunade and spoke to her slowly.

"Tsunade…"

Tsunade smiled a bit more and turned around to show Naruto the outfit and she spoke.

"So Naruto-kun….how do I look?"

"Uh…you look…well, you look…lovely."

Tsunade had expected some higher words but decided not to overreach her expectations, and besides…the look of awe Naruto gave her was reward enough, and she couldn't help but smile even more as she walked over to the stunned blonde ninja.

"Thanks, I haven't dressed like this in years since I normally don't go for this look."

(I had no idea…Tsunade would look this lovely in a kimono….aaaauuuugggghhhh! I have to focus!)

"Tsunade…I, well…I mean you look lovely and all…but what are you going to teach me about social skills?"

Tsunade smiled in a very mischievous way and spoke.

"You're getting your first lesson right now…and that is how to address other people of higher stature."

"Huh?"

Tsunade sighed and pointed to a nearby table and allowed Naruto to sit down as she began to explain to him the basic rules of social manners and etiquette. The reason she dressed up was not just to look nice but to act as Naruto's guide on how to conduct himself on social matters…she knew that if he ever wanted to be a Hokage…he would have to learn social graces and manners in order to give a good impression when needed to other foreigners who come to the village…of course the look of awe and appreciation from the blonde ninja was yet another reason she dressed up..and she was telling the truth that she normally didn't dress like this..but this was a good chance to get back to some old things she did long ago.

Naruto would have considered social stuff to be boring…but the way Tsunade looked and knowing how she was teaching him to do this was enough for him to shut his complaints for the time being. Plus he knew better than to anger Tsunade since she went through the trouble of doing all this for him.

The time passed and Naruto learned at least some important lessons with social manners while Tsunade explained that the reason she taught him these things is that when he does claim the title of Hokage, he has to learn how to act in social functions as well. As soon as it was now late afternoon…Tsunade smiled as she and Naruto walked out of the meeting room and the two walked together to the exit of the Tower while she explained to him some of the more important details of social functions.

As the two arrived to the exit Naruto remembered his lessons and bowed to Tsunade and he spoke.

"Thank you for the lessons Tsunade."

Tsunade smiled at that and she bent forward and kissed Naruto on the cheek and bid him farewell…and as she watched him leave the area and head off to his home she smiled a bit more as she thought back on the times he had been looking at her as discreetly as he could…but she saw the stares and she couldn't help but smile deviously at the memories…Tsunade then turned and decided to call it a day well done and she recalled that she had asked Naruto to come back to her for more lessons in the coming weeks. She couldn't help but plan out a few things and it could prove to be very much an entertaining situation.

As Naruto made his way back to his apartment, Holy Talon decided to speak.

(("I have to admit Master Naruto…that was unexpected of Tsunade…but very fitting…I'm not familiar with that type of dress though."))

(It's called a Kimono if I recall it right…guys can wear that too for formal occasions though I still think I'd look goofy in them…but Tsunade…she was gorgeous.)

Holy Talon agreed with Naruto and the blonde ninja was now in front of his apartment and as soon as he entered…he smelled hot ramen and his mouth drooled as he arrived in his dining area to see Kin sitting down with several platters of hot food and a large bowl of ramen there as well. The former Sound Kunoichi smiled at him and spoke.

"Took you a while to get here Naruto-kun! I was worried about that…here, I've bought you some really delicious hot pot and ramen to boot…and your favorite I might at as well.!"

Naruto smiled and sat down next to Kin and thanked the new Konoha Kunoichi as they began to have their dinner and Naruto was enjoying the food greatly as they talked a bit about how their day had gone. Kin was happy that her probation period was over and she would be allowed to slot in with another group of Genin…though it was not very promising that she…despite showing better talent than some of the new Genin students had to be in a Genin Squad once more…but considering the fact that the Jonin in Konoha were more kind hearted than the ones in Sound…it was a vast improvement in her mind.

Naruto then decided to spend some time in his room and decided to get some shut eye as he had a lot of training left to take care of and he decided that maybe checking on lee himself would be a great thing…he wondered how the skilled Genin was doing and how happy he was to be back in the game of being a ninja….with those thoughts in mind he decided to grab some much deserved sleep.

--

The next day…

Naruto was already dressed in his usual choice of clothes…though modified to suit his growth and his change in shape and size. He carried Holy Talon and made his way to the hospital and he headed straight for the room where Lee was supposed to be recovering from and he was guided by the nurses and as soon as he was able to open the door…he spotted a sight he thought he'd never see…

Lee exercising in pushups…with his fingers on his bed…and now wearing his trademark jumpsuit, and Naruto could tell that he had been at it for the past few hours now…considering the sweat that was flowing down his face and pooling at the floor. He couldn't help but grin at the sight of the hard working Genin being back in his old habits.

(Heh…I should have known he'd be doing this as soon as he got word he was all better.)

(("He might need to rehabilitate more though…however…his determination and desire to be stronger is certainly admirable."))

"Good to see you up and about Lee."

Lee turned and smiled as he replied.

"It's great to see you Naruto-san…give me a moment…there!"

Lee finished his last repetition and then righted himself and now faced Naruto with a smile as he offered his hand in the desire for a handshake…which Naruto willingly gave as Lee smiled even more and spoke in gratitude.

"I really owe you a lot Naruto-san…with the medicine that you brought in…and Gai-sensei's encouragement I was able to pass the surgery offered by Tsunade-hime. I owe you a good deal Naruto-san I wish to repay that debt someday."

"Think nothing of it Lee….you'll get your chance soon enough…so when are you leaving the hospital?"

"It a few more weeks time….the nurses and Tsunade-hime said I can take light exercises but not strain my body too much…still it is hard for me to remain here when I want to catch up for all the time I've spent here in the hospital."

"I understand…but heed their advice….Tsunade-sama did tell you to rest and recover until you're back at your prime Lee…so don't push it….or else all the efforts will be for nothing, all right?"

Lee nodded in understanding as the door opened and in walked none other than Gai and Lee's team-mates…Neji and Tenten. Gai and Lee shared their usual moments being reunited…much to Neji and Tenten's discomfort and to Naruto's utter amusement…no matter how weird it looked to others…Naruto found Lee and Gai's antics to be very entertaining and so did Holy Talon/ The blonde then turned to Neji and spoke to his mentor and somewhat friend.

"How are things so far with you Neji?"

"It's been good so far….I had…a lot of time to think about all that happened. So how goes the lessons?"

"Pretty good so far…how about you guys…planning to take on another mission in the near future now that Lee's back on his feet?"

Tenten shook her head and spoke for her team as Gai and lee were planning to have yet another one of their usual training runs as soon as lee got the all clear to leave the hospital. The weapon specialist of Team Gai was a bit uncomfortable with being close to Neji who she respected and still liked…and Naruto she had developed the hots for so she focused on Naruto's question for the time being.

"Not really…there's no new missions on the table just yet for me and the others to take on…besides…lee's still here so rest is a must."

Naruto nodded and that was when Gai stepped forward and placed his hand on Naruto's shoulder and the Jonin spoke to the blonde Dragon Champion.

"I owe you a debt of gratitude for the effort you put into getting Lee back on his feet Naruto…and if you'd like, I can also teach you my personal Taijutsu secrets along with lee in payment for the effort."

Naruto was surprised and so was Neji and Tenten and Gai replied.

"I heard Neji and his cousin Hinata have been teaching you some of the Gentle First Techniques of the Hyuuga Clan under Hiashi-san's personal command, so I figured it's a chance for me to teach you the same Taijutsu that I taught Lee…though that's only going to happen if you're willing to be taught by me of course."

Lee was ecstatic and was eager to spar with Naruto as he had heard about the Boundless State style of Taijutsu that Naruto was known to use and he was eager to see this style that gave his team-mate Neji a run for his money as well. He looked at Naruto and the blonde ninja thought about it and then gave a reply.

"I'd be honored Gai-sensei."

Gai grinned and gave his 'Nice Guy' pose and nodded.

"That's great…I'll expect you to be up, bright and early when lee leaves the hospital…then the two of you can begin your training early!"

Naruto nodded and Lee was in good spirits…while Neji and Tenten shook their heads. It seemed that they were going to have a hell of a time during training hours now from here on out.

--

Later…

Naruto was currently running through his lessons with Sakura while they were in a nearby park bench and Sakura carried several of the day's lesson books handed to her by Iruka…Naruto gave only a slight groan at the number but didn't argue too much and began to read…and he didn't hesitate to ask Sakura questions on several key subjects.

The pink haired Kunoichi had been rather busy with several matters, namely providing food to the people working with food from the various shops and helping her parents work on their small but flourishing business and also do her usual runs of helping out every now and then. She was still a bit worried about Sasuke as the dark haired Uchiha seemed more and more distant…though not that distant as he would often ask her questions on what was happening around the village…mostly on Naruto's progress…despite her desire to see things in a more cheerful perspective…she couldn't help still worry about Sasuke's changing nature.

"Hey Sakura-chan…are you all right?"

Sakura shook her head as she realized that in her thoughts…she had zoned off and when she looked at Naruto, he had a concerned look on his face and he had placed aside the book to figure out what was bothering her at the moment. She gulped as the way Naruto looked at her made her feel…heated…as she looked at the blue eyes with silver…she had not noted that before when Naruto had not gained Holy Talon, but now she couldn't help but look at Naruto's eyes…and it was then that an image hit her right in the head…

And that was an image of Naruto leaning over her without a single stitch of clothing on and looking at her with the same eyes…but with desire in them…and he would then….

Sakura nearly fainted at the sudden direction her thoughts were going and managed to restrain herself and give Naruto an answer to his question.

"I…I'm fine. So how are the lessons going?"

"Pretty good…I'll be busy later in the afternoon since I have to go back to the Hokage Tower later."

"Oh? Is Tsunade-sama asking your for a mission?"

"No…just some lessons on social matters and actions."

"Really? Since when did you have to learn how to act socially?"

"I guess the lessons are important…and Tsunade-sama wanted me to be ready for situations where attacking won't always work."

Sakura couldn't help but wonder just what sort of lessons was Tsunade imparting on Naruto as this was the first time she had ever heard of a Hokage directly teaching a Genin…she knew that there was something of a friendship between Tsunade and Naruto…but she was not sure as to what extent was the friendship between the two was…however she shook her head as she thought that such a thought was wrong in some way.

She placed that all aside and decided to focus on doing what she could to help Naruto with his trip back into the lessons that he had been skipping for the past twelve years…it made her smile as Naruto would struggle…but instead of denying he understood things he didn't really understand and being cool…he would always ask for any advice and clarification…it was something that she liked seeing nowadays. As time passed…the two had a simple break and had a hot meal of ramen in the Ichiraku Ramen Stand and Ayame was being unusually nice to Naruto…at least in her mind as the moment.

The pink haired Kunoichi could understand some of Ayame's behavior…as Naruto had been the stand's most frequent and well known customer as he LOVEDE the ramen being served there…but it seemed that Ayame was a lot more friendly with Naruto and the pink haired Kunoichi couldn't help but feel rather uneasy with the way Ayame would look at Naruto's direction and blush hard when he would complement her for the food and it was something unexpected.

Later…Naruto bid them farewell as he made his way towards the Hokage Tower for another round of lessons with Tsunade in both chakra manipulation and control along with some more social lessons. It still made Sakura rather uneasy as to what was going on between Naruto and Tsunade and despite her denial of what she suspended…the pink haired girl did know about the soft spot Tsunade had for her team-mate.

(What am I thinking?! There is no way that Naruto and Tsunade would be involved with one another…sure Tsunade is no longer a 50 year old woman…but still it would look very weird as to why the Hokage would have a relationship with a Genin! I am not jealous of Naruto taking private lessons from Tsunade-sama!)

Naruto arrived at the Hokage Tower and Tsunade was there and soon began to study other important aspects of social situations and Holy Talon, seeing that the lessons proved to be of great help to his master, agreed with them and took in as much as it could about the cultures that resided in it's master's world and stored it away. Tsunade had worn another kimono and had given Naruto quite an eyeful as the kimono was deep red and had black and gold patterns of waves and flowers…Tsunade was very stunning in many ways and she enjoyed flirting with Naruto in private.

Tsunade knew that what she was doing was not entirely illegal, due to the physical enhancements that Holy Talon had given to Naruto he resembled a 16 year old male and being sixteen meant that you were at the age already for more intimate relations with girls…but Naruto was still 12 in terms of mental state of thought so she figured getting him to know more about social graces, behaviors, and functions…and even further than that…having the chance to treat girls the right way…she was actually VERY eager to have Naruto all to herself at the moment…but decided to get him to grow up to be a good and decent man.

Naruto at first was very uncomfortable with flirting…even when he asked Sakura out for dates...he had no prior experience with girls…including asking them out and how to act in a date and all…he told Tsunade that much And unknown to him…Tsunade had some ideas on how to get Naruto out of his shell when it came to women…she KNEW for a fact that sooner or later…her team-mate Jiraiya would be training Naruto…and while she knew that Jiraiya was more than qualified to teach Naruto in the ways of the ninja…she was NOT going to let the perverted young again coot pollute HER Naruto-kun with the wrong ideas about women early on in his youth…she had every intention of making Naruto a good man…and allowing Naruto to be turned into a full scale pervert was NOT on her list.

That was why she had a plan to show him just how to properly treat a woman out on a date…but first…she had to find the right day to do that little romp.

--

The days rolled on for everyone in Konoha as Naruto continued his training while under the guidance of many people who were part of the group who were dedicated to training him…namely Iruka, Ebisu on his free time, Kakashi on occasion when missions were not taking in his time, Neji, Hinata, Sakura, Holy Talon and the essences of the other Dragon Champions, and most recently…Gai and Lee. The nearly fully recovered Genin and Naruto would routinely spar with each other while Gai would watch on and while Kakashi was not quite pleased with Gai's interference with Naruto as the blonde was his student and NOT Gai's…but he admitted that Gai was a fierce fighter and his reputation was enough to make even Itachi wary of him…plus his Taijutsu skills could easily supplement Naruto's need to be even stronger.

The only good thing in almost everyone's mind…including Kakashi was that Naruto didn't wear the same green jumpsuit as Gai and Lee did…Kakashi swore he'd hurl and have nightmares the very second Naruto put that fashion monstrosity on. However…Gai's offer was certainly helpful as Naruto and Lee were proving to be good sparring partners as Lee taught Naruto how to fight using his extreme Taijutsu style while Naruto showed Lee the Boundless State along with a few other choice styles he picked up from his teachers in Holy Talon.

The blonde ninja would wake up early as he could manage…have a quick break-fast with Kin and then leave for the training field and practice on the same small tree that he began to grow using Dragon Fire and as soon as he was told by Holy Talon that it was enough for now…he would train in the arts of combat and strategy under Holy Talon and the essences of the other past Dragon Champions, along with learning how to cast low level spells by using only the same amount of Dragon Fire he used to help the tree to go…learning how to properly use the Dragon Fire and not waste it. After that he would learn sword techniques and other weapon skills as well…and then later…he would read and study his lessons and books as well with Iruka and Sakura…and finish off with regular trips to the Hokage Tower learning chakra manipulation and control from Tsunade and of course his social lessons.

Those social lessons that Naruto was getting from Tsunade however were becoming something of a concern for several young Kunoichi as they had no idea what sort of lessons was Tsunade imparting on the blonde ninja and Dragon Champion. Temari was also curious about these events as she had been placed as a diplomatic liaison for the time being…as she had a love for peace, the council of Suna had appointed her as part of the diplomatic envoy to Konoha. She agreed to the idea as this would allow her to be closer to Naruto in a more official capacity at the moment…but as soon as she found out that Naruto was taking social lessons from Tsunade she became very curious and worried. Hinata was as well as Naruto would often leave early from the lessons she and Neji would teach him after they were done to meet with Tsunade…and like the others…the shy girl was aware of Tsunade being younger now thanks to Naruto's use of Holy Talon's powers and that made her curious as to what was the relationship between the Hokage and Naruto.

The girls would then take the chance to see Naruto when he would go to the hot-springs whenever he was tired and needed a good soak to relax his body. Temari had also appeared there and had been on another side when she spotted Naruto in the buff…the moment the eldest sister of Gaara saw the blonde ninja in the nude…she was VERY interested in getting closer to Naruto after seeing him in all his glory.

They were unaware of the fact that they were not alone as a certain pair of Jonin were also looking at Naruto and then a certain Hokage as well. Tsunade smiled a bit and decided to keep this little situation as something of a card…she knew that there was a chance that those girls would find out about her plan to be with Naruto and she was keen to have as much fun as she could squeeze out of it all.

It was on Friday however that a traveling fair had set up in Konoha that things got rather interesting….Tsunade had allowed the people of Konoha to have the day off and it was the chance she had hoped for…she had effectively bullied the Council into allowing the people of Konoha to have a break for as long as the fair was here to help their spirits as the reconstruction was still going on and would take much more time and something to help the morale of the people was needed.

As soon as she had been given the reports from security and ANBU that there were no individuals who were spies or terrorist ninja in the roster of the fair's personnel she gave her approval and the people were more than willing to party at the fair. She took her leave and had finished her work for the day and paid Naruto a visit.

She looked at his apartment and sighed at the decrepit place…

(Why would Naruto-kun have to be forced to live here in an old and falling apart apartment like this?! If the purse strings at the moment weren't so tight, I'd have the thing rebuilt so it would be at least decent looking.)

The blonde Hokage pushed that out of her mind as she climbed the stairs and made her way to Naruto's room and knocked on the door. The Hokage didn't have to wait long as the door opened to reveal none other than Naruto himself…dressed in only his pants…the blonde was shocked and quickly turned around after mumbling an apology and ran back into his room to get properly dressed…

Tsunade smiled at that…she had apparently caught Naruto in the middle of him getting into his room to change clothes, no doubt from a bath but she liked the view of his half naked body and that made the blonde Hokage blush a bit. She placed her thoughts aside as Naruto returned and was wearing a simple long sleeved blue shirt and his pants with Holy Talon right behind him at the moment. The blonde Dragon Champion then faced Tsunade and greeted her as usual.

"Tsunade…what brings you to my home?"

Tsunade smiled and looked at the blonde ninja and spoke to him.

"You know about the fair that's here for a few days Naruto-kun?"

Naruto heard about a fair coming in when he had gone to the Ichiraku Ramen stand for break-fast this morning and while he was happy to finally have a fair here in Konoha of all places he was not sure why exactly was Tsunade telling him this information…unless there was something she wanted from him. Holy Talon remained silent as it observed the situation…however…the Holy Dragon Sword could sense the emotions coming from Tsunade and sensing that Tsunade had good if somewhat romantic intentions, it decided not to interfere with the situation.

"I do…so what does that have to do with you coming here Tsunade?"

"Why? Is something wrong?"

"No…I didn't mean to sound ungrateful or anything…it's just…unexpected."

"Ahhh…so I must be the ONLY adult woman you've ever had in your home…why…want to do something interesting with me while I'm here with you?"

"Eh/ What do you? Wait…you can't be serious?!"

Tsunade smiled and laughed a bit and spoke to Naruto.

"I'm just teasing you Naruto-kun…I personally think you're not ready for that yet Naruto-kun...I asked you that question since I want to see you use those lessons I taught you for the past few days…and in a very important setting as well."

"Really?"

"Yes…on your first date…and you're going to learn how to properly be with a lady...because I'll be the one to be your date."

"EH?! Are you sure?!"

"I am asking you didn't I?"

"But…you're the Hokage…"

"True…but I am also a woman and a living being…being in a position of power is good….but it can be hard on a person's private life you know, and believe me…having company to be with on times of revelry can certainly lift up one's spirits…so will you join me?"

"Is that an order?"

"No…it's up to you Naruto-kun to say either yes or no after all."

Naruto thought about it and figured that as long as things were all right here in Konoha…there was nothing wrong with having fun and relaxing for a bit…he then heard Holy Talon's voice.

(("You should accept Master Naruto…taking a break and relaxing in even the most simplistic of fashions can really help you in many ways…besides…you do care for Tsunade and she did ask you for this..a date is an important thing for all involved in many ways."))

(I guess you're right.)

Naruto then bowed and replied.

"I'll be happy to be with you on this date Tsunade."

The blonde Hokage smiled warmly at that and she then proved her happiness by kissing Naruto and hugging him as well…pressing her breasts right into his body and Naruto blushed bright red when she did that to him. The hug lasted a few more seconds before Tsunade moved away and spoke to Naruto.

"I'll be waiting for you at the Hokage Tower…and don't be late."

--

Kin had been moving back into the apartment and she had spotted Tsunade entering Naruto's room and she was very much shocked as she couldn't help but wonder just what was going on right in front of her at the very moment. She then used her training in Sound Village to overhear the conversation and she was stunned when she heard all that Naruto and Tsunade had said…and she moved away as soon as she was sure Tsunade was leaving…however…she was surprised to see Sakura talking to Tsunade and as soon as the Hokage left…Sakura was looking at her and soon the pink haired Kunoichi reached the former Sound Kunoichi.

Sakura quickly grabbed Kin by the shirt and glared at the Kunoichi.

"What is going on here?! What was Tsunade-sama doing in Naruto's apartment?!"

"She asked him!"

"Asked him what?"

"She actually asked him!!"

"You're not making any sense Kin!"

Kin shook her head and replied as she glared right back at Sakura and replied.

"Tsunade-sama asked Naruto-kun go out on a date with her!!"

Sakura gasped and said only one phrase.

"WHAT?!"

--

Later that day…

Tsunade was dressed in a comfortable kimono of deep white with beautiful pink flower blossoms and had her hair in a lush and well combed tail of deep blonde hair and was waiting for Naruto…who showed up in time and was dressed in a suitable white long sleeved gi top with the symbol of Konoha on the back and black pants, along with soft sandals…Naruto was not armed with Holy Talon at the moment as he had left his sword at his apartment…but since the sword and Naruto were connected in mental conversation, then he didn't have to worry too much about his sword being left there…and his own reserve of Dragon Fire was growing as well. That and the intense training he had for the past few weeks were certainly going to help.

The pair arrived at the fair and Naruto began to use his training on social matters to conduct himself properly when with Tsunade and he was trying his best as he knew that this was the first time that he had ever been on a date…though he wished to have Sakura as his first date…he was still happy being with Tsunade since she had done a lot for him like Sakura did…though he did worry a bit on how things would turn out if anyone he knew found out he was on a date with Tsunade…but he decided to enjoy it as this was rather nice anyway…and the lessons were certainly paying off.

Unknown to Naruto…they were already being followed by a small group…Sakura and Kin were there at first and were tracking the pair as they were now in the fair…however, they were not alone as Tenten, Ino, and Hinata appeared…they had seen Naruto with Tsunade and they were naturally surprised on what was going on and then they spotted Sakura and Kin and quickly joined them…and Temari also arrived and she too had seen Tsunade and Naruto walking along as well. When the pink haired Kunoichi and the former Sound Genin told the others of what was happening…they quickly joined in to see what was going on.

The small band of Kunoichi tried their best to keep out of sight as they tracked Tsunade and Naruto seemingly having fun in the fare. Hinata was the scout of the bunch as her Byakugan had given them the edge in being able to see what was happening without exposing themselves to either Naruto orTsunade….as the two bought food and were talking with one another. The girls had been tracking the couple for a while and it seemed that the two were enjoying each other's company.

Sakura couldn't believe her eyes as she looked at her team-mate being very friendly with the Hokage and they were enjoying themselves at the moment, eating and chatting. She knew that there was some history between Naruto and Tsunade, but she had no idea it was THIS close!

Hinata was very much worried…while she would be very unhappy to know that Naruto had a relationship with an older woman and she would have wanted to find out how deep it was…she knew about Tsunade's abilities and even her Byakugan would not match up in power to Tsunade's skills in Medical Jutsu and Taijutsu. But she can't help but feel rather angry at the moment.

Kin was very worried about what she was looking at and despite unable to see at the same distance as Hinata she was miffed at the sight of Tsunade and Naruto having a grand time together…she wanted to ask her Naruto-kun out on a date but here she was stalking him because he was with another woman, it galled her but she knew better than to lash out in anger towards Tsunade as there was no way she could match up with the blonde Hokage.

Temari was also very much miffed…she had kissed Naruto before and she liked him…but here he was being with a woman who was older than he was…she was older than him too but why was it he was going out with Tsunade…not only was it odd, him being a Genin and her being the Hokage, but still the age difference was significant despite Naruto looking physically older.

Tenten was rather curious and somewhat surprised to see Naruto being in a romantic style situation with the Hokage and Tsunade was her idol…she had always carried a firm belief that Kunoichi were as equal or better than Shinobi and Tsunade was her prime example…and now she was curious what was going on with Naruto and Tsunade.

Ino was likewise surprised and rather angry at the moment…she had begun to develop and attraction to Naruto and despite her trying to deny it…she actually began to like him a lot and not just on the physical looks, but at least he was more mature and serious, though she was not in the mood for him to change overnight. After hearing his stories about his battles she couldn't help but think on how much he had changed from the loud mouth, idiotic, and immature young man she knew…and now she couldn't help but wonder just what was going on between him and Tsunade.

The group followed and tried not to react too much as they knew that doing so would attract attention to them and the last thing they wanted was to be seen by either of the people they were currently following at the moment. They couldn't help but feel jealous when Tsunade and Naruto would have a grand time and have fun together and they each wished that they were the ones who were with Naruto at the moment. As the night wore on… they group were able to avoid being spotted…unaware of the fact that Tsunade had long sensed their presence but played along for the time being. As soon as the night was reaching half the midnight mark…she and Naruto went back into Konoha and she decided to give the tracking Kunoichi an eye-full.

"Thanks for that wonderful time Naruto-kun and you behaved so well."

Naruto smiled a bit and scratched his head and replied.

"You're welcome Tsunade…I enjoyed it all too."

"Good…you have to go get some sleep no Naruto-kun…good night."

Tsunade then kissed Naruto right on the cheek and bid him farewell…making Naruto blush yet again and as soon as she was out of the area…the blonde Hokage decided to secretly backtrack and sure enough…

The Kunoichi were all looking at Naruto as he made his way back to the apartment and they looked at one another and began to talk about what they had witnessed for this night, namely the kiss Naruto got from Tsuande. They were not happy but they were so focused on their discussions that they didn't realize that they were also being followed…and by a certain someone as well. It was only when that person spoke that they realized that they were found.

"Aha…so…you're the ones who were following me and Naruto-kun…I thought as much."

The group turned at the sound of the voice and found Tsunade looking at them with a rather scary look and that was enough for Ino, Tenten, Hinata, Kin, Temari, and Sakura to make sure not to do something that could be very offensive to the blonde Hokage…who had apparently been aware of their presence from the get go. The Kunoichi were getting a bit worried until Tsunade smiled at them and spoke.

"So…you ladies have a liking for Naruto-kun…I should have guessed that right off the bat…are you all jealous of the time I spent with him?"

The silence was deafening but Ino stepped forward and replied.

"Yes we are! Why did he ask YOU out on a date?! You're older than him!!"

"INO!!"

Sakura and Tenten quickly restrained their blonde comrade as they realized that what they were doing was inviting a serious beating from the superhuman strength of Tsunade. The Hokage didn't reply and the others tried to think of a solution to avoid serious bodily harm...Temari wanted to voice out her own dislike…but unlike Ino….she was well aware of Tsunade's legendary strength and her temper and was not in the mood to court her wrath, Hinata was likewise as she was well aware of the same abilities Tsunade had, but she couldn't help but feel very sad about Naruto dating Tsunade…all the girls were not happy but could do little...that is until Tsunade began to laugh and smile and then she looked at them with twinkling eyes and replied.

"Hah! About time you all admitted to that…come on…we all need to talk."

Later…

Sakura and her compatriots were stunned as they were now in what was one of the most expensive hot-springs resorts in Konoha at the moment. They were all in the hot-springs and enjoying a good soak as Tsunade came in as well…as soon as the blonde Hokage was in the water…she looked at the girls and spoke in a very curious tone…

"So…I take it you all have been in a few escapades in looking at Naruto-kun?"

"What do you mean?"

Tsunade gazed at each girl and gave them a good looking at and then she replied.

"I caught you all looking at Naruto when he was taking that bath in these same hot-springs a few days earlier…you naughty girls…looking at a young man when he's in the nude…that was very indecent of you all…"

The girls all blushed bright red at that…Hinata was the worst as she couldn't help but try to go deeper into the water to hide the deep blush on her face. The girls were shocked at the fact that the Hokage had caught them peeping at Naruto and wondered just what she would do now. Tsunade smirked and decided to be truthful to them…after all she WAS guilty of the same thing anyway…and before she even came into the pool, she had placed special wards on the place to keep the conversation to themselves, the last thing she wanted was this getting into the Konoha grapevine.

"Not that I don't blame any of you…since I did the same thing too."

"EH?!"

The girls looked at Tsunade with shock…they had NO idea that the Hokage was doing the same thing they were at all…it was shocking to say the least and they were stunned to hear that come out from Tsunade as she smiled at them. Tsunade was enjoying this immensely and looked at them all.

"Relax….I AM a woman after all…and I DO find Naruto-kun very attractive…makes me wonder how good looking he will be when he's older. But I want to make some things clear before you all get any wise ideas about me spending time with Naruto-kun. I know for a fact that you have reasons for being attracted to the blonde ninja…Sakura…Naruto saved your life in the Forest of Death when that bastard Orochimaru ambushed you and your team right?"

"Y-Yes…"

"And ever since then…you've developed an affection for him…which is surprising since you've had a strong interest in Sasuke Uchiha than him."

Sakura nodded and she knew that what Tsunade said was the truth but it was still rather embarrassing to say the least. Tsunade then directed her attention to Hinata.

"I also know that unlike the other girls here…you've had a mountain sized crush on Naruto since you both were in the Academy and was the only girl who liked Naruto from the start…and now that he's like this…and he supported you in that fight with your cousin Neji…you're crush on him has grown hasn't it?"

Hinata twiddled her finger and blushed profusely as she recalled all the indecent thoughts concerning her and Naruto together alone and in private. She couldn't say anything due to the embarrassment she felt deeply for the truth of Tsunade's question.

The Hokage then looked at Temari and replied.

"I know for a fact that you are the daughter of the late Fourth Kazekage and you're the eldest sister of Gaara, who Naruto managed to defeat, and I've heard that Naruto helped change him and become good friends with him, and you feel grateful for what Naruto has done for your little brother."

Temari nodded at that and couldn't help but blush at the truth in that statement and she was lucky she didn't blurt out the fact that she had kissed Naruto previously…Gods only knew how the others would have reacted to that bit of information. Tsunade was enjoying herself and decided to drop the bomb on them.

"Do you all know why I like Naruto-kun enough to go out on a date with him even if I am older than him?"

The girls looked at Tsunade and she replied after she drank some sake…being the only adult in the whole pool made her the only one qualified legally to drink…which was why she was not offering the drink to anyone else at the moment.

"Naruto-kun…reminds me of the two people I loved in my life…the first was my little brother Nawaki…who was the same age Naruto is now…despite the growth spurt. He's so annoying and very clueless at times, but brave, fiery, funny, and serious like my brother and I can't help but like that….And the other man Naruto-kun reminds me of…is my late fiancé Dan…my assistant Shizune's uncle. He's got the same dreams and hopes like my brother did and he wanted Medic nins in ninja squads like I did after my brother died I loved them both and I see the same in Naruto…I bet he never told you about how he and I exactly met?"

"No he didn't…"

Sakura replied as Tsunade smiled a bit at the memories of the meeting she had with the blonde weeks before and decided to tell her audience what exactly happened between her and Naruto so they will get an idea as to WHY she had a soft spot for the blonde ninja and Dragon Champion, and why she had done out with him on a date of all things. By the end of it the group were stunned to say the least.

"Naruto actually said THAT?!"

Sakura was surprised as she realized that Naruto was probably the only man she knew who had insulted Tsunade…and lived!

"Oh yes…first time I let a kid say that to me…"

Tsunade smiled at the thought and then spoke to the girls.

"I happen to honestly like him and while he IS physically older now…he is still a 12 year old boy in terms of how to deal with the opposite sex…so I took it upon myself to train him on how to properly act around women…hence our little date recently…and let me tell you girls…he's really a great guy…shame he had to have a rough life before all this happened. But then again…that's what makes nice guys VERY good partners. I ought to know, Dan was such a kind and strong man…but a real nervous wreck around women…and Naruto-kun is the same. But he is his own person after all and I like him the way he is at this time. Now do you understand?"

The girls thought about that and then Tsunade smiled as she had an idea…

"If you ladies want to see the results…why don't you ask him out on a date? It's not that hard now isn't it?"

The girls blushed bright red and then they began to look at one another and Tsunade decided to help out a bit before things got ugly…while there were times she was going to enjoy watching a decent cat fight this was not one of the times. She called them to attention and spoke seriously to them all..to show that she wanted them to listen to her…though that was not entirely necessary as they were not going to contest her as she was the Hokage after all.

"Now before I see you all start throwing words…let's make things clear for the moment…there will be NO fighting over Naruto, no sneaky tricks, no trailing him and his date, and above all else…NO use of force…let Naruto decide if he wants to come with you or not. Is that clear?"

The girls nodded and Tsunade then spoke.

"Just so we're clear….I want to make it clear that I also happen to like him a great deal so I'll even ask him out on a date so keep in mind that I will follow those same rules to prove that I will keep my word…just for the sake of giving you ladies some decent competition. But in this case…the one who has the most feelings for Naruto will be the first…and I have a feeling we already know WHO that person is…"

Hinata realized that she was the one that Tsunade was referring to as she saw that everyone in the spring was looking at her and she realized that she was now being given official approval by the Hokage to actually do the one thing that she had NEVER done before in her entire life but dreamed of doing for a long time as well…

Ask someone out on a date…and not just ANY someone at that…

--

Next day…

Naruto woke up early and realized that today was a Saturday…so this was the time he got to have a decent chance to rest and he heeded Holy Talon's advice on not tiring himself out. He yawned and got out and headed for the bath room to take a much needed shower and bath. Kin was out early on a routine D rank mission and was not going to be back in a few days. Sakura was busy with other matters as well and the fare was still on for the day…this left him plenty of free time at the moment.

He then got dressed and figured a quick trip to the fair would be nice at the moment. And maybe see the people relax for once…however he opened the door to find a certain someone at his door.

"Oh…hello there Hinata-san!"

Hinata blushed and smiled at Naruto while twiddling her fingers as she knew that what she was going to do was something she had dreamed of for years…but never had the courage to do at all…but now she wanted to do this no matter what happens.

"H-H-Hello Naruto-kun…I…I wanted to ask you something?"

"Oh? Sure…go ahead."

"I, I was wondering…do you have anything to do today?"

"No…not really. Why? Do you want something from me?"

"Yes…can I…can I ask you to…go out on…a date…with me?"

--

To be continued…

--

Well that wraps this little number up nicely…you'll have to excuse the mess at the moment since I had some real updating to do so my mind is kind of distracted at the moment since I had a ton of work to finish and update at the same time…plus researching ideas for Naruto Tekno Ninja and working on my other works is a killer on my free time and my hands are getting rather stiff at the moment…so I hope you can excuse of the shoddy work I did on this story at the moment since I had some body pains and slight dull headache…

Anyway…I hope this one is all right and Social Graces Part 2 will be out soon enough…and we'll get to see just how Hinata and Naruto's date went along and don't forget that Kurenai and Anko might get involves as well, and even Ayame…not to mention the other girls after Naruto

Oh yes…on the next part…I have plans to introduce a new character into the story…and it's a woman, and how she gets to the Naruto world will be explained later on in the story so have fun…and here…she might develop a thing for a certain white haired Jonin.

--

Trailer:

Kakashi panted as he looked at the robed figure before him at the moment…whoever this stranger was…she fought with amazing skill with the two Longswords she had in hand…however…there was something odd about the fighting style she used…

(That style is almost the same as Naruto's dual wield style…)

The robed and hooded stranger was still ready for a fight and Kakashi was not happy with the fact that he was not completely recovered since the battle with Itachi at the moment but he was not backing down from this new battle though he still wondered just who this person was…he couldn't see the face under the robe and hood at the moment.

He got his kunai ready as the stranger readied the weapons…but that was when Naruto appeared and drew his sword Holy Talon and there was Sakura and Sasuke with him.

"Kakashi-sensei!"

The three Genin were now ready to fight with Kakashi and Sasuke and Sakura were armed…Sakura with her kunai and Sasuke with his windmill shuriken…but suddenly the stranger looked at Naruto and amazingly placed aside the weapons and bowed…and spoke in an arcane tongue.

'What the?!"

The group were stunned but Naruto quickly recovered and then began to speak in the same arcane tongue that the group recognized as the one he would use to summon allies from Holy Talon. In a moment Naruto relaxed and re-sheathed Holy Talon and then turned to them and spoke.

"It's all right guys…she's not a threat."

Kakashi was not entirely convinced and neither were the others. Sasuke was the first to say that.

"How can you be so sure about that?"

Because if she had been an agent of the enemy she wouldn't bother to lower her weapons…"

"She?"

"Yeah…she's a War Blade from Holy Talon's world…her name's Kaelyn."

The apparent woman stood up and then removed her hood and her robe and stunned the group…especially Kakashi…

Kaelyn was a stunning redhead with her hair in braids, she had deep green eyes that resembled emeralds…and a very attractive face…enough to make her equal to even Kurenai or Tsunade in attractiveness and the small scar near her right eye that ran to her cheek didn't detract that…she was tall as well…nearly Kakashi's height and perfectly proportioned despite the fact she wore chainmail and had plate armor on her shins, thighs, forearms and she had a breast plate that held her bust which was considerable to say the least. She looked at Kakashi and to the Jonin's surprise…she smiled at him!

The others looked on and when Kaelyn spoke…it was still in the same language and Naruto then translated.

"She said she was impressed with the way you fought Kakashi-sensei…she's never met anyone who fought the way you did and it was very entertaining to her."

"I see…well tell her that I apologize for the misunderstanding."

Naruto did so and Kaelyn listened to Naruto explain and she grinned and spoke once more with Naruto as interpreter.

"She said it's all right and she wants to apologize for the unprovoked attack."

Before Kakashi could respond to that…Kaelyn walked up to Kakashi and without any fanfare...kissed the Jonin right on the cheek! That action was very much unexpected and after Kaelyn moved back and gave Kakashi a very seductive smile… Kakashi's exposed eye widen and to the utter amusement of everyone…even Sasuke for that matter…they saw Kakashi blush for the first time in all the times they had traveled with him….

Kaelyn smiled at Kakashi's blush and spoke once more and Naruto translated…this time with a grin on his face.

"Oh yeah…she said you're very handsome Kakashi-sensei."

--

She's only going to be among the first I'll be introducing…I did state that the guys in Naruto's world won't be alone after all…so enjoy this trailer for now…we might even see some other male Genin in the same boat as Kakashi…for example…Lee.

See you next time!


	27. Social Graces Part 2

Naruto Twin Swords

Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Naruto at all.

Chapter 22

Part 2

Social Graces

--

In a strange ornate room…

There was a small collection of unknown figures that seemed to be in deep discussion with a shadowy figure and it seemed that they were having something of an argument with the hidden figure…it was after a few moments of serious discussion that the figure appeared…

And it was a silver scaled Dragon who appeared and spoke in a human tongue…though in a language thaws arcane…quite similar to the language spoken by Naruto in summoning allies from the powers of the sword Holy Talon…the Dragon then seemed to sigh and with a simple number of gestures…as massive portal opened and the robed and hooded figures knew that this was going to be a serious deal and looked at one another to confirm that they were doing the right thing. As the glowing portal glowed and began to break apart the robed and hooded figures moved forward and in a few minutes, they vanished…and the silver Dragon seemed more exhausted and took in a deep breath and looked at the now fading light and it seemed…

Concerned for those who had gone into the portal and the Dragon seemed to sense that the spell was not going to be entirely effective and things were not going to be a simple matter for the party who had came to him. He had attempted to dissuade them from their course of action…but they were utterly adamant in what they had planned to do and nothing he said seemed to dissuade them from their chosen course

--

Back in Konoha…

Naruto was somewhat surprised to hear just what Hinata had asked him…he had been very surprised to hear that from the normally shy and timid young woman…but his opinion of her was different than before and he respected her as she worked very hard…harder than anyone he knew with the exception of Lee himself.

And to suddenly be asked by her if he could go out on a date with her was something that surprised her…he however was lot more mature due to Tsunade's social lessons and could tell that it had taken a great deal of effort for Hinata to ask him that and it would be utterly rude and crude of him to say the wrong things and he did respect her…and he gave an answer.

"Sure, I'd love to go out with you Hinata-san…are we going to meet at my home our at your home in the Hyuuga Estate?"

Hinata didn't answer Naruto at first…not that she didn't hear him…but because she had been utterly overjoyed by his response to her request of going out with her on a date…she had always dreamed of doing this with Naruto for as long as she had ever laid eyes on him, but she never thought that today she would be able to say it and she was utterly overjoyed by it all.

(Naruto-kun said it! He actually said it!! I am going out on a date with him!!)

Hinata felt her heart beat ever faster and she began to feel the urge to faint but she quickly regained her wits and managed to stop herself from fainting and she gave an answer to Naruto's inquiry on where they were going to meet for the beginning of their first ever official date.

"I'll…I'll be w-waiting at the gate of my home Naruto-kun."

"All right…I'll be there!"

Hinata bowed and moved away to head for her home but as she left Naruto apartment…she couldn't help but move a few more feet away before she leaned on a wall and smiled happily at her good fortune and she gave a cheer as she blushed all the way home…her mind was now filled with thoughts on what she should wear for this very important day.

(Oh…I have to wear something nice for Naruto-kun!! But what will I wear?!" I have never been on a date before….oh…I wish I…wait, calm down…I know there's something that I can wear at home…I have to hurry!)

--

The Hyuuga Estate…

Hiashi looked at the latest reports from the Council and on the current situation of Konoha and he was happy to find out that things were very much in a balanced state…the village's standing with the Daimyo of the Land of Fire was in high levels and the village was improving after the battle with Sand and Sound and that pleased him greatly. The head of the Hyuuga family was tired but was happy to know that peace was on the village and wondered on his late wife Miyami...it had been some time since her death after Hanabi's birth all those years ago and he wished she was around to see her daughters grow…

He had no doubt in her mind that despite him being the head of the family…Miyami would have been very unhappy and cross with him with his previous relationship with Hinata, she had doted on her children when they were very young but her weakened state and poor health didn't allow her the chance to see them grow up. He had no doubt she would be happy that Hinata was in good hands and she was now stronger and braver. Hiashi sighed once more and looked out the window and spoke to himself.

"I hope that you are resting well Miyami…and I hope that someday you can forgive me for the strain I placed on our children."

He then turned and placed aside the scrolls and walked out of the house and it was then that he spotted his eldest daughter blushing bright red and twiddling her fingers…he was surprised as these were normally the signs she displayed when in the presence of her long time crush Naruto Uzumaki, this got his interest very quickly as he walked towards his daughter and called out to her.

"Hinata!"

Hinata looked and she bowed before her father in greeting.

"Good day father."

Hiashi smiled a bit and decided to speak.

"Hinata…you seem to be in an awfully cheerful mood this day…something going on?"

Hinata blushed once more and twiddled her fingers as she normally did and she knew that doing this in front o her father was certainly going to raise questions as she normally didn't behave like this before him. She decided to tell her father the truth as he was her parent and their relationship had been improving now as he was proud of her accomplishments in the Medical Convoy mission a few weeks before.

"I…I asked Naruto-kun if he would like to go out on a...date with me, and he accepted. I wanted to get ready for that occasion so I came here."

"I see…well then…I guess you should get dressed for the occasion."

Hinata smiled and bowed once more.

"Thank you Father."

Hiashi couldn't help but allow a small smile on his face as he saw his eldest daughter nearly glide into the house in joy for her coming date…as far as he knew…a date was a significant part of a young woman's life and he recalled how hard Miyami had worked on making herself presentable to him on their own first date when they were younger…it was then that he had in idea that could very well help in Hinata's favor. He didn't mind his daughter being with Naruto as he had grown to respect and trust the blonde ninja…however…as he was a father and he was now working hard to mend things between himself and his daughter…he had planned to have a discussion with Naruto before this date would start.

In her room, Hinata fretted on what to wear for her upcoming date with her long time crush. She wanted to look lovely in his eyes, the same way she had seen women dress up and look utterly stunning before their dates on their days out…she wondered if she should wear lip-stick or makeup but decided against it as she was still too young for it at the moment, she looked in her closet and tried to find something that would prove to grab Naruto's attention…it was then that there was light knocking on her door and she moved away to answer it.

"Coming!"

She opened the door and there was her little sister Hanabi who looked at her elder sister with a curious look.

"Can I come in?"

"Sure…what seems to be the trouble?"

"Nothing…sister…are you going out with someone?"

Hinata blushed and nodded and Hanabi then gave an impish smile to her big sister.

"Is this young man in question a certain blonde ninja with whisker marks?"

Hinata blushed harder and nearly fainted as Hanabi smiled…like everyone who could see it…the younger Hyuuga knew of the deep seated crush her sister had towards Naruto and in her young mind, she understood the reason for the crush her sister had on the blonde ninja…even she had to admit that Naruto was certainly an eyeful as she had seen him training with both her sister and cousin in their estate from time to time.

Hinata recovered and smiled at her sister and nodded.

"Yes…I am going on a date with Naruto-kun…but I don't know what to wear!"

"Then maybe I can provide you with something for that Hinata."

The two sisters turned and there was their father who had an article of clothing with him and he then placed it on the bed that Hinata owned and it didn't take long for both Hinata and Hanabi to recognize the kimono…it was deep indigo violet and had beautiful white lotus lilies on it and was in a very attractive and well placed pattern…the indigo violet was in a light and ark combination of shades to make it more appealing to the eye and there was a beautiful sash with gentle color patterns and then Hiashi presented a special hair crown with a beautiful lily on the hair crown. The two Hyuuga sisters were in awe and Hanabi replied.

"That is Mama's Kimono!"

Hiashi nodded and spoke to his daughters.

"This is the kimono your mother wore when she and I went on our first date and she hoped that someday when you two would be able to meet good young men that you would wear this kimono when you are both at the right age…and it seems that the time has come…I think your mother would be proud of you if you were to wear this on your date Hinata."

"R-Really?"

Hiashi nodded and Hinata couldn't help but bow down and speak with grateful words to her father.

"Thank you father!"

Hinata then tried on the kimono and was happy to find it a good fit on her as well. Hiashi smiled and Hanabi looked on…happy and a bit envious of her big sister for being able to get the chance to go out on a date and Hiashi saw that expression on his youngest child's face and replied.

"You'll have your chance soon enough Hanabi."

--

Later…

Naruto checked his clothes once more to make sure that he was presentable and he was…dressed in a simple but classy long sleeved white shirt with the Konoha symbol on it and a pair of simple black pants and sandals…he had taken the liberty of showering and cleaning himself up to look presentable and wore his Konoha forehead protector as well. He knew that Hinata, being of a noble clan would have to be approached with being at his best…and he knew that he was going to be in for a long ride…he arrived in the Hyuuga estate and was greeted by none other than Hiashi…the elder Hyuuga saw that the blonde ninja was ready for his date with his eldest daughter.

"Greetings Naruto, it's good to see you have arrived."

"Good day to you Hiashi-sama…I was asked by Hinata-san for a date…if that is all right with you?"

"It is…however…I must remind you that she is my daughter and is heiress to the Hyuuga Clan and I will not tolerate any young and foolish actions on your part. I'll be watching you two with my Byakugan…treat my daughter well…and we will have no problems."

"You have my word Hiashi-sama."

Hiashi nodded and turned to call out Hinata…and the Hyuuga heiress appeared and Naruto's jaw dropped like a ton of bricks as he gazed at Hinata…who was very stunning in her mother's kimono and he was drawn to the way Hinata wore her light makeup…she was beautiful and the way she was blushing at his scrutiny was just plain attractive. Hinata walked over and smiled warmly at Naruto and spoke hesitantly as she had no idea at the moment on how she looked before her crush..

"H-H-Hello Naruto-kun…."

"Hinata…you look great!"

"Thank you Naruto-kun!"

Hiashi allowed a small smile at then spoke.

"I'll be expecting her back at 3:00 this afternoon Naruto…don't be late and don't forget…I will be watching with my Byakugan."

Naruto nodded and both he and Hinata were off and the couple was quickly turning heads as many young men were utterly shocked at how lovely the Hyuuga heiress looked in her mother's kimono and how the pair seemed to be very much made for one another and that was when the rumors came out that the two were officially a couple.

The two arrived at the fair and were moving about and enjoying themselves immensely as they played several party games together and evens pent time trying to use paper nets to catch gold fish, they also too the time to see all the colorful decorations and more of the small fire-works that were being played about, they even tried their luck with several small bingo lottery games. Hinata was amazed when Naruto's innate talent for gambling and games of chance had won a very sizable pot of money which he gave half to Hinata for her own use and half for himself and that was surprising for the Hyuuga heiress as she had no idea about Naruto's luck streak when it came to gambling.

They also took the time to go watching several beautiful shows such as theater doll shows, and small dances made by live actors and actresses, along with several circus acts by both animals and people…All the while…Naruto was the perfect gentleman and gave laughter and smiles to Hinata who smiled back at her crush…and she was in heaven as she finally got to be close to her long time crush. She blushed brightly as the day passed on and she wanted this date to last for as long as possible.

--

Up on a roof…

"Well I'll be damned…looking good my boy!"

Jiraiya said with pride as he looked with his spy glass…he had heard the rumor of Hinata being out on a date with Naruto and he was somewhat surprised by this as he was aware of the very shy nature of the Hyuuga heiress…not to mention the fact that he was aware of the mountain sized crush the young girl had for Naruto…he decided to track them down and he saw them in the fair and he was impressed at how Naruto seemed to be handling his date. He was doing great and that was enough for the now young again Sannin to be happy.

"Heh…in a few years…he'd be a real lady killer."

Jiraiya then directed his attention to the statues in the mountain face of Konoha and looked with a smile at the Fourth's face and he looked at the face of his former student and spoke with a grin.

"You have NO idea how much you're son has grown…you and Kushina would be proud of him…I hope to take him in as my student soon…but I have much left to do."

With that in mind…the now young again Sannin packed up his telescope and got back to work.

--

Back with Naruto and Hinata…the pair were busy enjoying some fresh bean dumplings and some other sweet foods and Naruto began to tell Hinata about his training and his hopes to finally be a great ninja and thanked her for all the time and effort she put into putting him on the right track, along with Neji's help and that of the others. It made Hinata very happy to hear the praise given to her as well. As the day passed, they decided to take their lunch in Naruto's favorite hangout and there…as they ate their ramen and were happy in each other's presence…several other people noted the closeness of the young couple.

Kurenai and Asuma were walking along when the male Jonin smiled and pointed in the direction of the ramen stand and Kurenai turned to see and to her surprise…there was Hinata having lunch with her crush…in a very beautiful kimono no less.

"Wow…looks like your shy wall flower of a Genin student is growing up Kurenai."

"I know…I feel happy for her…she's always had a crush on Naruto for some time now and I am happy that she finally got the chance she had been dreaming of for years."

In Kurenai's mind…she was being pulled in two directions…one was the fact that she was indeed happy for her student Hinata…not only has she finally been acknowledged by her father and she is growing stronger and braver, but she finally got to go out with the one young man she had ever had affection for all her life…the other half was the fact that she was jealous at the moment as she had hoped to finally ask Naruto out for a date as well….a friendly date to be sure…though a third voice called her a liar as she had more intimate plans involved with being with Naruto and her being alone. Ever since the incident between the two of them several weeks before…the red eyed female Jonin couldn't help herself as she was getting ever interested in getting a chance to get alone with Naruto…

However…she wanted to have Hinata happy and this was her surrogate daughter's chance at the moment to be happy and that was a good thing as well…there would be other times after all and when she had the chance…she would take it. In the meantime…she decided to approach the young and very much happy couple. Hinata saw them and she smiled in greeting.

"Hello Kurenai-sensei!"

Naruto turned and smiled in greeting as well as Hinata did as he spotted both Kurenai and Asuma as well. The two began to chat for a while as Naruto even paid for the ramen that Kurenai and Asuma partook and that was a surprise for them all, including Teuchi and Ayame who also was in the very same boat as Kurenai when she saw Naruto and Hinata together.

The two then left as Naruto escorted Hinata back to her home…right at 3:00 in the afternoon and Hiashi was right there at the gate and he was giving a small but warm and utterly honest smile as he could see that Hinata had enjoyed herself immensely and to see Hinata happy was something that he liked to see and he was also impressed that it was Naruto who made his daughter smile…he was not alone as Hanabi and some of the servants and even Neji saw the whole scene.

Neji had gone to the Hyuuga estate to meditate and train with Hiashi when he had heard from Hanabi that Hinata and Naruto were out on a date and he had been somewhat surprised by the information as well and watched the utter happiness on his cousin's face. Hiashi smiled a bit more as Hinata and her date came and both bowed to him and he looked at Naruto.

"Nicely done…you arrived right on time…thank you for escorting Hinata back home as well Naruto-san."

"Not a problem Hiashi-sama…well I should get going."

The Hyuuga bade Naruto farewell and Hinata was happy beyond words as she glided back to her room and lay down with a deep blush on her face as she hugged her pillows and whispered.

"Naruto-kun…."

Hanabi smiled at the situation and spoke to her cousin.

"Hinata-nechan has it bad…right Neji-san?"

"I guess so Hanabi-san."

Later…

Naruto was happy with how his date went with Hinata and he decided to pay the hospital a visit and his team-mate Sasuke…he used his Dragon senses that he had been working with for the past few weeks and was happy to know that Sasuke was not sneaking out from the hospital. As soon as he entered the room, Sasuke turned and looked at him silently.

"Hey Sasuke…you all right?"

"What are you doing here dobe…shouldn't you be training?"

"I'm done for today…we need to talk."

"About what?"

"About that guy we ran into in that hotel…he's the one you're after?"

Sasuke glared at Naruto and Naruto knew that this was going to be rather risky at the moment, considering Sasuke-frame of mind but he needed to talk to his team-mate about his situation and he had a sneaking suspicion that Sasuke was tampering with the Seal that the snake bastard Orochimaru had given him at the moment…he knew Sasuke was going to shoot him down after that question and Sasuke didn't disappoint him.

"I don't want to talk about it."

"We do have to talk about it."

Sasuke turned and glared.

"That is NONE of your business damn it!"

"It is my business if you're trying to get yourself killed! Look…I'm not going to stop you from avenging your family Sasuke."

Sasuke was surprised by that and asked the blonde ninja who was his team-mate.

"You're not?"

"No…but I can't let you go out there and get yourself killed or let that snake bastard Orochimaru use you as his new body either. Look, I told you before about that Wraith Knight before didn't I?"

"So?"

"So…if you're thinking that I'm more powerful then you're not at all correct…I made a damn stupid mistake and nearly lost my life to that undead monster. And I have to be even better before I face off with that monster's master…I am not going to say I know how you feel because I can't…unlike you I never had a blood family so I don't know the pain of losing them…"

"Shut up!"

"Listen Sasuke…and hear me out…you want to avenge your family more than anything and doing that means killing your brother…I can't say I understand that or know how it feels…and I won't stand in your way if you're dead set on this…but what are you going to do after that? Suppose you do kill your brother, then what?"

"What do you mean by that?! I will revive my clan!"

"I KNOW that Sasuke…but how can you do that when you're dead? The way you tried to beat that brother of yours showed to me you were willing to throw your life away without a second thought so to kill him…that's not enough. You hate him for what he's done…but when you kill him…will hatred be your only goal in life? You can never revive your clan if you let hatred be the only thing that drives you…hate may give you drive and power…but it will also blind you and make turn on innocent people and in the end you become a monster and you become nothing but hatred personified and in the end…it will become your weakness. What kind of clan will it be if you remain full of hatred all your life?! You want to know what drives me? How I was able to best Gaara?"

"It's to protect my friends and loved ones…who are more important to me than my own life! And I have a dream…a dream that I will accomplish no matter wha…so I refuse to die until I accomplish that dream. I have people I care about and that also includes you…you're my friend damn it! You and I might be always at each other's throats at times but I do respect you…and I wasn't lying…you're a far better ninja than I am and why? Because of the fact you're an Uchiha for crying out loud!"

Naruto looked at Sasuke and Sasuke looked back and said nothing and that was enough for Naruto to speak once more on the matter at the moment.

"So you were unable to beat him before…so what? Train and grow stronger…just because that…guy has better control with the Sharingan than you do is no excuse for you to start acting like a stick in the damn mud…and go around getting power from any source…especially Orochimaru…that snake bastard might know a lot of those jutsus and those forbidden techniques…but do you honestly think he's willing to help you without an ulterior motive? You KNOW he wants the Sharingan…he doesn't care at all about the plan you have…he cares only about the fulfillment of his desires and one of them is to have the Sharingan. You want power? You get power in your OWN way and on YOUR terms…not his or anyone else's…especially Itachi's because if you take that path...then you're doing nothing but follow him…and that's what he wants… and I know for a fact that you DON'T want anything to do with him so if you want to beat him…do it in your own fashion, you understand?"

Sasuke was silent and so was Naruto as he got up and left as it was already going to be a very long night…as he left Sasuke looked at the moon and thought about the massive discussion he had been in with Naruto.

As Naruto made it home to his apartment he took the time to have dinner with Kin who was back from a simple mission that required only her presence…he hoped that Kin would soon be assigned to a good squad and be ready to take official missions. The two relaxed and Naruto spent some time talking with Holy Talon and the two then decided to get some rest and rebuild their reserves of Dragon Fire…

Due to the fact that Holy Talon lowered it's senses…the sword was unable to sense a portal opening somewhere near Konoha and also around the different areas of the Land of Fire…things were about to get rather crowded in the next few moments.

--

The next day…

"So…how did it go?!"

"Come on Hinata, tell us how it turned out!"

Hinata was currently sitting on a nearby bench in one of Konoha's parks with Sakura and Ino there as well as Tenten, Kin, and Temari…the girls were utterly eager to get the latest information on how the date the Hyuuga girl had with Naruto had gone. The rumors they had heard of Naruto and Hinata having a grand time together had tugged on them and now that Hinata was there with them…they wanted all the juicy details of the heiress' time with the man they were all dying to be alone with.

"Are you sure…I mean…isn't that kind of private?"

The others looked at the white eyed Hyuuga heiress as she blushed about the memories she had with Naruto and those were very nice…the fact that she was not hiding the blush and she was twiddling her fingers as she normally did whenever Naruto was involved that made the other girls even MORE interested in getting details.

"Come on Hinata…we're not going to laugh and we're not going to do anything foolish either…we just want to know how much Naruto was as a gentleman."

Ino implored as she was eager for the details and the same could be said for the others as they wanted to get all the juicy details and Hinata decided to tell them everything…she recounted how much fun she and Naruto had in the fair and how much of a kind young man Naruto was…enough to make her wish the date had lasted longer…the group listened in to what Hinata was talking about and as she finished…they sighed and smiled at Hinata…Kin was first to comment on the results of Hinata's first date with Naruto.

"Man… you're lucky Hinata, I guess that means that Tsunade's work on him with social skills paid off well."

"I'll say…who thought that blonde would be such a gentleman…if he had been like that back in the Academy…then I would have liked him more than Sasuke-kun."

Ino said as she thought about what Hinata had done with Naruto and hoped that she could try it out as well.

Temari agreed with Ino with a nod and she was hoping to finally get the chance to snare the blonde for a while herself.

"I guess Tsunade-sama was able to turn Naruto-kun into a gentleman like she said…I never thought that would happen actually but I'm glad she did."

Sakura said as she smiled at how Hinata enjoyed the date she had with Naruto and wondered if there would be a chance for her to do the same thing too.

The same was seen in Tenten as well, as the weapon mistress had a plan to take a personal shot at being close to the blonde ninja.

However Sakura then realized that she had to meet up with Naruto as they were supposed to meet up with Kakashi…the Jonin was returning back from a key mission and they were going to report for any new missions from the Hokage and to her relief…Sasuke was also being released from the hospital and was already going to meet up with them.

"Sorry I have to go…we're supposed to be meeting up with Kakashi-sensei for a mission briefing."

The other girls nodded…while showing some displeasure mentally as they were unhappy with the fact that since only under serious circumstances would a three member cell be expanded so Sakura was only one of them officially paired with Naruto by law and that was a bit difficult to deal with…but they could do little as they went about their usual chores.

--

In another part of the village…

Rock Lee had gone to this side of the village to train but now the Genin had other concerns at the moment.

He looked at his new opponent and was rather confused…the person spoke in a in a very much unknown dialect and was rather insistent on something…and while he didn't want to fight unnecessarily with anyone…the stranger was not giving him much choice at the moment…however the stranger was quick to move…he tried to grab the cloak but the person wearing the cloak quickly lashed out with a kick at him and he was forced to block the attack and respond with his own attack. The stranger moved away and then they fought with one another for a brief moment.

He blocked the kick and lashed out with his traditional Whirlwind Kick but to his shock…the stranger not only evaded the blow but lashed out with a powerful kick as well that he barely blocked…as soon as he hit the ground…the stranger lashed out with several punches and he was forced block as the stranger lashed out with a kick as well…and he saw that the stranger wore boots and some sort of shin guard that had a flame pattern on it…and to his surprise…flame erupted from the person's feet and fists…the attacks were very much surprises as the stranger began to fight in a very elegant and prices fashion.

The Genin launched several kunai but the stranger somehow evaded them and spun using the robe to catch some of his kunai and then as the stranger somehow caught one of the kunai and threw it right at him…forcing him to flip backwards and as soon as he stood up…he quickly blocked a flying side kick from the stranger, eh moved the stranger's foot aside but the attacker lashed with a heel kick from the other side with the same foot and he blocked it and managed to toss the attacker aside as the stranger landed nimbly on the ground and moved to a defensive position.

Lee took the offensive and lashed out with several punches and kicks at the stranger who was able to match Lee attack for attack and even forced Lee to back away in order to avoid the stranger's own attacks at him and then she made several hand gestures and lee suspected Hand Seals…but they were in a pattern that was utterly foreign to him as the stranger attacked with several powerful kicks and punches that unleashed powerful bursts of fire and he saw the stranger's forearm guards…which were glowing a bit.

The fight lasted a full two minutes and that was enough for the pair to stop for a moment.

The Genin was impressed by the way the stranger moved…by all rights the Genin would have been all over the stranger…but he was not able to easily land a kick or even a punch on the person before him and he was curious who this person was underneath the cloak. The person then spoke in the same dialect and from the way the voice sounded…the person was insistent on something. But lee didn't know what exactly it was and he knew that despite his efforts to try and be diplomatic…the fact that he had no idea what this person was saying weighed heavily on him.

It was then that the stranger reached for the neck of the hood and cloak and the Genin got ready and tensed up for anything.

(So you are revealing yourself…whoever you are…I will be…what that?!)

Lee gasped as he found himself looking at a young woman…and a VERY unique one at that.

The woman had strange elongated ears which amazingly were not unattractive to the Genin and she had a radiantly attractive face and deep blue-green eyes that were very attractive to the eyes, she had the most unusual hair color…which was jade green…a lighter version of his own jumpsuit's color, her eyebrows were longer but in the same jade green color… and her head full of hair was long and wavy…in what appeared to be in a ponytail with feathers in a bind of leather on the back. She was very attractive and had beautiful cream white skin as well…the kind that can really grab a man's attention…and it grabbed Lee's attention right off the bat.

She was a bit taller than Lee, at least a foot taller and seemed to be pretty strong despite her lithe and slender frame…and despite looking delicate as a rose…Lee knew better as she was quite agile and strong as they had traded punches and kicks with one another…she wore what appeared to be some sort of halter top made from strong padded leather and had a metal circle there near the neck area that had a flame pattern on it in deep gold…the top appeared to cover her rather considerable bust much to lee's discomfort, the halter top also exposed her toned stomach and there was an intricate number of patterns made from silver on the top as well.

She had bracers on her forearms and those were of soft brown leather from what Lee could see and fingerless gloves connected to them as well. And on those forearm bracers were metal forearm guards which had also the same flame patterns.

She also wore some sort of short skirt that reached the top of the knees and had quilted leather thigh and hip guards there on the sides and an intricately made belt of gold on the skirt…she wore soft boots on her legs and had shin guards made from an apparently light weight metal that appeared to have silvery color and there was also the symbol of flame on the shin guards.

The strange looking woman looked at Lee and then went back to her own defensive stance as Lee looked on and managed to get his attention back and focused on his foe…if she really was his foe…Lee had no problem fighting with female fighters but he was not the kind to attack a stranger and she was certainly not from any village the Genin knew of so he spoke once more.

"Please tell me who you are and why are you here in Konoha. I have no intention of fighting you any further at this point but I will defend myself if you attack me again."

The woman looked at Lee and gave a slight scowl and lowered her arms and seemed to relax herself and then spoke in a very odd language that Lee did not recognize at all at the moment. Seeing that the woman was not in a fighting position, lee tried to speak again.

"I am sorry but I do not understand your language."

The lady seemed even more confused and even cocked her head to the side a bit and then she seemed to have some sort of thought come to mind and she walked over to Lee and to his surprise she chanted something and her hands glowed…Lee was about to fight when the woman gently smiled and placed her right hand on his mouth…and her left hand on her own mouth. After a moment…the woman spoke again…only this time…Lee was shocked to hear her speak in his language.

"There…can you understand me now young man?"

Lee nodded and then spoke.

"Who are you?"

The female bowed and replied.

"My name is Valena, of the Order of the Fire Dancers, and you are?"

"My name is Rock Lee, Genin of the village of Konoha of the Land of Fire."

Valena gave him a curious look and replied.

"You have an unusual name young one…but no matter…I have to apologize…the spell that brought me here disoriented me and I fought only by instinct and my senses were somewhat in disarray at the time. I only regained my senses after a few minutes of fighting with you."

"I see…."

"I know that I spoke of a rather odd dialect earlier…it is only through the Spell of Understanding that I was able to grasp your language Rock Lee. But I must ask…what is a Genin?"

"A Genin is a ninja of lower rank Miss Valena, I graduated from the Ninja Academy a year before and I am a Genin, my team mates are Neji Hyuuga and Tenten…and my sensei is Gai."

"I…am sorry…but what is…a ninja?"

"You do not know what a ninja is?"

Valena shook her head and replied.

"No I do not…though I know that you refer to yourself as a ninja…and I understand that Genin is a ninja rank. But I have other matters to address first…have you seen others like me?"

Lee shook his head truthfully and replied.

"No… I do not know if there are others like you at the moment Valena-san. If there were those like you I do not know."

Valena thought about that and figured that the spell that brought to a close approximation of the location of the Holy Dragon Sword would be located. She knew that they were taking a risk to find the sword and ensure that it was safe and in good hands…and if a Dragon Champion had been chosen…then she and her comrades would be willing to fight alongside the champion in question. She then decided to ask the young Genin the question that she knew she needed to ask.

"Rock Lee…do you know of a sword named Holy Talon?"

The Genin nodded and smiled.

"Yes I have…though I must ask Valena-san, where have you heard of Naruto-san's sword? Almost no one outside of Konoha's heard of it."

Valena gaped in shock…like all of her people and those who resided in their world…they knew that Holy Talon was a living blade that chose it's master…did that mean that this…Naruto was chosen by Holy Talon as it's master? He's a Dragon Champion?

"Lee…can you take me to this Naruto…I need to see for myself if he is the one Holy Talon has chosen…please?"

Lee saw the sincerity in Valena's eyes and saw that there was nothing wrong with her request…and he couldn't help but blush mildly at how attractive she was…even more attractive than Sakura herself in his eyes. Valena noted the hesitation in Lee and spoke out of concern.

"Is something wrong?"

Lee shook his head and then escorted Valena towards Konoha.

--

In the same hidden sanctuary…

Death Fang was busy on many things….sampling the energies of the world it had been sent to along with it's rival…the evil sword plotted and prepared itself for yet another foray into the world and spread forth carnage…fear, pain…suffering and death…sweet carnage. However, the sword knew that it's rival Holy Talon and it's young master Naruto Uzumaki would interfere…but it cared little for that…all the better for more slaughter to begin to rain down on it's foes.

The sword glowed with dark power and then the shadows and earth began to move as it's Chaos Magic began it's grisly and evil work..it seemed that the Chaos Dragon Sword was going to use it's time once more to cause destruction, chaos, death, and decay on the land before it…but this time…there was not one figure that began to take shape…but many forms of shadow and crimson light.

This showed that not one was being sent out by the evil blade…but an army…

--

Back in Konoha…

Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura were getting ready to move out and meet up with Kakashi for their next mission when Rock Lee appeared and next to the green jumpsuit wearing Genin was one of the most attractive people the three had ever met…Sasuke himself was shocked and couldn't help but stare at the women accompanying Lee…there was no one in his mind who dressed in such a fashion before and it was making him VERY curious about who the person was.

Naruto however had no trouble recognizing the Valena as an Elf…after all, Leena and her brother were elves and told him of some of the features that distinguished humans from elves apart from the ears…he had also learned some elven words, along with some basic gestures and as soon as Valena recognized him and was close enough…Naruto placed his hands together in a cup like shape and bowed to Valena and spoke in a few words that were elvish.

"Dal Sumraath Kaila Mellonamin…"

Valena was surprised as Naruto apparently spoke a Northern Land Elf tongue and she did the same gesture and bowed to Naruto.

"Dal Sumraath Aida Mellonamin…"

The group were very much surprised as they had no idea what sort of language Naruto and this odd looking but undeniably attractive woman who was dressed in a very odd fashion…Lee recognized that the language was the same one Valena had used towards him previously. The elf woman then spoke and the group now understood her.

"It is good to meet you Champion…Holy Talon chose you?"

"How do you know about Holy Talon?"

Sakura asked as she was curious as to who this strangely dressed woman knew about Holy Talon and she was curious about what that language was. Valena replied to the question patiently and with a great degree of diplomacy…showing that the elf Fire Dancer was trained as a diplomat and warrior.

"The sword Holy Talon is legendary where I come from young lady, it is recognized as the sword of heroes and defenders among my people and many of my kind have been able to wield the sword in their life-times as well. May I know you're name by the way..it would be considered more formal and polite if we know each other's names."

Sakura nodded and replied.

"My name is Sakura, Sakura Haruno."

"Good to meet you…and you young man…you are?"

Sasuke looked at the elven female and while he was not in the mood for these situations he replied in a simple tone.

"Sasuke…Sasuke Uchiha."

Valena bowed and then turned to Naruto and saw that the changes shown by those chosen by Holy Talon had already taken effect on the young man and the elf was curious of what sort of abilities the new Dragon Champion had and she was eager to see this…however…she had her party to consider as they were still missing and she needed to find them soon and inform them of the presence of the new Dragon Champion.

"I must apologize but I need to find several of my party…"

Naruto however curious on something as Holy Talon spoke to him.

(("I know of the Fire Dancers…they are a warrior order of monks from the Elven lands and on occasion Human lands as well…and she is trust worthy…though I am very curious about how she has come here."))

(Is it possible for magic to be the case?)

"(("Yes…but only pure Dragon Fire can have enough power to open it…but as far as I can be sure…it would severely drain the caster if they did this…only Dragons would have the needed power and strength to do this."))

(A Dragon brought her and her companions here?)

(("Yes…though I can imagine the Dragon in question being severely drained of power and strength in doing so…short portal spells are not too draining for small bands of people…but a portal spell that sends them to other worlds and massive distances is another thing entirely. The worst thing that can happen is that the others in the party would be separated from one another…that means that there will be others here as well…and the worst part is the fact that once the spell is cast…it will require another spell caster cast the return portal…but if a Dragon had done the spell than that means only a Dragon can do the spell to send them back."))

(That's harsh…can you send them back Holy Talon?)

(("I'm afraid not…the demands of such a spell would be too much…it could equal the time we summoned Lord Faldren to this plane and that would be too damaging on our reserves of Dragon Fire…it might cripple or even kill you if you attempt to use the reserves you have now."))

(Yikes…all right so that means they're stuck here?)

(("Pretty much…we'll need to find the others soon…if she's here…then the others would not be far behind."))

"Where can we find them?"

They got their answer as Pakkun suddenly arrived and the dog summon of Kakashi was exhausted. The dog then spoke.

"You guys…had better…hurry…"

"Whoa…slow down Pakkun and tell us what's going on."

Naruto asked as he reached for a small piece of dried meat and Pakkun ate the food quickly and the food was enough to get Pakkun to his feet and he replied.

"Thanks…Kakashi was on his way here but ran into some stranger wearing a cloak and hood…he tried to capture the intruder and figure what the person wanted…but somehow the person fought him off and wielded two swords and they crossed blades with one another!"

Naruto was somewhat surprised at that…whoever this was he wondered if the stranger was either and enemy or one of the elf Fire Dancer's party. He turned and spoke to Sasuke and Sakura.

"We'd better get going to help Kakashi-sensei! Pakkun! Lead the way!"

"I'll come with you all!"

Lee said with conviction as he followed the retreating Genin team…with Valena joining along as well. The Fire Dancer had a feeling that she might be able to meet up with the rest of her group…though she had her doubts as the magic that brought her and her companions here to this world had been unstable and would have sent them in other directions. She only hoped that the one that was fighting this…Kakashi at the moment was one of her comrades.

--

In a nearby field…

Kakashi panted as he looked at the robed figure before him at the moment…whoever this stranger was…he or she fought with amazing skill with the two Longswords he or she had in hand…however…there was something odd about the fighting style used by the stranger that got Kakashi's attention when they fought

(That style is almost the same as Naruto's dual wield style…)

The Jonin had been returning from a mission and was taking a temporary new route when he had spotted the unknown robed figure making the way to Konoha and he decided to intercept…he used a Kage Bushin to track the stranger…but to his surprise…the robed and hooded stranger took out a pair of daggers and hit the Kage Bushin dead center and the stranger then took out a pair of straight double edged swords that he recognized as Longswords and he moved out…

He had talked and warned the stranger that entering the territory of the village without any sort of identification was asking for trouble but the stranger spoke in a very odd tone and quickly attacked him with both swords at the ready…the Jonin managed to dodge them but whoever this person was…he or she was fast the swords came at him like a blur of steel at forced him back…he managed to block the first blade using his kunai and blocked with his hand guard with the other…he kicked the person in the chest and forced the attacker back…but the Jonin quickly forward with his kunai ready and attacked the stranger with several fierce slashes and stabs with his kunai but the stranger was more than capable in evading the attacks and the counter slashes, arcs, and thrusts forced the Jonin back and Kakashi was surprised when he got a cut on his arm…it wasn't bleeding but the cut was long and very much an indicator to the Jonin that whoever this person was skilled to be able to cut him without spilling blood.

Kakashi tried to talk once more and it seemed the stranger was listening but she responded in a tongue that made no sense to him and he move forward…but his action was apparently seen as hostile by the stranger as he or she charged right at him and lashed out with an attack that resembled a spinning top with the blades biting hard into the air and he moved back and he attacked with a kick but the stranger blocked with the flat of the sword in the left hand and attacked with the sword in the right hand…Kakashi quickly blocked with his kunai and lashed out with a charging punch with his free hand and forced the stranger back.

The robed and hooded stranger was still ready for a fight and Kakashi was not happy with the fact that he was not completely recovered since the battle with Itachi at the moment but he was not backing down from this new battle though he still wondered just who this person was…he couldn't see the face under the robe and hood at the moment.

He got his kunai ready as the stranger readied the weapons…but that was when Naruto appeared and drew his sword Holy Talon and there was Sakura and Sasuke with him…and sure enough..there was another pair coming this way.

"Kakashi-sensei!"

The three Genin were now ready to fight with Kakashi and Sasuke and Sakura were armed…Sakura with her kunai and Sasuke with his windmill shuriken…but suddenly the stranger looked at Naruto and amazingly placed aside the weapons and bowed…and spoke in an arcane tongue.

'What the?!"

The group were stunned but Naruto quickly recovered and then began to speak in the same arcane tongue that the group recognized as the one he would use to summon allies from Holy Talon. In a moment Naruto relaxed and re-sheathed Holy Talon and then turned to them and spoke.

"It's all right guys…she's not a threat."

Kakashi was not entirely convinced and neither were the others. Sasuke was the first to say that.

"How can you be so sure about that?"

Because if she had been an agent of the enemy she wouldn't bother to lower her weapons…"

"She?"

"Yeah…she's a War Blade from Holy Talon's world…her name's Kaelyn."

The apparent woman stood up and then removed her hood and her robe and stunned the group…especially Kakashi…

Kaelyn was a stunning redhead with her hair in braids, she had deep green eyes that resembled emeralds…and a very attractive face…enough to make her equal to even Kurenai or Tsunade in attractiveness and the small scar near her right eye that ran to her cheek didn't detract that…she was tall as well…nearly Kakashi's height and perfectly proportioned despite the fact she wore chainmail and had plate armor on her shins, thighs, forearms and she had a breast plate that held her bust which was considerable to say the least. She looked at Kakashi and to the Jonin's surprise…she smiled at him!

The others looked on and when Kaelyn spoke…it was still in the same language and Naruto then translated.

"She said she was impressed with the way you fought Kakashi-sensei…she's never met anyone who fought the way you did and it was very entertaining to her."

"I see…well tell her that I apologize for the misunderstanding."

Naruto did so and Kaelyn listened to Naruto explain and she grinned and spoke once more with Naruto as interpreter.

"She said it's all right and she wants to apologize for the unprovoked attack."

Before Kakashi could respond to that…Kaelyn walked up to Kakashi and without any fanfare...kissed the Jonin right on the cheek! That action was very much unexpected and after Kaelyn moved back and gave Kakashi a very seductive smile… Kakashi's exposed eye widen and to the utter amusement of everyone…even Sasuke for that matter…they saw Kakashi blush for the first time in all the times they had traveled with him….

Kaelyn smiled at Kakashi's blush and spoke once more and Naruto translated…this time with a grin on his face.

"Oh yeah…she said you're very handsome Kakashi-sensei."

It was then that Lee and Valena arrived on the scene and the Elf Fire Dancer spoke in elvish to Kaelyn and the War Blade smiled in greeting and Naruto was then told by Holy Talon to use the Spell of Understanding that he had learned and cast the spell into Holy talon…Kaelyn looked and allowed Naruto to touch the flat of Holy Talon to her and when the Dragon Fire faded…Kaelyn spoke to Kakashi in the same way Valena did with Lee.

"You are a great fighter…Kakashi…but don't think I won't challenge you for a rematch."

Naruto looked at the Fire Dancer and the War Blade and knew that things in Konoha were going to get very crowded soon, and there was a party here from Holy Talon's world…then there was no doubt in his mind that there would be others in the area as well…just who was a rather interesting question in his mind.

--

In another part of Konoha…

Kiba and Akamaru were walking towards the training field when the pup growled and that got Kiba's attention right off the bat…the only time Akamaru acted like that was when there was something he didn't like.

"What is it boy?"

Akamaru leaped off Kiba's head and began to smell the ground and moved out as Kiba followed him and they arrived at a nearby garden and to his surprise…there was a large wolf there and Kiba could tell that the wolf was not one he knew of and he saw a strange burn wound on the wolf's leg…the wolf turned and growled at the pair and Akamaru was growling back as Kiba spoke.

"Hold on Akamaru…this wolf looks wounded…maybe we can take it to the clinic and have Hana patch this one up."

However…to the shock of the Genin and even Akamaru the wolf spoke…in a human tone…however the language was odd and unheard of to the Genin.

"What the, look what did you say? All right…let me try this…my name's Kiba and this is my companion and animal familiar Akamaru…who are you?"

The wolf got up and replied as it looked as if it was about to collapse…still in a very odd dialect…but spoke only a word that Kiba was able to understand.

"Liara…"

The Genin watched in surprise as the wolf suddenly glowed in a gentle halo and then turned into…a human…and a girl at that!

She had deep brown hair in a lush tail to her shoulders and had a leather cord with bird feathers in it like some sort of decorative piece and she was tall and slim figured…and to the Genin's rather embarrassed eyes…she was well shaped and slender…in her leather armor…she had some sort of long curved sword on her back with a single hand grip and a set of throwing knives in a bandolier on her thigh and a dagger on her belt…the armor seemed to be in shades of brown and green…so as to better hide in the undergrowth and the surrounding trees and greenery.

Kiba came closer and saw that there was a tear in her leather armor and she was bleeding from a deep gash of some sort, he then noted several paint markings on her face…similar to his own fang markings but of a more intricate pattern…and he had to admit that this Liara was…attractive.

The Genin tried to revive Liara…but she was out cold and he decided to help her up and find out a solution to this current situation he was in…he had no idea who this Liara girl is or what sort of powers she had but he was not going to get much answers if she was out cold at the moment.

With that in mind, he lifted Liara and made his way to the Konoha hospital…though he managed to smell her and to his amazement…instead of smelling bad…she smelled of spring grass with scented flowers and sandal wood…with the hint of female sweat…rather nice…

(Damn it…quit thinking about that for five minutes! I need answers and I won't get them if she's out cold. I can worry about how good she smells later.)

--

In the Land of Wind…

A wave of cloaked figures watched from above a massive sand dune…the walled off village of Sand the robed figures looked with silent relish at the village and the carnage they were about to rain down on the people who resided deep within the village…it was rumored that there would be many victims for them to slay in the village and the being were ever eager for the battle.

The tallest of them moved forward and then as if in an unspoken command…the behemoth and all under it's command ripped off their cloaks and appeared for the first time. They were all dressed in blood red chain-mail and black as midnight plate armor wrought with protrusions that resembled the skeletons of people. The leader of the army was dressed in a demonically made skull with horns and teeth…the jaw missing and revealing a human face underneath…but like his comrades…the flesh was grey…as if the man was trapped in death. The others wore the same skull shaped helmets with the lower jaws missing…evil and dark but less decorated.

The leader then shouted in a booming voice that filled the desert…

"People of the Village of Suna! Hear me well…for the hour of death comes upon you all!!"

"YOUR SCREAMS SHALL FILL THE AIR!!"

"YOUR BLOOD SHALL FLOOD THE EARTH!!"

"YOUR BODIES SHALL BE GROUND INTO THE EARTH!!"

"AND YOU LIVES SHALL BE CONSUMED BY FIRE!!"

"YOU SHALL KNOW TRUE FEAR AND TERROR!! FOR WE HAVE COME!!"

"WE ARE THE REAPERS OF CHORVAX….AND WE SHALL HARVEST YOU ALL!!"

The behemoth leader slammed his staff into the earth and revealed a trio of curved scythe blades all made of a midnight black colored metal that glowed blood red and the blades were on a trio…one blade in the middle and the other two aside it, the leader positioned his Battle Scythe in a swiping action and moved towards Suna. The other Reapers unleashed their own Battle Scythes and the army advanced right at Suna… a large cloud of armored warriors resembling living armored skeletons.

The look-outs of the village saw the incoming army and raised the alarm…they had no idea the bloody days that awaited them…as the reapers advanced the look outs noted a blood red haze appearing on the sand dune…and a blood curdling laughter was heard all throughout the desert…as if the spirits of the damned had arisen to take bloody revenge on the living.

The Hidden Village of Sand…was about to be besieged…

--

Author's notes:

Well now…that wraps up this little number all right. On the next chapter…as you have already found out…the Land Of Wind will be under Death Fang's sights as it has deployed a large force of it's minions…the Reapers. The Reapers are a vicious force and are well known not just for their brutality and cruelty…but of their use of Dark magically imbued Battle Scythes. And they have the Village of Gaara in their sights at the moment. With Suna still recovering from the betrayal of Orochimaru…will it survive even with it's high defensive walls and ninja forces?

The next filler will have Gaara and Naruto fighting side by side on this one…so expect things to get dicey on the next chapter.

See you at the next Chapter…Suna Under Siege!

--

Valena is an Elf Fire-Dancer, the Fire Dancers are an order of warrior monks who reside in the Elven lands of Dagern and are skilled martial combatants and rely only on very few light weapons and wear little to no armor of any kind except those made by their Order…Fire dancers earned their names because they practice the use of Dragon Fire but not in the same fashion as those who use Dragon Fire in spells. Instead they only know basic Life Spells and several more normal spells such as the spell she used on Lee to speak in his language.

Now you're all wondering just why I paired Valena with Rock Lee right? Why pair a sexy female elf to someone like Lee? My answer is why not?

Lee might not be the most attractive of guys to most people and has really odd traits…but he is honest, respectful, hard working, he's got a kind heart and good deal of optimism, he's got a strong sense of justice, and honor, and he's got a warrior's spirit.

I can't help but admire all those traits…and despite his weakness with Genjutsu and Ninjutsu…he's pushed himself to master Taijutsu and he is one tough guy to have the will to push himself to such extremes, Kakashi himself admits that lee's hard work and his innate gifts have given him abilities with opening his chakra gates that surpass even Jonin like him and Gai and that is saying something, and he's got something that I like…the will to do the right thing because it is the right thing.

And I've seen him fight in the anime against many good foes and despite not being able to beat some of them…he gives it his all and never gives up…and the same goes for his roles in the movies…namely that Moon ninja Kongou. And I can't help but think of finally giving Lee a reward in my fic and that is someone who can match up to him move for move and respect him for his abilities, and find him nice to the eyes.

Lee's a nice guy and nice guys get due rewards as well…so that's why Valena is paired with Lee, if you don't the pairing then please say so…and give me a good reason why Lee doesn't deserve to have a girl paired with him for a change.

And he's not the only one…Kaelyn from the trailer makes her appearance as well…and as you have read…she finds Kakashi interesting . Ahh…but things are not going to be quiet for long…as Kiba himself gets into the act with another one of Valena and Kaelyn's group…the Druidess Liara.

Liara is a human Druidess and like her kin…they are masters of Nature Magic and are skilled with weapons as well…and are considered to be similar to the Falcon Rangers, though a bit more peaceful than the warrior order of the Falcon Rangers.

Their skills with Nature Magic make them able to assume animal forms and also to communicate with wild life…making them able to blend into the background easily and while they are concerned with the caring of nature…they are not above wielding their magical powers and steel to protect nature and all life before them.

And here is something that can show a sample of what to expect in the next chapter…

--

Trailer:

Naruto and Gaara looked at the coming wave of Reapers wielding their bloody War Scythes and the two looked behind them to see the Sand ninja gathering the injured and their comrades getting ready for the battle. The two then saw the leader of the Reapers on top of the sand dune before them…beckoning them to attack.

Naruto looked at Gaara and asked his friend.

"Are you ready Gaara?"

Gaara looked back and nodded.

"Ready as I'll ever be."

With that both ninja charged…Gaara riding a wave of sand while Naruto ran alongside him with Holy Talon at the ready. The Reapers roared in battle challenge as the pair got ready to smash into this dark army…

On another sand dune…

"Hmm…this is interesting eh Itachi?"

"In a way Kisame…we need to see this after all."

On yet another…

Kabuto watched the situation carefully…with him were a small band of five ninjas…not wearing Sound Jonin outfits and were all cloaked and hooded…The medic nin and Orochimaru's personal healer, assassin, and right hand man looked on as Gaara and Naruto charged right at the army of unknown but undeniably brutal warriors armed with scythes…

The two groups then spotted something…a blood red mist the size of an orb…and to their eyes…there was an outline of something…resembling a…sword?

--

See you there!


	28. Suna Under Siege

Naruto The Twin Swords

Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Naruto at all.

Chapter 23

Suna Under Siege…

( ): Thoughts

\ " " /: Kael's voice

((" ")): Holy Talon's voice…

(((" "))): Death Fang's Voice…

--------

In Konoha…

Naruto had a feeling that things were going to be rather interesting as he and his team escorted Valena and Kaelyn to see the Hokage and the two were already getting quite a number of stares from just about everyone in the street and for good reason…it was not everyday a woman dressed the way Kaelyn does is seen on the street…and the same went for Valena as they made their way to the Hokage Tower…however…along the way…Kiba appeared and he was helping a young woman who was dressed in some rather odd looking clothes and carried some unknown weapons with her at the moment.

Kaelyn and Valena quickly recognized their friend Liara and rushed to her aid…Kiba was shocked at being approached by two attractive but strangely dressed women all of a sudden and thought that this was bad news until Naruto was there with the two women and he spoke to Kiba.

"Kiba, relax…they're friends of that woman you have with you…"

"You sure?"

"Yeah…let me take a look at her for a minute."

Kiba wanted to take this woman to the hospital in Konoha but he knew he could trust Naruto and allowed Naruto and the two unknown women tend to Liara and Naruto took out a bottle of salve and used the mixture that resembled a soft green paste on the wound and sure enough the paste rapidly hardened and a sweet but calming smell filled the air as the two women helped their companion to her feet as she began to recover…

Liara woke up and appeared happy to see Valena and Kaelyn as she appeared happier and it was then that Naruto spoke using some of the languages he was taught by Holy Talon…to the others including Kiba…Naruto was talking utter nonsense…but to Liara…it was he was talking a very common tongue in her world.

"Who are you?"

"I am Liara of the Northern Emerald Forests' Order of the Druids….you are the current Dragon Champion….am I right?"

"That is correct…how did you people get here?"

"We…petitioned a Holy Dragon named Kashel to create a portal to your location…but due to the distance of the location the spell fragmented and we were separated."

"Is there anyone else in your group?"

"Yes…a Steel Lancer named Meer, a Falcon Ranger named Coryin, a fellow Druidess named Telis, a Silver Star Mage named Vlana, a Sword Adept named Valken, and a Zealot named Shandra. We came together to seek out the fate of the Holy Dragon Sword and see if it was in good hands."

Naruto got the names and wondered just where those said individuals were at the moment….if what he understood was true…then things in Konoha were going to be a heck of a lot different than he was used to and just about everyone else here in Konoha was going to be in for some very interesting times.

He however had no idea HOW interesting it was going to be….

--------

In one part of Konoha….at the other training fields…

Neji was currently busy training with his Byakugan when he spotted movement coming from the tree line and he quickly halted and tried to locate just who the person was moving about in the forest at the moment. What greeted the Hyuuga clan member was a barrage of arrows that were fired with amazing accuracy as he had managed to block them with his kunai….but whoever shot them was an exceptionally gifted archer from his estimation ….as there were nearly a dozen arrows around him. He looked into the forest and spoke.

"Come on out of there whoever you are!!!! I know you are here!!!!"

Neji looked about and used the Byakugan to try and locate the shooter….but had to move as another barrage of arrows came right at him…and this time the arrows were different….the first barrage were the regular metal tipped arrows….but the next barrage were glowing in a purple like haze and something about those arrows were not very pleasing to the Hyuuga's eye as he moved into the forest.

(Whoever this shooter is….he or she is good.)

The Hyuuga clan member was then greeted by another barrage of arrows and he used the Kaiten to block the incoming shots and then got ready to attack….until he was greeted not this time by arrows…but a massive bear!!!!

The giant bear dwarfed Neji and was now on the move to maul him, and that forced him back to try and find an alternative method of attack….since this was the first time he would use the Gentle Fist on a living animal. However the giant bear suddenly landed on it's paws and apparently received some sort of command to halt it's movements and from the forest….came a robed and hooded figure.

Neji realized that this person was the mysterious shooter as he saw that the person was carrying a bow…but it had several extra strings, wheels, and pulleys on it….thus making the bow's shots a lot more effective and deadly.

He spoke once more to the stranger.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?"

The archer seemed to not understand him and he repeated the question as he kept wary as there was a chance that the two would attack him yet again. The bear sensed Neji's caution and growled loudly at that but the robed and hooded stranger merely patted the bear gently on the head and the bear calmed down quickly and then the person spoke.

But not in a dialect that Neji understood…it was completely foreign to him at the moment and made little to no sense to the young ninja. Neji was surprised as he had been one of the best students in the Academy in his day and had understood a number of languages….but this one was absolutely foreign to him in most if not all respects. The stranger apparently understood his confusion and then began to chant in an arcane tongue…but this time…it was one language that Neji recognized…after all….only one person spoke that language.

(Wait a minute….that language….that is the same Naruto uses when he uses the powers of the sword!!!! But how does this person know the language?!)

The stranger then stopped speaking and removed the hood and cloak…revealing the person to be a woman wearing armor.

Neji deactivated the Byakugan and saw that the woman had deep white hair and had a quartet of bear claw like tattoos on her face on the right side in deep blue and those did not detract her appearance but added to her overall looks. The woman was attractive with deep amber eyes which had the looks of a hawk after a meal….focused, precise, and direct. Neji then found himself looking at the rest of her.

She was tall, almost the same height as him and carried herself as a full fledged warrior and skilled fighter….more like a Kunoichi than a stranger. The armor she wore was leather armor with several thicker layers in certain areas and were in various hues of brown and green….naturally allowing her to blend into the back-ground with ease. However, Neji's Byakugan had the edge over the camouflage as he spoke seriously once more towards the female stranger.

"Who are you and what are you doing here in Konoha?"

"The name is Coryin to you….who are you and how were you able to see me?"

Neji looked at the woman and saw that she was not making any gestures that were to be considered hostile and replied to her question.

"My name is Neji Hyuuga of the Hyuuga Clan of the village of Konoha, I saw you using my Byakugan….now that I answered your questions, answer mine….why are you here in Konoha?"

Coryin then looked the young man over and smiled a bit mentally to herself as she found him to be nice to the eyes even though he acted somewhat stiff and formal on occasion….she could tell that he was born of a noble bloodline from the way he spoke and carried himself when talking to her. As a Falcon Ranger, Coryin was more at home in the wilds than in cities and towns though she visited them on occasion, she then decided to be nice to the young man and spoke to the massive bear that she summoned..

"Kojo…that is enough."

The bear relaxed and so did Neji as Coryin gave him a smile and replied.

"I came here looking for someone….I think you might call him or a….Dragon Champion…."

The very second he heard that phrase….Neji quickly recognized just who was Coryin looking for….though what would a foreigner want with Naruto was something that he had no idea about….however….he recalled the language that she spoke with earlier and thought that maybe she would be familiar with Naruto's powers. Though it still didn't make complete sense to the young man he decided to help her.

"You must be referring to Naruto- Uzumaki then….come on, I'll help you find him….though I suggest you….uh…"

"Oh, you mean Kojo right? Hold on…"

Coryin then chanted once more and the bear seemed to glow and faded away as she faced Neji and spoke once more.

"There….happy now?"

Neji nodded and as he accompanied Coryin to locate Naruto and see if he could make sense of all this happening at the moment, he couldn't help but notice how Coryin looked in his eyes at the moment….he found her to have a rough yet angular beauty that demanded attention and despite the marks on her face, the marks did nothing to detract her features and attractive qualities at the moment.

Neji was not the only one who was having a very odd encounter…

--------

Shikamaru was busy working on some matters with Asuma when they heard incoming activity in the land near the place where the usually had their shogi competition. Asuma and Shikamaru got ready to investigate when a massive gust of wind stopped them in their tracks….for a moment, the lazy genius Genin thought that it was that blonde Kunoichi with the fan but when he and Asuma took a good look, it was a tall woman who was wearing a flowing white robe with blue lining and golden characters on it and carrying a staff which was made from wood and had metal on the tips….one end had a beautiful gemstone on it that glowed as well. The strangely garbed person was apparently a female as the robe revealed the woman was wearing a very interesting set if clothes.

She had on a tank style top on which was silver with golden thread in unique characters and some sort of necklace made from gold and had a deep blue gemstone with several smaller white stones that were like diamonds around the blue stone and the tank top did a good deal keeping her somewhat large bust from spilling out at the moment…much to the surprised stares of the two ninja, as soon as they finished, the two of them looked at the woman before them once more.

She had white cloth bracers on her hands that reached her elbows and they had a lattice work of gold thread characters and she had a flowing long skirt that was also pure white and she wore sandals and had a dagger hanging in it's sheath on one side plus some sort of belt that had bottles and a book of some sort on the other…

The woman was hooded at the moment but Shikamaru and Asuma could see that she had some sort of jewel on her forehead and wisps of deep silver hair was seen from the hood and she was certainly an attractive sort….and amazingly….her eyes were deep red….like Yuhi Kurenai's own eyes.

Shikamaru and Asuma wanted to know what was going on when another person appeared…armed with a long staff with a spear point and a large axe head on the side and unlike the women who was wearing armor….this new arrival…who was also a woman was wearing metal armor. That seemed to resemble the armor Naruto would sometimes wear on his missions.

The woman was not wearing a hood and therefore…the two men could see that she had deep blond hair and had a clasp made from silver with a trio of emeralds that were there to hold her long hair in a pony tail…and her own eyes were also deep green. As she looked at both Shikamaru and Asuma and from the way they saw this new arrival carry the weapon she had with her at the moment…she was very skilled in how to use that weapon. The woman was wearing a suit of what appeared to metal armor made to resemble the scales of a fish of some sort with some sections of pure hard plate to protect the very vital regions of the body….and like the woman in the clothe robes….the armor did little to hide the fact the woman had a considerable bust….not in the same measurements as her clothe clad companion but enough to grab a man's attention….apart from the weapon she had one….she wore leather bracers with metal guards on them and she wore the same kind of pants as well….with the same fish scale like designs and wore boots as well….she had a cloak on and had a sword strapped to her side and she was guarding his companion.

(Who the heck are they?)

Both ninja asked themselves when they looked at the two women before them at the moment and it was not long before the two women spoke….with the robed one removing her hood to reveal her hair was in an intricate coif. However, neither of the two ninja had any idea what the woman was saying at the moment as she spoke in an utterly alien language of sorts.

The woman wielding the spear like weapon frowned at them and pointed her weapon's spear tip at the closest of them and it was none other than Shikamaru and she spoke harshly at him at the moment. The lazy Genin had no idea what she was saying but from the bossy way she spoke….she was demanding something from him.

"I have no idea what you are saying….so stop trying to point that darn thing at me."

The woman with the spear like weapon apparently took offense to Shikamaru's reaction and words and lashed out with a powerful slash with the weapon and the Genin managed to move away and recover as Asuma took out his trench knives, and the robed woman then hefted her staff and got into a defensive position and then summoned a cloud of mist using an arcane language that was foreign to the two ninja and then Asuma ducked when the woman fired out a massive blast of ice spears at him….he moved away and closed the gap to try and stop the woman with the staff, but the spear armed woman was quick on her feet despite her armor and blocked Asuma's attacks and she quickly pushed him back and unleashed several arcing attacks with her weapon at high speed and forcing Asuma to defend himself and it was then that Shikamaru fired several kunai at the woman who spun her weapon with amazing strength and grace and blocked the kunai and she lashed out with a thrust at Shikamaru and he replied.

"Man….I don't like fighting a woman….it's such a drag…."

The woman however blocked his punch with her free hand and she pushed him away with surprising force and spun her weapon around and planed another arcing strike when she was surprised to suddenly find herself unable to move….Shikamaru had used his family Shadow Manipulation Jutsu to restrain her. But Shikamaru knew that he had to be careful of the other one who apparently could manipulate ice without hand seals.

Asuma engaged the woman in question with his trench knives and she fought him off with several attacks of her staff and he was able to get closer to her and while he was focused on trying to stop her, he had to admit that she was attractive. The woman blocked his next strike with her staff and once more spoke in that odd language and he replied.

"I don't understand what you are saying."

The woman apparently was able to understand what he said when she suddenly seemed to relax a bit and to his surprise….and Shikamaru's own surprise as well….the woman leaned forward to Asuma and chanted something and kissed him on the cheek. Asuma was startled by this and he looked as the woman backed away and then spoke once more….only this time….she spoke in a language both of them understood.

"Now do you understand me?"

"How did you?! You were speaking gibberish before…."

"I used a Language Spell to understand your words….who are you two and where are we?"

Asuma was still wary and watched the strange woman who apparently realized that until they showed that they were not going to be hostile towards the two they were not going to get the answers they sought. She turned and cast a spell which was a cloud of mist and cast it on her companion and the mist covered the spear wielding woman and faded and the woman then spoke to her robed companion.

"Vlana….what on earth is going on here, why can't these men understand a word we're saying? And now this man's got me in some sort of binding spell!!!!"

"It's all right Meer, they can understand us now."

The woman turned her attention directly to Shikamaru and spoke.

"Can you understand me now?"

"Oh yes….now what the heck are you two doing here?"

"I'll answer that question the very second you release me from this binding spell you put me on."

"No….answer my question right now, and then I'll let you go….you tried to take my head off with that weapon of yours one too many times already, and I would rather have my head on me at this point and time."

"Grrr….fine then, the name's Meer, I'm a Steel Lancer and Vlana and I are looking for a sword."

"A sword?"

Asuma and Shikamaru were confused at first but Asuma was quick to come up with an approximate idea on what the two women were looking for and while he was not entirely sure about that, he decided to take a shot and tell them what he might know.

"This sword you two are looking for wouldn't happen to have the power to summon armies, heal wounds, manipulate the elements, and even summon Dragons?"

The two women looked with surprise and Vlana was the very first one to speak to both Asuma and Shikamaru.

"You know where that sword is? Does it have an owner already?"

"Yes….that sword is under the use of one named Naruto Uzumaki."

"Take us to him…we need to see if he is the one that Holy Talon has truly chosen."

Seeing that this was the most they were going to get out of the women that they were facing at the moment, Asuma and Shikamaru had no choice but take them to find Naruto….perhaps they could finally get some much needed answers around here.

However, they were not the only ones at the moment…

--------

In another section of Konoha…

Shino was busy training with his bugs in a far part of the lands surrounding Konoha… when he heard some noise in the lands ahead of him and he sent out one of his bugs to investigate….but for some reason, the bug scout had not returned and that was somewhat worrying to the young member of the Aburame Clan as he took after the bug and to his surprise….he found himself being greeted by a swarm of butterflies that blinded him briefly and then heard a cool and gentle voice.

"Hello there…"

Shino looked as the butterflies parted and despite his somewhat stoic and silent nature….the young man couldn't help but take a near silent breath as he saw just who was the owner of the voice he had just heard at the moment…

The person was a woman who was dressed in deep forest green clothes and wore brown armor that was made of leather; she had a simple straight sword on her hip and a staff on her back as well, the short sleeved tunic she had on exposed her slender arms that had strange markings on them and she wore leather bracers that had metal guards on them, she also had a necklace that was made of gold and silver. The armor she wore seemed to hug her frame very well and showed that the young woman was fell formed and strong though with a slender build as well. She had a garland of leaves like a crown on her head and her hair was as black as the night sky and her eyes were silver-grey as well…making her look very attractive in a very elegant and serene fashion. Shino then noted that the butterflies were speaking to her and to his amazement….the woman spoke to the bugs as well.

The woman then pointed her finger and there was the missing bug he had sent to scout ahead and the bug told him quickly that the stranger was not a threat to him or anyone but was lost and her name was Telis and she was a Druidess….apparently a person attuned to nature and could speak animal languages and learn from them…the reason she was able to speak to him was that she learned his language from the bug he had sent out.

Shino then spoke to Telis.

"You can speak the language of insects?"

Telis nodded.

"Of course….apart from insects, I can speak the language of birds, land animals and other creatures as well….and you can speak to insects….are you a Druid?"

"Not…exactly, my family clan have a pact with the Destruction Bugs….they feed on chakra and we give them access to our chakra while they then obey our commands."

"I see…my name is Telis, and you are?"

"Shino….Shino Aburame….what brings you here? Judging by the way you dress and your abilities….you are not from around here."

"I can tell that you are a trust worthy sort Shino Aburame….so I will tell you why I am here at this time and place….I am looking for an ancient sword of power from my realm….it goes by many names in the tongues of other races, but the most common name associated with the sword I seek is Holy Talon, my friends and I came here to find it and see if it is either safe or in good hands, but I was separated from the rest of my group."

Shino already had a very good idea of what the sword was that Telis was seeking, he was aware that Holy talon was in the hands of Naruto at the moment and if Telis was seeking it, it had to be for a very good reason, his Destruction Bug told him that Telis was the trust worthy type and he had little to fear from her and his Destruction Bugs have never lied to him in any fashion for as long as he can recall.

"I am aware of the sword you speak of….if you would like I can take you to it…and it's current owner."

Telis was naturally surprised by the news that Holy talon had an owner, in this case, the Druidess, like all familiar with the lore and history surrounding the two swords of legend of her world, knew that the owner that Shino spoke of was a Dragon Champion and she was amazed that there was already someone chosen by the Holy Dragon Sword.

"Thank you Shino Aburame….you have saved me a great deal of time and effort….I can only hope that my comrades are also able to be found."

Shino nodded and guided Telis to Konoha, and wondered how Naruto would react this kind of news.

--------

In another part of Konoha…

Chouji was busy munching down on his usual bag of treats when he heard some strange noises in the forest and he was curious and went there to see just what was going on at the moment and the Genin was suddenly surprised to find himself facing a woman who was wearing strange armor that he quickly recognized as a style of armor worn by Naruto that he had seen once….

The woman was carrying a long blade that resembled a double edged straight sword that had some rather odd but very attractive symbols on the middle of the blade and his had a v shaped hilt guard and a two handed handle. The way the woman held the sword made Chouji aware that the woman….despite being slender and tall, she was well muscled and strong, even more so to be able to use both that sword and wear that kind of armor that she had on the moment.

The woman had a long cloth headband on her forehead and that kept her deep red hair which was in a series of ponytails on the back. She had deep blue eyes and had a very flawless face, with only a thin scar on the left side of her face that was on her eye all the way to the middle of her cheek, though the scar gave the woman a strong, rough, but powerful and glowing beauty, coupled with her skin being slightly dark.

The woman's armor was in a combination of plate and chainmail armor made in such a way that the upper plate armor acted as a breast plate and covered her chest, including her rather large bust, the chainmail covered her lower torso all the way to her hips which had a section of plate mail covering her lower body and the sides of her thighs….the chain mail reached her knees and ended there….she wore leather boots and had forearm guards with metal sections as well., and there was a long red length of cloth that was in deep red that were wrapped around her neck like a scarf.

The woman apparently was trying to find her way through this mess and Chouji was getting very curious just who this person was….he was curious though on the fact that she was wearing a form of armor that he had seen Naruto wear on more than one occasion. As he stepped forward and spoke, the woman turned towards him and gave him a rather startled look for a few moments.

"Who are you?"

The woman looked somewhat confused at that question and didn't respond but she didn't raise her sword and pointed it at him so that told him that she didn't see him as a threat to her, as much as he disliked fighting, he would defend himself should he b suddenly attacked by the woman if she did strike first. Chouji looked at the woman carefully, but no matter how hard he tried…he couldn't find any marks that could tell him at the moment on who this woman was and where she was from. The woman then took out some sort of rolled up piece of paper….maybe a scroll and when she unrolled it, she spoke a quick command in a very foreign language and the scroll was suddenly disintegrated….startling Chouji and he got ready to defend himself….apparently the woman realized that she had no doubt startled the young man and she spoke once more….only this time….she spoke in Chouji's language.

"Calm down….I was merely using a spell scroll to understand your language….my name is Shandra….who are you?"

Chouji was surprised at that and it took a while for him to respond, to which Shandra asked the question yet again to him.

"I asked you your name….who are you?"

"My name is Chouji….Chouji Akamichi. Why are you here in Konoha?"

"Konoha….is this the place I came to?"

"You're not from around here are you?"

"Not….exactly….I was separated from my comrades in coming here from….our world… and we came looking for a legendary sword from our world….a sword with the recognized name of Holy Talon."

Chouji felt that the name was somewhat familiar and then thought about the sword she mentioned….he knew of only one sword that came close to the thing mentioned by the woman, he heard the name of Holy Talon being directed to the sword Naruto carried and decided to tell this woman what he knew….besides, if anyone could explain to him just what was going on at the moment, it would be Naruto.

"I can guide you to someone who might know about that sword you're looking for."

Shandra smiled at that and she placed her sword on her back as the sheath was there and with amazing strength and dexterity she sheathed her sword and walked over to Chouji and spoke amiably.

"Thank you….by the way….do you have anything to eat with you? I haven't eaten in a while and I feel rather hungry."

Chouji thought of saying no but there was something about the woman that told him that doing so was bad news….and besides that, he was not the kind to deny others the chance to try having good food in their stomachs, he loved eating and he wanted others to understand that good food is a good thing to have in the world that one lived it, he loved his mother's cooking and the food of the village and allowing this stranger to try some for herself was something that he considered a duty of his.

With that in mind, he rummaged through his food pack and removed a roll of sweet bread that his mother had made for him a day before and it was wrapped in a paper towel.

"here's some sweet bread, my mother made it for me but you can have it.:"

Shandra smiled in thanks and unwrapped the bread and took a bit of it and smiled at the taste of the sweet bread as Chouji led her towards Konoha, as she chewed the food and swallowed the bread which to her satisfaction was very well made, she spoke to Chouji.

"My compliments to your mother Chouji, this bread reminds me of the sweet cake that I used to buy in my home town's bakery when I was a little girl, though the bread back then had sweet nuts in them."

--------

In another part of Konoha's outer grounds…

Iruka was busy moving about in the grounds as he had no classes to teach at the moment and was enjoying the morning before he had his next class to take care of at the moment and he was busy taking a walk when he spotted movement in the forest and went over to investigate the situation and see what was happening….and to his surprise, the Chuunin found himself facing a strangely dressed woman who was wearing some sort of armor that resembled the armor worn by Naruto on occasion….the one known as chain-mail though this one had sections of plate mixed into it.

The woman carried a small shield of some sort that had a dragon symbol on it and surrounded by trees and flowers….and she had a sword similar to the one Naruto carried but it was only with one handle and it was on her left hip. The woman had no helmet and had deep black hair and when she turned to face Iruka, she had deep green eyes that were focused on him as if she wanted to know if he was a threat to her, whoever this woman was….she carried herself as a warrior and Iruka knew that he would have to be on his guard, but he decided to find out just who this person was and hope that violence would not sprout out soon.

"Who are you?"

The woman couldn't answer at the moment and merely looked at Iruka, but she was clearly aware that he was asking her a question and she spoke back….however, her language was totally odd and unknown to the Chuunin and he couldn't help but feel helpless at being unable to figure out just what was the woman saying to him at this very moment. He then spoke once more and tried to hope that there would be a way to understand her language.

"I don't understand what you are saying to me….who are you?"

The two stared at one another at first and she then seemed to understand and pointed to herself and spoke a single word that Iruka managed to understand.

"Valken."

Iruka was confused for a second and he then realized that since she was pointing to herself when she said the word, that must mean that what she said was actually her name and he was able to understand that word at least. He nodded, showing to her that he understood and he decided to point to himself and say his name.

"Iruka."

Valken was able to understand and she spoke slowly Iruka's name to show that she understood something at this moment.

"Iru….Iruka."

The Chuunin was relieved by the situation and he decided to talk a bit more with the woman named Valken and slowly he was able to convince her to follow him, she was not very receiving of the request at first but she did so….he had a feeling that someone in the village might provide him some answers, and he had a feeling that it would be Naruto as she woman seemed to wear armor in a fashion like he did at the moment, it was a long shot but who knows how this might turn out….and with Naruto's growing abilities….he might be able to help him understand just what sort of language was Valken using.

--------

In the Hokage Tower…

"Who the heck are all these people?"

Tsunade asked when the large number of people trooped right into her office as she was busy with the day's reports and documentation. She had been shocked by this and Naruto knew that he was going to have a hell of a time to explain all this to Tsunade….when Chouji, Asuma, Neji, Shikamaru, Shino, and Iruka brought the others in Kaelyn and Valena's party, the Dragon Champion was surprised to meet them and they with him as well….they then spoke that they all sought he sword if it was in safe hands and if it could somehow be brought back to their world despite the severe energies that could be used up to send them and the sword back home….but now that the sword was badly weakened, there was no way for them to return to Dagern and be reunited with their fellow warriors and family…

It was disheartening for them, but they knew the risks after all and took it anyway. Naruto then faced Tsunade and spoke to the Hokage what exactly was going on and the Hokage couldn't help but feel a bit overwhelmed at the moment. However….she was willing to hear things out for the time being….though she had no doubt in her mind that things were going to be very serious from here on out.

--------

In Suna…

"How is it?"

"It's looking very bad….these Reapers….they don't know the meaning of the word retreat at all!!! And they have really dark jutsus Baki-sensei….no matter how many times we kill them….they just come back to life the next day and are ready for more!!! There seems to be no end to them!!!"

Baki took in the information seriously as he and the other Council members were talking about the situation that they were currently in. It had been three to four days since the siege of their village began. The ninja of the village were caught off guard on the first day as the Reapers killed a good number of them as their weapons and armor were unlike anything the Suna ninja have ever encountered before in their long history of warfare with other nations….these foreign warriors were like demons incarnate as they attacked with a blood thirsty relish that made even Gaara's previous blood thirsty nature pale in comparison. And for every one they killed, three to four of their ninja fell to the scythes of these foreign warriors And what was terrifying was when night fell and the warriors seemed to fall back….they went through great risks to recover their dead.

The ninja wondered if it was for burial….but to their horror….the warriors that they had slain….came back to fight them the next day….as if they had somehow been brought back to life once more for combat against them!!! The Suna ninja were horrified to see the faces of the Reapers they had slain….even the top ranking Jonin of the village had never seen anything like it before….the reborn Reapers were alive and were smiling in a very sadistic and blood lusting fashion and they continued their bloody battles with relish….killing more of the ninja that were sent out to fight them….

This happened for the past days and there seemed to be no end to them….the only thing that kept their losses few was Gaara himself and his new found control and mastery over the demon that resided in him, his desire to protect those closest to him and the village's people made him stand defiant before the blood thirsty Reapers and allow him to slay many of them and allow their medic nins to heal and save their wounded…Gaara dedicated to defeating and slaying as many of the Reapers as he could manage and some were not able to be found and reanimated by the other Reapers easily….but time was against them….there were too many wounded and whatever the weapons of the reapers were made of inflicted horrendous wounds on their ninjas….and the reapers would manage to find the ones Gaara buried in the sand at times they would return….ready to spill blood and rend flesh once more….it was a serious situation indeed, and while many of the ninja thought of slaying the leader of the Reapers….they couldn't because the Reapers were always on guard and ready to fight to the death to defend their lord and without any means to permanently destroy the Reapers….the weapons and techniques of the Suna ninja were meaningless in every fashion at the moment.

"We have to do something….unless we find a way to stop them permanently….our wounded will grow in numbers until we are too weak and exhausted to fight them."

"At least we didn't lose any more ninja to them….Gaara's support has proven great for our survival."

:"True….but we still must do something. The leader of these Reapers must be defeated…it is no doubt he who can reanimate the ones we have managed to slay in battle….defeat him….then we have a chance."

Gaara then stepped forward and spoke.

"We don't have the weapons to kill these Reapers."

Baki turned to Gaara and asked the young Genin what he meant by that.

"What makes you say that Gaara-san?"

Gaara turned and looked out to the village and thought over on how things had become for the past four days since the siege of Suna had began. He had done his best and many of the ninja he helped in the battle were safe and recovering, though he could do little to ease their wounds and allowed the medic nins to do their job….he would then visit the wounded and promise them that he would not let their sacrifices mean nothing and he would do his best to defend the village and it's people.

Some of the ninja were not that accepting, while others thanked him and many families….who were frightened of him greatly, thanked him for saving their brothers, sons, fathers and more. The families were also very thankful for his actions defending the village and while others were not too trusting of him, they were more accepting of his actions.

He faced the Council and then spoke.

"Temari-san told me that she had heard about Naruto Uzumaki from Konoha had fought with a demon similar to the Reapers….he was defeated but survived and managed to slay the demon. If there is anyone who can help us find the way to defeat the reapers….then it is him. We need to send an emergency dispatch to Konoha requesting reinforcements."

The Council thought about that and talked it over and Baki stood up and spoke to Gaara.

"You've changed a great deal since you fought that Uzumaki youth Gaara-san. "

"He and I are the same Baki-sensei….but he showed me a different path, and he helped give me greater control and a chance to have a peaceful life. If there is anyone I trust to help us all in this time….it's him."

The Council agreed and they quickly made a letter to be sent quickly to Konoha…as Gaara and Baki left, Kankurou arrived and gave his report to Baki.

"We've got another band of wounded coming into the hospitals….the supplies have are enough but I hope we can find a solution soon."

Gaara nodded and spoke to his elder brother.

"Don't worry brother, the Council already plans to call for support….and it will be Naruto-san coming to help us."

Kankurou nodded….it was still kind of hard for the elder sibling of Gaara to get used to hearing his little brother call him that, without any malice or blood lust, but he was getting used to it for the time being.

"Gaara-sama!!!"

The three turned and there came another person….a young brown haired girl named Matsuri who Gaara had rescued…a band of Reapers had recently attacked the village and came into the village and killed a number of villagers….including Matsuri's parents and she would have been slain hadn't it been for Gaara's intervention….he defeated the Reapers and sent them out while shielding Matsuri….he stood there as Matsuri cried over her parents and he stood there to shield her….he then told her that he would make sure that they would not be forgotten as Matsuri's parents were ninja who died to save their daughter.

Matsuri turned to face him with her tear streaked face and instead of being frightened by Gaara….the young girl who was a year older than him cried out and hugged him and sobbed on his shoulder…startling Gaara at first at the show of emotion towards him at the moment and he could only respond by hugging the frightened young girl. Ever since then, Matsuri was very close to Gaara and was never far from him and she would always talk to him and be there for him….the young girl showed a strong sense of attachment, devotion, and trust to Gaara and it was almost like hero worship or maybe more…

Gaara looked to Matsuri and smiled….which Matsuri responded by smiling as well and Gaara walked with Matsuri who was silent for a while but was very happy in Gaara's presence as they walked through the halls…making other people in the building look at the two in surprise.

The closeness between Gaara and Matsuri was very open, that several bands of ninja, namely the male ninja began to think that Matsuri had a romantic affection for Gaara…even Kankurou thought so though he decided to ask at a much better time….but that didn't stop him from shaking his head as he watched the happy young girl latch onto his little brother.

(Who knew my little brother would get a devoted follower….who might very well be in love with him?)

--------

The next day…

Naruto woke up the next day and wondered just how Kaelyn and her comrades were doing with the new status they had as refugees in Konoha….he was not happy with the fact that the group of Kaelyn were being allowed to stay for the time being…as he got up for the day and was about to eat his break-fast….he was suddenly greeted by a very urgent knock on his door.

He changed quickly and grabbed Holy Talon and went to find out who was knocking on his door….he was somewhat surprised to see Shizune and two ANBU with her.

"Shizune-neechan, what's going on?"

"We've got an emergency….a letter has arrived from Suna….they're under attack!"

"What?! Who would attack Suna?!"

"We don't know….Tsunade-sama needs all the teams there….Sakura-san and Sasuke-kun, along with Kakashi-sensei are there already….you're the only one not there yet."

"All right!"

--------

In the Hokage Tower…

Tsunade read the emergency dispatch letter from Suna and her face was very serious as she read the situation that had befallen the village of Suna at the moment…she had no idea what was going on at the moment as she finished reading the letter, and then going through it over twice to make sure she was not missing any important details.

Naruto and the others looked on and Tsunade looked gravely at Naruto….the information was something that he alone would have to know…but there was no way she was going to let Naruto handle this battle on his own….it was risky and was going to get flak from the Council….but things as they were….they could not afford to leave Suna to their fate.

"This letter arrived no less than four hours ago….it seems that Suna is under heavy attack."

"What?!"

Temari was shocked by the news as she was frozen solid….her home had a large population but their numbers of ninja was not large enough and they were still in the process of recovery at the moment…who would willingly attack her home?!

"According to the letter that was given to me by Shizune on our messenger bird…the Village is currently under siege by a large army of armored warriors that are armed with massive scythe like weapons who called themselves Reapers….the Reapers of Chorvax…"

Naruto gave a dire look at the news and Holy Talon spoke its master.

(("The Reapers….they are a dangerous sect of warriors back on Dagern….they were founded by a man who called himself the first Reaper of Chorvax and founded their order….the Battle Scythes they carry are enchanted with Curse and Necromantic magicks that make the blades very deadly in combat and they are nearly weightless….this allows the Reapers great agility and speed to attack their foes….If Death Fang sent them….then Suna will be hard pressed to push them back."))

(Why?)

(("They are already dead….but unlike the zombies that summoned by the Wraith Knight….they still retain their memories, personality and experience….I've seen Suna already Master Naruto and they can hold….but without any weapons to counter the undead flesh of the Reapers….they will fall soon."))

(I see….can we fight them?)

(("We can….but we can't do it alone….we'll need help to do this."))

Naruto then spoke to Tsunade.

"Tsunade-sama….let me and a band of any ninja we can spare at the moment take the fight to these Reapers."

Tsunade looked at Naruto and wondered just what he meant by that, she however quickly understood what was going on. She was familiar after all with the name of Chorvax as she had seen the evil sword that was the destined weapon of Naruto's dark mirror as a Dragon Champion. No doubt the Reapers that were attacking Suna were agents of the said sword. And she knew that since these were not beings of this world, only Naruto and Holy talon can equal them. She hated the idea of sending him alone and therefore decided to send out Naruto with a team to help him in this mission.

"All right….Naruto, you and the others in your team will need to go straight to Suna as quickly as possible….the ninja of Konoha might be at lower numbers but considering that we have a priority alliance with Suna, we need to send support to them immediately as they will need all the help they can get. Kakashi….you and your team will move out, I will gather whatever teams we can spare at the moment for this mission!"

The ninja agreed and Shizune then offered Tsunade a list of the available ninja teams and Naruto knew that they were going to be facing some very serious opposition and the other with him were going to need all the protection they could get at the moment, and that meant that he would have to get his powers and spells up to speed.

--------

Later….Naruto was busy at the gate with Sakura, Sasuke, and Kakashi with him as they watched him take chunks of metal that was actually Orchaelium. The blonde who was dressed in his normal chain and plate mail armor had been able to use Holy Talon's reserves to create several large chunks of Orchaelium and then began to use his Transmutation powers to create weapons and armor for his team and the others. It was going to be a long and quick process and the work was somewhat rushed but he had no choice.

His team watched as he transformed several lumps of the metal into armor that was similar to the one he was currently wearing at the moment as well as some weapons. Naruto knew that the weapons the teams would have now would be utterly useless when they faced the Reapers as they were foes that none of the people in his world have ever fought with before at the moment. He was making chain mail shirts as they would allow the others to move more freely and that was what they all needed at the moment.

Naruto's training with using Dragon Fire to make a tree grow properly allowed him to use only the right amounts of Dragon Fire to create the weapons and armor….just in time for the assembled teams to arrive.

They were none other than Maito Gai's team, Asuma's team, and Kurenai's team….along with Kin, Zabuza, Temari and Haku….these were the only support teams he and his team were going to have at the moment. He knew that now was the time to hand them the gear they would need to survive.

"Here….you all are going to need these."

The other ninja looked at the gear that Naruto was handing out and were confused at first as they had never seen their kind before, though they had seen Naruto wear armor before, these didn't match the ones he normally wore. Naruto noted their hesitation and replied.

"You're going to need them….trust me on this. These weapons will serve you better as well."

The groups took the armor and were wearing the chainmail shirts already….the armor resembled a normal tunic but made entirely of Orchaelium and covered only the front and back of their torso and abdomen while leaving their limbs free to move about, with lengths of the same armor guarding the lower thighs without restricting movement. The group were surprised to find the armor to be very light….almost like they were wearing normal cloth.

The weapons were swords, spears, shuriken, kunai, and others that were useful to them all at the moment… but Naruto had done a number of changes to the weapons as they were enchanted to make them more potent and effective as well….namely when they would be facing off with the Reapers who no doubt would be wearing enchanted armor and their weapons, the Battle Scythes were also enchanted with Chaos magic….thus were going to be tough to face on their own, which was why he had done the same to the chainmail shirts that he had handed to his comrades.

As soon as things were done, Kakashi spoke.

"We should get going….though it will take three days to get to Suna on foot, we might be too late by then."

"I'll take care of that Kakashi-sensei….we're not going to walk….we're going to fly."

Naruto took out Holy Talon and spoke in the same arcane language and then shouted out the command and the ground glowed and from the glowing symbol came Kael as the Sky Dragon obeyed the summons of the Dragon Champion.

\ "You summoned me Champion?"/

"Yes Kael, I need your help in dealing with the Reapers, they're attacking an allied village of my home village and it would take too long to go there on foot. Can you help us?"

\ "I can, but you will need to summon more of my kind to help you…I cannot carry that many people at once."/

Naruto nodded and focused his powers once more and then repeated the commands and language and sure enough a number of Dragons made their appearance right in front to the Jonin and their Genin students. One Dragon had deep green scales and golden horns that curled backward on the head with tufts of gold hair on the head and the tail, another Dragon was colored deep blue in a shade similar to Kael himself and had a pair of silver colored horns curving backwards and to the sides of the head and frills on the sides of the head and also on the legs and tail, another dragon was colored silver with golden hair running from the top of the head all the way to the shoulders and the scales were tinted with silver on the edges as well, and the last dragon was golden in colored and had had flowing wings and there were also bony spikes on it's tail. Kael turned and spoke in a bestial tongue to his fellow Dragons and they looked at the assembled ninja and the Dragon Champion and nodded in agreement. Kael then turned and spoke.

\"My kin and I will transport you to Suna faster….get onboard Champion and quickly, the Reapers are deadly force and no matter how high those walls in Suna are, they will not be enough to stand up to the blood thirstiness and brutality of the Reapers….they would gladly sacrifice thousands of their own warriors to gain victory, and these Reapers are already dead….unless their leader is slain he can reanimate his kin to fight again."/

Naruto nodded and he got on Kael's back and he spoke to the others.

"Get on, we need to hurry quickly to Suna and Kael and his kin are more than ready for this."

Kakashi, Kurenai, Asuma, Gai, and Zabuza nodded in agreement with Naruto's words as they led the groups under them to ride the Dragons, the Genin were a bit wary but they wasted little time and were now on the other Sky Dragons. Naruto turned and spoke to them all.

"Hold on tight! This will be a heck of a ride!"

And sure enough, the Dragons flapped their wings and they quickly took to the air like rockets, Kiba roared out as Akamaru yipped and barked as the pup was in Kiba's jacket at the moment and the dog familiar held on for dear life. Shino held tightly to the saddle and Hinata gave a shout of surprise as she felt the rush of air hit her, Kurenai was in awe as she found herself deep in the air and could only look to see the other Dragons Tenten held on tightly as she looked in awe as she found herself in the clouds and felt the rush of air on her face, Rock Lee and Gai roared out and called this the ultimate ride and Neji merely held on tight as the air slammed into him and the others. Zabuza and Haku had to admit that this was the very first time they could ever fly in the sky and it was very different, Kin was also impressed and a bit terrified at the same time as well, Sakura likewise was impressed by how high they were flying at the moment, while Sasuke remained silent, Temari was familiar with this already but it was still something that still surprised her….and Kakashi finally spoke to Naruto.

"So this is what you were feeling when you rode a Dragon for the first time eh Naruto?"

"How do you know?"

"Me, Iruka, and the Hokage were watching after all."

Naruto got the message and the Sky Dragons took their charges towards the direction of Suna and like Naruto predicted….they arrived in Suna at record time and the villagers of Suna was surprised to see Kael return to their village with a few more Dragons of his likeness though of different appearances and color and when they saw the ninja behind them and wearing the Konoha symbols, they realized that this was some backup from the village they were allies with at the moment. As the Konoha ninja and Naruto got off the Dragons and Kael and his kin faded away into light and went back into Holy Talon, Gaara arrived on the scene and smiled in greeting to Naruto who smiled back

Naruto looked at Gaara and saw Matsuri who was standing very close to Gaara and the way she held Gaara's hand tightly, made the blonde Dragon Champion smirk a bit and he couldn't help but tease his good friend a bit.

"So….who's your girlfriend?"

Gaara blushed at that and so did Matsuri who held tightly on Gaara's arm and she spoke.

"My name is Matsuri….and I, well….I…."

Naruto knew that he was embarrassing the girl and decided to apologize….plus he felt that it was bad form to be acting like this in the middle of a crisis.

"Sorry about that then….couldn't help it. How bad is the situation here Gaara?"

Gaara's blush faded and he could tell that Naruto was now serious and when he saw his friend serious, he was as well. He then gave the information to Naruto as he guided them and Kankurou arrived to join in. The serious expression on his little brother's facer was enough to tell Kankurou that this was going to be their final attack into the heart of the enemy that had attacked their home.

Matsuri walked behind them and saw that both Gaara and Naruto were very much in close session with one another and she recalled how both Gaara and the blonde ninja from Konoha seemed to be friends, Temari was nearby and she decided to speak to Gaara's eldest sister.

"Temari-sama….who is that ninja with Gaara-sama?"

"That is Naruto Uzumaki from Konoha….he's a good friend of Gaara's, though back then they used to be enemies."

"They were enemies?!"

"Yes….Naruto was the one who fought with Gaara when we were duped by Orochimaru to fight Konoha who as you knew we had a treaty with when he disguised himself as the Kazekage….Naruto defeated Gaara in combat….but that changed Gaara greatly and Naruto created a very special gift for Gaara to help him….which is why he and Gaara are very good friends Matsuri."

Matsuri nodded as they all entered the tower of the Kazekage as Gaara, Naruto, and Kankurou were now talking with the other ninja including Kakashi, Kurenai, Gai, and Asuma….while the others were following behind them. As soon as they entered the room and Baki outlined the situation before the assembled ninja, the Sand Jonin looked at Naruto and spoke to him.

"Gaara said that you can help us Naruto-san since you've fought a demon like the ones we face and you might know how to kill these….Reapers."

Naruto nodded and spoke.

"The one I fought with was different but fundamentally the same as the ones we're facing….I need you to get as many weapons from your armories as you can….i know a jutsu that might give your weapons the power needed to slay these Reapers and to ensure that this time, they stay dead."

Baki gave a slight smile and turned to some of the Chuunin and gave the orders and the two obeyed quickly. Naruto knew what he was doing as Holy Talon explained that he could enchant the weapons of the Suna ninja to burn and destroy the flesh of the Reapers and also ensure that they would not be reanimated.

As the weapons were brought in….Naruto studied them, there were swords, clubs, daggers, whips, throwing weapons, and more. Naruto then was assured by Holy Talon that since it was merely a limited but useful enchantment that they were doing, they were not in danger of losing their precious reserves of Dragon Fire and there was already more than enough to bless the weapons.

"I'll take a while Gaara….get as many ninja than can be spared to fight at the moment and once I'm done….tell them to grab their gear….it's time we take the fight to the enemy."

Gaara nodded and went out to meet with the ninja as Kankurou and Temari came a long as well. Naruto went to work as the others watched him begin to chant as he sat down near the pile of weapons with Holy Talon already out of the sheath and ready for use. The sword opened it's eye and glowed in unison with Naruto who was bathed in a deep golden light and the light began to bathe into the weapons that were made available to him….much to the awe of the groups there….

As the process was finally finished….Naruto turned and saw the ninja that gathered and Gaara told them to arm up with the newly enchanted weapons and they were now going to take the fight to the enemy at the moment. The ninja looked at the slightly glowing weapons with some mistrust at first but they took them if these weapons could help them defeat the Reapers and free their village. Naruto then said that the leader of the Reapers would be dealt with by him and Gaara….the sword he had was more powerful than the weapons they had and the sword also could slice through the armor of the leader and defeat him.

As they got ready to move out….Matsuri got one of the weapons that was a jouhyou….one of the weapons that was left behind by the other ninja. Gaara saw that and walked over to Matsuri and spoke to her.

"What are you planning Matsuri?"

The woman looked at Gaara and she replied.

"You're going to fight with the reapers….Gaara-sama….I want to protect you, please let me fight with you Gaara-sama!"

Gaara was surprised greatly by this and he felt something in his mind and heart telling him that while her desire to help and protect him was something that was noble….it was not a good idea and would no doubt bring her to great danger and more and he was not in the mood to let anything or anyone harm Matsuri….she had already lost her family and he was not in the mood to let her die….besides….she didn't have the training needed to be a ninja of the village and without proper training….she would be injured or worse….

And for some reason….the thought of Matsuri lying dead before him terrified Gaara….as much as seeing Temari or Kankurou slain before him….he had grown closer to his family and the thought of losing them to death was something that scared him….and now…the thought of Matsuri lying dead was painful for Gaara…

He then spoke to Matsuri…

"I understand….but I can't let you go out there by yourself Matsuri…."

"But Gaara-sama…..I can't….I…."

"Matsuri….I want you to stay here, stay safe….for me okay?"

Matsuri began to cry a bit but she slowly calmed down and nodded at that. She looked at Gaara and spoke.

"I….I'll try…"

Gaara nodded and turned about to leave with the rest of the strike team and Naruto joined Gaara while Sakura, Sasuke, and Kakashi walked behind them, as well as the other Konoha Genin and Jonin . Naruto the spoke to Gaara.

"She really cares about you Gaara."

"I know….it's really odd but I want to make sure that everyone is safe here in Suna….and her as well."

"What happened to her?"

"Her parents were killed when the Reapers attacked the village….somehow some of them fought their way past the defenses and Matsuri's parents fought them and she was with them….the Reapers were able to kill her parents….and were about to kill her too, but I stepped in and fought them off…after the Reapers were driven back, she was still grieving over their deaths….and I promised that I would not let their deaths be meaningless…ever since then, she's been with me and she seems to trust me."

Naruto could tell and despite Matsuri not saying anything….he could sense that there was more than gratitude there between Matsuri and Gaara.

"I see…she cares deeply for you Gaara….I've got a feeling she might sneak out and try to help you so be ready for that."

Gaara nodded while the other ninja watched the whole thing….and they were very much shocked by the sight of Gaara and Naruto being like best friends in many ways and the former blood thirsty and brutal Gaara being this kind of person now.

Sakura couldn't help but recall how Gaara had been in the past and the others, including Shikamaru and Sasuke were surprised at how much the young man changed since the last time they had met him and saw him in combat. Gaara then turned to Lee and spoke.

"I have to apologize about the injuries I gave you last time…have you fully recovered?"

Lee was probably the one who was not all that surprised at the moment and he replied to Gaara's question in a very positive and respectful manner as he always did.

"Yes….I was hospitalized for a while and our new3 Hokage, Tsunade-hime healed my injuries and Naruto-san provided her with the needed medical supplies and tolls to make sure that I had a full recovery."

Gaara nodded at that and smiled a bit more.

"That's good to hear, we don't have much time though….the Reapers will be coming back when they get the chance….no doubt the Reapers we've recently slain are among them as well, reanimated and ready for another fight with us."

--------

Out in the desert…

As the group got ready to lead the attack….Gaara's prediction was very much true as they spotted the Reapers making their next attack on the village….the sight of the blood thirsty and malevolent warriors was enough to make Gaara angry at what they had done to the village but he kept his anger in control….the village now had the means to fight back and end their menace permanently this time and they were not going to let these Reapers claim more of their people.

Naruto thought likewise and used his Piercing Sight to locate the leader of the reapers and soon he spotted the leader….he was at the rear of the dune behind the other Reapers….no doubt there to watch and wait to see the result of their latest assault on the walls of Suna, he could tell that despite not participating in the battle directly, this evil warrior was not someone to take lightly as he could see the evil power that was radiating directly from the triple bladed scythe that the leader was carrying and from what he was told by Holy Talon, this foe was not going to be an easy foe to defeat.

The ninja force got ready to face the Reapers and the ninja of Suna who were on the walls unleashed arrows and crossbow bolts and many of the Reapers were hit directly and many were now coming in with arrows and bolts in their bodes….but their armor protected them, and their strong resistance to pain made them attack with a vicious ferocity that made them move through the barrage. Only this time as the ninja of Suna and Konoha got out to fight them….they were now better and ready. Naruto turned to his comrades Hinata, Neji, And Rock Lee and knew that their skills in Taijutsu will not be enough and the weapons he handed them will truly help them.

"Hinata-san, Neji-san, Bushy brows, keep in mind these guys don't feel pain the way we do….use your weapons to finish them off or else they'll just come back to life!"

All three of them nodded as both Gaara and Naruto took the lead….Gaara rose on a wave of sand while Naruto was on the side and armed with Holy Talon in a single hand grip and ready to fight with the incoming Reapers. The incoming forces finally ran into each other and the fight was now underway. The Reapers roared their battle cries and were now moving their scythes in a defensive and offensive movement as Naruto and his comrades struck into them.

The skills of the Reapers with their Battle Scythes were proven to be well deserved as the weapons would swing and lash out with amazing speed and power. The Reapers could use the Scythes well and several Suna ninja got cut by the weapons and they were injured and that drove the Reapers to increase their attacks. However….this time the ninjas of Suna were now armed with the weapons needed to damage and kill the Reapers. The enchantments that Naruto had bestowed on the weapons allowed them to wound the Reapers in a way that truly injured them as the wounds burst into fire and the Reapers were very much surprised when the once useless weapons that the Suna ninja wielded could now cause them real pain. This was enough to uplift the spirits of the ninja who were nearly losing hope in being unable to permanently kill the Reapers.

Gaara and Naruto stood their ground together as they were now in the thick of it….surrounded by a large number of Reapers who were armed with a varied number of designed Battle Scythes, Gaara's sand acted as it always has….as a method of offense and defense while Naruto fought with the skills of his training both as a ninja and as a Dragon Champion and relied not just on his sword skills, but his Orchaelium armor and Gaara's support as well. The pair fought together with Naruto's Taijutsu and Kenjutsu skills, as well as his cautious use of Dragon Fire to even things up. One Reaper was stopped by Gaara's sand and the young Jinchuuriki used him like a living mace to slam him into several of his own comrades, Naruto also unleashed a wave of fire that incinerated several of the Reapers as they continued to move quickly through the ranks of the Reapers….Gaara rode on a pillar of sand and was calmer in battle as he picked his spots….knowing that Naruto was there to defend his back if he needed support. The two fought side by side as more of the Reaper closed in….apparently they knew Naruto was the Dragon Champion and he was a priority target while the others of their order would deal with the pests, Gaara noted that and did his best to protect his friend and the Reapers were also impressed with Gaara's powers and some of them focused on killing the young ninja.

The Suna ninja were being supported by the Konoha ninja as the battle continued to grow in level and intensity at each powerful blow. Gai and Lee were armed with a pair of short blades and while Gai preferred his pair of nunchaku since these warriors he was facing were very talented, the swords were useful and effective….the same thing went for Lee as the young Genin fought with the Reapers and seeing how utterly blood thirsty these warriors were, he knew that holding back was not something he could afford to do…and that was why both of them were giving all they had to defeat the incoming force before them.

"Damn….these guys are something else!!!"

Kiba shouted as he used the kunai he got from Naruto as well as a short tanto to fight with these foes….his normal Taijutsu was not as effective as the Reapers fought like berserkers . unmindful of injuries that would have sent normal people to the hospital…Akamaru likewise agreed as the pup stayed nearby to fight with his master using their transformation to even the odds, but Akamaru's claws and fangs….while deadly were not doing well in challenging the armor and weapons of the Reapers.

"I know….there's something utterly different about them…..they don't feel pain like we do!"

Hinata said as she managed to avoid a deadly arcing swipe from one Reaper and lashed out with her Gentle Fist Techniques as she was using the Byakugan, the blows did injure the foe before her….but it amused the Reaper that this slip of a girl could actually injure him….it was only when Hinata was able to defeat him and use the short sword that Naruto had given her for her protection that the Reaper died….Hinata then focused on defending herself and her friends as the fight went on.

"But the weapons Naruto handed to us can hurt them."

Shino replied as he used his Bugs to create clones to distract the Reapers and then strike….he had attempted to use the bugs to drain the Reapers of their chakra to weaken them….but he discovered quickly that the Reapers were not really alive but still had will, sentience and feelings….yet were almost like corpses themselves….it made him shudder to be fighting beings who were alive….yet not alive at the same time.

The other ninja were learning that quickly as Temari and Kankurou were also in the battle field as they supported their fellow ninja….Temari unleashed waves of air to send several Reapers flying while stopping others in their tracks, while Kankurou used his puppets to even up the odds, Neji used his sword to even the odds and managed to fight evenly with the Reapers despite his apparent lack of swordsmanship skills….it seemed that when he trained with Naruto, he would witness the blonde Dragon Champion use his sword Holy talon and he decided to try some of the moves Naruto used….though in his case, he couldn't match Naruto move for move due to his complete lack of sword training.

Tenten however….being a skilled user of weapons for all her young life was able to adapt some of Naruto's fighting style into her own….namely his Steel Lancer techniques as she had witness him with such moved before, though those moves were somewhat difficult for her to master alone. But she used her already present training with staves and other long weapons to her advantage though some of Naruto's moves with a pole-arm were harder for her. She proved to be able to face a pair of Reapers and slay them….though she had come close to being sliced by the doubled edged weapons of the Reapers.

Shikamaru and Chouji fought side by side as they normal did and Ino was there as well as she supported her friends, Ino realized that her family's signature jutsu would not work on the Reapers as their minds were so filled with malice, anger, and blood lust that they formed literal walls of terror in their minds….and since she was not as proficient as her father….there was no way for her to win in using the jutsu….thus she resorted to fighting in Taijutsu and using the katana that she had with her while Shikamaru used the short spear and Chouji a two handed sword similar to the one wielded by Shandra though it was lighter as it was crafted from Orchaelium like all the other weapons wielded by them.

Asuma himself used his trench knives to even the odds and fight the Reapers, but he had to be constantly on the move as the way the Reapers fought was alien but highly effective as they would move and spin their Battle Scythes on their bodies and on their arms like the weapons were extensions of their bodies….showing extreme levels of skill to be using such weapons in such a fashion. He pushed back a Reaper and landed a punch n the attacker as Kakashi and him were back to back with one another.

"These guys are something else….they might not be ninja….but they are more than capable fighters."

"I have to agree….I've never seen anyone use Scythes like these guys before and those weapons have something on them….something evil."

Kurenai used her Genjutsu to her advantage and fought with the pair of kunai that she had given by Naruto and was now with her fellow Jonin as Gai came in as well.

"I can feel it too….and you saw the wounds they inflicted on the ninja here in Suna….we have to be careful and hope that the armor that Naruto handed to us to use can save us if we get hit."

The Jonin were then joined by Zabuza who wielded a sword similar to the one he had wielded in his past and it was crafted from Orchaelium as he and Haku fought side by side and Kin was with them as she used her Orchaelium made needles to wound and disable the Reapers while Haku and Zabuza did the rest of the battle.

"These are not normal people Zabuza-sama, they are like beasts…."

"Intelligent beasts Haku….they use those scythes like extensions of their own will….in my years as a ninja in the old village and under the Mizukage….I've never fought with warriors like these in my entire life."

"I have to agree….just who trained them?"

--------

In one part of the desert…a good distance from the battle…

"You think they will know we're here?"

"I don't think so…the Suna ninja and their reinforcements from Konoha it seems are too busy with these warriors to notice us. They have been under siege after all."

"I know….I was surprised to hear about that myself….but these Reapers….they are my kind of people."

Itachi looked at Kisame who was grinning and he looked on at the battle he spotted Sasuke but decided not to bother at the moment. He and Kisame heard about the siege and knew that Konoha would respond sooner or later and this would have been a good chance to capture Naruto and the Kyuubi….but the battle proved to be too much for even them to enter….and there of course were several good Jonin there in the battle and Itachi was not in the mood to get into a needless fight with either the ninja of Konoha or Suna or both at the same time.

--------

In another part of the desert…

"Hmmm….I wonder how this will turn out?"

"Should we get involved Kabuto-sensei?"

"I must agree with my brother….we have to make a choice on what to do at the moment."

"Hey….the sooner we do something the quicker we can get out the damn heat!!!! This cloak stinks and the sand is making my skin itch!!!"

"Calm down….there's no…"

"Shut up you big tub of lard!!!"

"Such a foul mouthed girl…"

"You think I'M foul mouthed now?! You want to see me REALLY angry…."

"Enough….Orochimaru-sama wanted us to keep track of Sasuke-kun and here he is….you know how valuable Sasuke-kun is to Orochimaru-same so do not complain anymore….unless you want me to punish you all?"

"No Kabuto-sensei!"

"Good…now be silent."

Kabuto turned and looked through the binoculars as he guided his team into the battle….not to fight in it….but to go and see just how things would turn out at the moment.

--------

The battle was now in the favor of the Suna ninja and that of the ninja from Konoha as more of the Reapers were felled by them….but another force of Reapers came from a nearby dune and charged right for them….intent on cutting them down like wheat in harvesting season. Naruto unleashed his own surprised as he summoned a spell.

"QUICKSAND!!!!"

The land before the Reapers suddenly glowed and the force were suddenly dragged under by the sands before them as they were now unable to escape….Gaara did likewise and brought down several more groups of Reapers into the sand to immobilize them…allowing his fellow ninja to fall on the Reapers and finish them quickly. However…one Reaper came at Naruto and managed to slice into his side with a powerful cut…

"AAAAAAAUUUUUGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!"

Sakura saw that and rushed to Naruto's defense and so did Sasuke who was armed with a hilt less katana.

"NARUTO-KUN!!!!"

Naruto moved back and was about to be attacked once more when Gaara forced the Reaper away and Sasuke fought with another pair. Sakura saw that the wound was deep and where Naruto's armor couldn't shield him completely….she felt so helpless at the moment and it was then that she tried to focus her chakra to heal Naruto's wound despite not having the proper training as a Medic nin….she wanted to help in some way….and not be a burden to her team…

(I have to do something….I have to help them I have to!!!!)

It was then that Sakura's hands were engulfed in green flame….the very same green flame that Naruto would use to heal wounds, either his or those of others….Sakura had no idea why her hands were suddenly covered in the green flame but she was amazed at the fact that the flames didn't harm her at all and she placed her hands on the wound and to her amazement and that of Naruto and Holy Talon….the green flames healed his wound. Sakura was stunned and looked at her unharmed hands and spoke.

"What was….how did I….what happened?"

Naruto knew that this was what Holy Talon told him….apparently the reserve of Dragon Fire was awakened inside Sakura and was now manifesting itself. And since it was Dragon Fire that was attuned to the Life Magic Branch….she could heal wounds easily and that could mean that her chakra would be even stronger now.

"Sakura….do you remember when I healed you with the same power when you were stabbed by Orochimaru's sword?"

"Yes…."

"Well, I used a greater deal of power then and it left a residual amount of that magic in your body and it's grown for a long time….the magic you have is Life Magic and it can heal wounds and injuries…."

Sakura was stunned by this and couldn't help but be awed….but she got her wits back and focused on the incoming battles as the group fought their way to the location of the Reaper leader….and as soon as they got there…

The Reaper leader sent a band to attack Sasuke and Sakura…leaving only Gaara and Naruto to face the dark warrior. He hefted his triple bladed Battle Scythe and spoke to both Naruto and Gaara.

"You both are impressive….I will admit to that….but can you beat me? Arise me sons and daughters….show to me that these pests are worthy of my time!!!"

--------

Several Reapers came out of nowhere and headed straight for both Naruto and Gaara. Apparently these Reapers were their leader's chosen body guards as they had better armor and were armed with more deadly looking Battle Scythes…Gaara summoned his sand once more and got ready for a fight.

Naruto quickly unleashed his trump card….knowing that he should reserve the Rasengan for later use.

"KAGE BUSHIN NO JUTSU!!!"

The Kage Bushin then used their powers to their advantage….one took out the wing spear, another had a Reflex Bow, the other had a sword and shield, while another wielded a short sword and long sword, two had staves, another had a longbow, and another was unarmed and flexed his fists and got ready to fight without weapons….the Kage Bushin then attacked and Naruto was in the lead….it turned out that the Kage Bushin were fighting in the style of the various Dragon Champions and they fought with the Reapers that came at them at great speed. This allowed Naruto to fight effectively and with the Kage Bushin fighting in different combat styles to confuse the Reapers….he had the advantage. The Reapers fought o test the Champion and Naruto did his best to fight his way to support Gaara…

Gaara meanwhile fought with the Reaper leader and the Reaper leader attacked with full force and the Sand ninja stood his ground and fought on…relying on his sand to even the odds….the sand proved to be as effective as ever and with his full control over the Shukaku….Gaara had improved his combat style as the sane could not attack in various angles and areas,….forcing the Reaper leader to move defensively for a few minutes….Gaara also decided to use the sand that was ordinary….he knew that it would be risky as the sand required more chakra than the sand he had in his gourd….but he could tell that this Reaper leader was no simple foe…and that was proven to be true as the Reaper leader sliced through his own chakra enhanced sand with ease and it was only through the ruse of his Sand pillar that he evaded a deadly strike that would have cut him in half…his manipulation of the normal sand allowed him to drag the man half way into the sand as he got down and faced him. The Reaper leader then spoke.

"Impressive….my brethren were indeed correct in how interesting your sand manipulation abilities were….but do not think it is the end just yet."

"You are not going to get far….I'll make sure of that, you will never harm my village or my people ever again."

"Are you so sure about that?"

Gaara was suddenly surprised when the leader tossed his Battle Scythe at him and he dodged….but it was then that a red orb on the Battle Scythe glowed and the weapon seemed to come alive and attack Gaara….almost like it had a mind of it's own. The weapon moved and attacked as if it was still in the hands of it's master and Gaara was forced to move away as the weapon slashed and swung at him as all three blades were double edged. That was enough for the Reaper Leader to break free from the sand and charge at Gaara….the sand stopped him by shielding Gaara but was not fast enough to stop the Reaper leader from sending a hidden mystical command for the Scythe to move the blades in a fashion that created a unique weapon formation, one blade remained the same while the middle was now forward and the other was backward….creation a curved three bladed double edged spear, the weapon them moved and slashed Gaara from behind and Gaara was saved only by his sand armor but the attack was enough to break his concentration and the Reaper leader managed to free himself from Gaara's sand….showing just how strong he was in combat.

Gaara moved away as the weapon continued to attack him and as soon as he had some distance….the weapon flew back to it's master and he was bracing himself for the soon to come attack from the Reaper leader. The Reaper attacked at high speed, despite his height and size and was now attacking Gaara and Gaara's sand was hard pressed to defend him….the sand unleashed spikes to attack the Reaper but he moved back and spun his Battle Scythe in a defensive pattern and sliced off the tips of the sand and Gaara looked on as the Reaper moved his Battle Scythe back into position….this guy was a tough opponent….similar to Lee, Sasuke…and even Naruto….but this was a man or a being with a blood red heart and a lust for death…it almost made Gaaara feel like he was looking at an adult version of himself.

"You're good boy….but now play time is over!!!"

The man swung his Battle Scythe and arcs of blood red light came at Gaara….the sand shield blocked the first strike but the rest was able to break Gaara's shield and he discovered that his chakra was beginning to run out, not entirely but it weakened him….he looked at his eyes widened as the Reaper Leader was there before him and was about to slice off his head.

"Good bye….what?!"

"I won't let you hurt Gaara-sama!"

Gaara and the Reaper leader turned….and there with the jouhyou was Matsuri….Naruto's warning to Gaara was proven true….somehow she had snuck out of Suna and had managed to avoid the battles there and when she saw Gaara in danger…she reacted and managed to wrap her weapon on the Battle Scythe of the Reaper leader.

The leader of the Reapers looked at the jouhyou that was wrapped on his weapon and glared at Matsuri who dared to pit her strength against his and he spoke evenly.

"You're brave little girl….but also foolish….for that….I will harvest your soul!!!"

And with amazing strength, the Reaper pulled his scythe and sent Matsuri flying and landing on the ground in a heap….she barely had enough time to look up to see the Reaper spinning his weapon behind him and then landing with a deadly downward slash of all three blades. Matsuri quickly rolled away but as she got up….she was knocked down by a solid kick to the stomach and then she screamed as the three blades of the Reaper Leader's scythe bit into her arm and she fell down.

"AAAAAUUUUUUUGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!

Gaara shouted out in anger….

"MATSURI!!!!"

The leader hefted his massive Battle Scythe and was about to attack Matsuri as she held her wounded arm. Before he could strike the young girl down….Gaara unleashed a powerful waves of sand that slammed into the leader and he quickly moved in and as the leader slashed through the sand and Gaara blocked the Battle Scythe but got wounded in the shoulder and his blood fell into the sand as one the blades tore into him.

"Gaara-sama!!!"

Matsuri shouted as she grabbed a handful of sand and in an act of desperation to save Gaara….and somehow it worked as the sand that she tossed at the Reaper hit him in the eyes and the Reaper leader moved back and Gaara quickly reacted by using the sand Matsuri had thrown to wrap around the Reaper leader and he unleashed a power wall of sand and then slammed it hard like a boulder into the Reaper's chest. He then created a sword of sand and then tossed it like s spear and it tore into the arm of the Reaper leader who managed to remove the sand and he grinned at Gaara.

"You fight well….I will kill you yet little man."

Gaara glared back and stood his ground and replied.

"Try me!"

"As you wish….DIE!!!!"

The leader attacked with his Battle Scythe at the ready and Gaara used his sand to block the scythe in the shaft and he quickly got himself and Matsuri out of the way and as they were safe, Gaara used the sand to toss the Reaper Leader aside and he then created a powerful spear that was made from the hardest minerals and sand and created a powerful spear and with all his strength in him….Gaara tossed the weapon right at the chest of the Reaper leader.

"SAIKO ZETTAI HOGEKI!!!! SHUKAKU NO HOKO!!!!"

The Reaper was hit right in the chest….it's armor breaking at the power of Gaara's new weapon and he fell back with the halberd of sand piercing his body….and he looked at Gaara with a grin as blood flowed out and he laughed despite the pain.

"Good….but you think this is over? Only a weapon of divine power can truly slay me!!!!"

"How about this then?!"

The Reaper leader turned and there was Naruto who had defeated his foes and quickly unleashed his Kage Bushin and like before…the Kage Bushin attacked in formation….one attacked with the wing spear and slammed hard into the leader, another attacked with sword strikes, another with fist blows….another unleashed a hail of arrows and another came with a glowing sphere of fire in it's hands.

"FIREBALL STRIKE!!!!"

The impact of the attacks slammed hard into the leader of the Reapers and it was then that both Gaara and Naruto came into the fight as the Reaper tried to attack once more despite the injuries Gaara then unleashed yet another jutsu to help his best friend to slay the Reaper leader….as he understood that with Holy Talon's divine energies, Naruto and him could finally slay this leader of the Reapers. As the Reaper attacked with a one handed Battle Scythe swing, Gaara made his move and despite losing s good amount of chakra….he commanded the sand to cover the arm of the Reaper and then he made his move.

"SAIKO ZETTAI BOGYO!!! SHUKAKU NO TATTE!!!!"

The Reaper was surprised to see the sand take a shape he had never seen before and it resembled a giant sand statue with several marks and symbols on it and a bestial and human look….the statue cause him to have his arm completely trapped and he was unable to attack…Gaara then shouted to Naruto.

"NOW NARUTO!!!!"

"RIGHT!!!"

The Reaper leader looked up to see Naruto armed with Holy Talon leap into the air and spinning about like a top and Naruto brought the blade of the weapon down on the head of the Reaper leader…the force of the spin added greater speed and momentum to the attack and the blade glowed bright green as it cut deeply into the Reaper leader5….who screamed out as red fire erupted from his body and his body was completely reduced to ash…

Gaara and Naruto turned and saw that many of the slain and still fighting Reapers were suddenly screaming as they were bursting into statues of flame and then they fell dead on the ground into piles of ash and bones….their Battle Scythes already on the ground and were now useless without their masters. The others in their group cheered out loudly and were relieved as the battle was now over.

Naruto smiled and so did Gaara as Matsuri, Sasuke, Sakura and the other Konoha ninja came closer…

"It's over…"

Holy Talon however sensed something coming and shouted a warning to Naruto.

(("Master Naruto!!! Something is coming…it's Death Fang!!!"))

The others were surprised to see Naruto turn and ready Holy talon as if expecting a fight until they saw a blood red and midnight black mist suddenly appear before them once more and then they saw it…

((("My…this is interesting….")))

Death Fang looked at the carnage and the sword released a blood thirsty laugh that lasted for a few minutes as it glared at the group before it….Naruto in the lead with Holy Talon in both hands, Gaara beside him with his sand ready to attack, Sakura looking on…armed with her katana, and Sasuke who was holding his hand with a Raikiri ready to attack despite his weakened state. The others were stunned by the malevolent power of the sword that was before them and for some reason….they felt great fear….even the normally confident Gai and the cool and talented Kakashi couldn't help but back away a bit as well as Kurenai and Asuma…and even Zabuza was disgusted by the sheer evil that came from the demonic blade before him, he even shielded Haku and Kin with his own body. The other Genin were also very much shocked and very wary….Hinata was terrified of the sheer evil resonating from the sword while Neji himself was backing away as he felt fear sending shivers on his skin like ants biting his skin, Shikamaru looked at the evil sword and backed away, Chouji did likewise as the evil blade frightened the young Genin….Ino herself was backing away from the sight of the evil sword and so was Kin, Tenten herself was not feeling comfortable at the sight of the evil sword before the at that moment and held her sword at the ready.

Matsuri was frightened as well….but Gaara moved to her and held her hand…making the young girl braver as she stood up.

Death Fang then spoke to the group before it…

((("VERY impressive….and you Naruto….you're latest moves have impressed me….it seems you HAVE taken my advice….very commendable….unexpected, but commendable.")))

"Death Fang….what are you doing here?"

((("Why do you even need to ask Champion? I came here to see the carnage for myself….and on why I sent the Reapers to attack Suna? I did it to entertain myself and see the kind of opposition my minions will face when the time comes….and I must admit that Suna does have good fighters, if not the proper weapons.")))

Gaara growled and spoke.

"You sent these monsters to attack my village and my people….merely for the sake of fun?!"

((("Yes….Gaara of the Sand….I am well aware of your….shall we say, unique status…but do not think your anger can frighten me, in fact, it does the opposite, it amuses me greatly. No matter, you cannot destroy me for only Holy Talon can destroy me in battle.")))

The Chaos Dragon Sword then looked at the others and rested it malevolent gaze at Sakura and spoke to the pink haired Kunoichi.

((("Ah….you have Dragon Fire in your veins….not a very large amount, but it's there….and that of the Life Magic Branch no less. It seems that this world shows GREAT promise.")))

It then looked at Sasuke and spoke to him….

((("Ah….you must be Sasuke Uchiha….the vaunted genius Uchiha and survivor of the clan massacre….and you KNOW about me….I am touched that one such as you are aware of me….but that will not be enough little man. Power you have….but it is weak….at least for now, and I know who it is you seek…."

"What?!"

Sasuke was shocked at this information, he had only heard of this sword before but this sword seemed to know more about him….

((("I can read your mind boy….it's fairly easy once you know how to bypass defenses….you seek power don't you? To slay someone….hmph, all for the sake of what? Justice? Revenge? No matter, you are not worth my concern for the time being….only Naruto Uzumaki is worthy of my attention.")))

Sasuke didn't know why but the fact that he had been cast aside by Death Fang grated on his nerves for some reason.

((("You have grown Champion….and for that I congratulate you….it will make killing you all the more pleasing and interesting….grow….be stronger, I will always be watching and testing you until one comes and becomes my true master….and then….then the real battle begins….for now….I shall take back my minions and let them rest for as long as my form is whole….they can be brought back to test you again.")))

Death Fang did just that as the bodies of the slain Reapers were suddenly bathed in deep red light and the lights blasted off the ground and were quickly absorbed by Death Fang and the when that was over….the Sword then spoke to both Naruto and Holy Talon.

((("You two will be a very interesting challenge….I like that.")))

(("Don't get too comfortably with that Death Fang we will defeat you soon enough."))

((("Ahhhh….I will be waiting for that day….farewell…oh yes…you can keep the Battle Scythe of my Reaper leader as a trophy, I can always make a new one anyway.")))

With that, Death Fang faded away as it's Astral Projection disappeared….allowing the others to relax and Naruto sheathed Holy Talon and turned to see Sasuke staring at the ground where Death Fang was previously….and as much as he tried to place the thoughts out of his mind, he couldn't help but feel somewhat worried with the way Sasuke was acting when he was staring at the Chaos Dragon Sword….and Holy Talon felt the same way.

(("I hate to say it Master Naruto….but we need to watch him."))

(I know….)

--------

"So….that's the thing you saw….that is one impressive sword…"

Kisame said as he looked at the sight before him.

"That it is…we must go….we're soon to be found if we stay any longer."

"Right."

Itachi and Kisame left the scene and headed out…

--------

"What the heck was that?"

"Interesting…all right….Sasuke-kun is not dead yet….we must leave….Orochimaru-sama will be interested in the news we bring."

"HAI!!!"

--------

(Oh boy!!!)

--------

In Suna…three days later…

Naruto yawned as he got out of the bed in the hotel room in Suna…that was reserved for him and the others by Gaara's orders. The blonde ninja looked out the window and decided to take a look of the desert on the walls of Suna's outer defenses. He placed on his chainmail and hooked Holy Talon behind him and left through the window and made his way to the village walls and relaxed as he got there and saw the sun coming from the outlines of the dunes.

"Naruto…you all right?"

Naruto turned and there was Gaara riding his sand and his former enemy now best friend and battle brother joined him as they stood in the wind and saw the sun coming up…and he replied.

"Feeling very good…how about you Gaara…the seal holding up?"

"Oh yes…thanks to you…and you and I fought to save Suna…I thank you and your teams for being here."

"No problem Gaara…you're my friend and I don't ever leave anyone behind."

Gaara smiled at that and knew Naruto spoke the truth and he looked at the sun as it's light and warmth began to make itself felt by the two of them. The two smiled as the warmth touched them and the light was there before them and Naruto turned to face his friend,

"So how is the village doing?"

Gaara replied.

"It'll take some time…and while we lost a number of ninja we will recover and we will never give up on defending the village…and neither would I…I will be Kazekage and I will dedicate my life to protecting my home and all the people precious to me."

Naruto smiled at that and replied.

"I have no doubt you'd make a powerful Kazekage Gaara…and I will be Hokage myself someday."

"I have no doubt of that Naruto-san…."

"Oh yeah….you've got a real special someone with that girl, Matsuri Gaara….take good care of her, she is now one of your precious persons."

Gaara blushed at that and nodded.

"I will."

Both ninja smiled and both laughed a bit as they saw the sun rise up and the light bathed the village of Suna as the village began to wake up and things began to get ready for a brand new day and both Gaara and Naruto then decided to stay there and watch the villagers go about their businesses for the day and the two decided to rejoin the others…

Later in the day…Naruto and his friends were given a hero's party and Gaara approved of it as the village celebrated the end of the siege that had fallen on their village for the past few days and the avenging of their kin who had died in the battles…and those who survived toasted to both the Konoha Genin and their respective Jonin sensei and their own team of Gaara, Temari, and Kankurou for their efforts…but the focus was both Naruto and Gaara as the two friends were very much recognized by all in attendance.

It seemed that seeing Gaara fight with great skill and ferocity to defend the village from the invading Reapers had softened the public image of him in Suna considerable deal and that in Naruto's mind was a good thing. All the while, Matsuri was close to Gaara and to the amazement of both Temari and Kankurou…..Gaara was comfortable around Matsuri and Temari was happy for her little brother, and so was Kankurou….though he was a bit envious. Both of them were healed of their injuries as well and were on the road to recovery.

Naruto then gave the Reaper Leader's Battle Scythe to Gaara as it was Gaara who had severely wounded the Reaper with his new attack jutsu and together they struck down the leader….without it's master, the weapon lost all it's evil power but not it's menacing looks and near weightlessness. Gaara accepted the weapon and planned to place it at a memorial for the Siege on Suna.

Gaara and the others bid Naruto and the rest of the Konoha teams farewell as they headed back to Konoha on the backs of Kael and the rest of his Sky Dragon kin….

--------

In Konoha…weeks later…

Things were back to normal….or as normal as can be….new workers were coming in daily to help the village rebuild itself and things were still hard for the rest of the village and the ninjas that formed Konoha's military forces, the ANBU were strained to their limits as they worked to ensure that the village was in safe hands at the moment, and the Jonin were currently on rotation duty to fill in the gaps in man power as well.

Naruto was currently in training once more and was currently working with another spirit essence of a previous Dragon Champion, a Silver Star mage named Kyrie. The male Silver Star Mage was showing him new and improved versions of the current spells that he was already familiar with. The blonde ninja was sitting on a nearby rock and using the spell of Chain Lighting….with the only difference of moving the lightning on his hands and controlling it slowly and carefully. The Silver Star Mage also instructed Naruto on how to use the elemental energies in his own environment to further amplify his spells and make them last…as well as using his own chakra to improve and power the spells. This was possible as Naruto's chakra was now infused with amounts of Dragon Fire….with Naruto's high reserves of chakra adding greater power to the Dragon Fire reserves he had at the moment he had more than enough power to be a formidable spell caster.

As soon as Holy Talon told him that the training was over and he could take a break, Naruto stopped and gave an explosive sigh

He knew that later he would be using the time he had to help Sakura with her newfound healing abilities. When she had awakened the well of Dragon Fire in her body and healed several of the injured ninja, he finally told her of how she was able to use Dragon Fire the same way he could and he decided to create a Dragon seal so the power could be easier to use….even though the spell was taxing in some way….Holy Talon did have the energy for such a spell and he wanted to make sure that Sakura would be able to use that power well.

He had completed the seal a few days prior to his current time and he had explained to Sakura what exactly happened and it was then that Sakura asked him to ask Tsunade if she could learn how to be a medic nin. He was surprised and hoped that when he told Tsunade of Sakura's request….she would grant it. Sakura had the potential to be great ninja in his mind and with the magic of Dragon Fire in her body to aid her….especially when it was from the Life Magic Branch. Sakura would be a great medic nin though she would have to learn some stuff from him as well as from the others from Holy Talon's world.

As he walked back to his apartment….he wondered if maybe he could try having the place rebuilt….but he knew that he needed money and a Genin's paycheck wasn't exactly high thus it would take many missions for him to have enough money to make his apartment presentable to just about anyone for that matter. Normally he didn't mind it but he began to feel this need to have a much nicer place to stay instead of the rundown apartment he had.

Holy Talon sensed that and the sword spoke to it's master.

(("Something troubling you Master Naruto?"))

(Yeah, I was wondering if I should move to a much better place….my apartment isn't bad and I do have money to buy supplies and clean the place…but it's really old and really run down….and I don't have the money to have the place fully repaired.)

(("Couldn't Tsunade contribute some funds for that….she is the Hokage after all."))

(I know….but with the money of the treasury being used to rebuild the village, there's not enough for personal projects….)

(( "Hmmm….why not summon some help in making your new house….just ask for a plot of land that the Council can afford for the time being for you to use and then when you get it….you can build your house there."))

The more Naruto thought about it, he smiled a lot more and realized that the solution could work….there was a good deal of land that was not being wholly used by the village at the moment and the land could certainly be of great help to him. Plus it would finally be nice to have his own place….and who knows….he might be bale to have enough money to have his old apartment fully renovated and it could be used by others as well who needed the rooms. Plus it would be nicer to have a new place that he could show off to his team and the others when he did get visitors….the question was….who was going to help him?

Holy Talon already had the answer…

(( "Rumkil and Thorell are the ones you should speak to…dwarves are known as excellent stone masons and there are some elven allies who can help you….all you need is the land and they will deal with the rest."))

Naruto nodded and decided to take a chance for the moment and summoned the dwarf smiths and he spoke to them to try and see if they could make him a new home. Rumkil and Thorell looked over the home that Naruto resided in and were not happy with the living conditions of the apartment….the smiths looked the place over and nodded that a great deal of work had to be done to provide him with a decent place of living that was good for someone like him.

--------

In the Hokage's room…

"You want to move out of your apartment?"

Tsunade was surprised by that announcement by Naruto as she looked at him, as well as Shizune….the two had been busy working on some important documentation and the latest reports from the missions undertaken by the ninja teams when the blonde ninja came on the scene and asked permission to speak to them at the moment. His request was very much unexpected as the two wondered why he wanted to leave his home.

"Yes I do Tsunade…."

"May I ask why Naruto-kun?"

"Well….my apartment might be nice and clean now….but it is pretty old and it really needs to have a lot of repairs done. But I don't have the money and resources for that plus the time as well. And I know that I can't divert any money from Konoha's treasury for this as we need the money to help with the reconstruction and all, plus asking for workers to help me is not a good idea as the workers are busy with rebuilding the village at the moment…so I figured I could handle this with the help of my….'special friends' and they can help me with the building of the house….all I need is a good place to have my home built Tsunade-sama."

Tsunade had to admit that Naruto did have a good point…even if she was the Hokage and the Council were her advisors….there would be people in the Council who would balk at the idea of having funds, materials, and workers diverted from Konoha's reconstruction to helping Naruto out…and they would use whatever excuse they could find to make her support of the idea look bad on her. However….she agreed with Naruto….his apartment was cleaner and better kept now….but the foundation was still very much a mess and a lot of repairs were needed on it…and it would be unsightly to have someone like him live there for the time being….however….she still needed to talk to the Council to a lot land for Naruto to live on for the duration of his life there.

Tsunade then turned to Shizune and spoke to her long time apprentice.

"Shizune….bring me all the maps we have on the lands that are part of Konoha's current territory and are close to village grounds….and get me in meeting with the members of the Council."

Shizune nodded and went to get those maps and allowed Tsunade and Naruto some privacy and Tsunade then spoke to Naruto.

"You know that some of the Council might not like the idea of me giving you the land you need Naruto-kun."

"I know….but I think there will be those who will see things differently."

"We shall see."

Soon enough, Shizune came back and with her were the maps that outlined the lands in and around Konoha and they began to look at the lands that were open and available for Naruto to use for the time being. Naruto himself decided to locate the land and with Holy Talon on his back, he joined the two women in looking for a good place to stay in…he then pointed at a large tract of land at the west of Konoha and the two looked and saw that it was not in the areas controlled by the noble families of Konoha and was underdeveloped as well.

"How about this place then Tsunade-sama? This place looks pretty ideal for my new home."

The two women looked it over and Tsunade studied the map carefully to be sure. And to her approval the place was not in the holdings of any of the old noble families….with the slight exception of one clan….her clan, the clan of the Senju and there was plenty of open ground there for her to claim if she so wanted as she was the last living member of the clan of her grandfather and her people. But she decided that it would be better that she handed the lands of her clan over to someone she knew that she could trust….and who better than the young man she cared for and loved?

"This place will do quite nicely Naruto-kun….come…we'll need to meet with the Council soon to talk things over."

--------

Later, in the Council Chambers…

"You want to give Naruto land?"

The Council were shocked by Tsunade's announcement when she called them to the meeting room, There were the rest of the Counci8l, Ginji Haruno, Chouza Akamichi, Shikaku Nara, Hiashi Hyuuga, Inochi Yamanaka, Homura and Kohane….along with the other members of the Council. In front of them was Tsunade with Naruto standing at attention with Holy Talon on his back.

Tsunade nodded.

"Yes."

"Why would you want to offer Naruto land? Doesn't he already have a place to live in?"

"He does….but he has made this request as his old home is already reaching the end of it's durability, it is already old by most building standards and it will take a long time and some considerable funds to repair….however, I am well aware of the fact that we do not have the resources or the man-power."

"So why give him the land in the first place?"

Tsunade looked at the questioning Council member who was one of the members who was not very much trusting of Naruto and expected that from him and those who treated Naruto as a the Kyuubi still, regardless of Naruto's different nature to the demon imbued inside of him. The Hokage however was able to see that Naruto kept a cool head and focused on getting things done than waste his breath arguing with the Council member, and she smiled mentally at the show od discipline Naruto was showing.

(He is growing….if only they could see him now…)

Tsunade then spoke to the Council.

"The land I am giving him is his reward for all of his training and hard work….he and his team, along with the teams of Maito Gai, Yuhi Kurenai, and Asuma Sarutobi aided our allies of the village of Suna when they were under heavy attack by the army known as the Reapers. They worked together to win the battle….but it was Naruto and Gaara who worked in tandem with one another to slay the leader of the Reapers…and the land I plan to hand him in question is under my authority as Hokage….and as last of one the ancient founding clan of Konoha. The land I am giving Naruto Uzumaki….is Senju land."

The Council were shocked as such land was considered to be off limits to just about everyone….but Tsunade was handing the land of her family to Naruto himself for the creation of his own new home….it was unbelievable and also somewhat scandalous. Homura then spoke out his own thoughts.

"You want to give that kind of land to him Tsunade-hime? Even if that land has not been touched for over many decades since the founding of Konoha?"

"Yes….and do not forget that as the last descendant of the Senju clan and granddaughter of the First Hokage, I have full ownership of the land by blood and right, and therefore I have the right to do with the land I deem fit for the village. Naruto has proven himself to be a great ninja of merit and many of the clients who have hired him and his team consider him the best they have seen….it is time in my mind that his hard work be repaid in some fashion."

The Council could see that Tsunade would not budge on the matter and it was then that Ginji spoke up as well.

"I will agree with Tsunade-hime, Naruto's actions ever since the Chuunin exams and the invasion have proven him to be a capable ninja. If rewarding him for the time being with a more decent home and living accommodations is one way of reward then so be it."

Inochi, Shikaku, and Chouza also nodded as well as Hiashi until another member of the Council spoke out.

"Be that as it may….we will still need resources, funds, and manpower to make his new home, and with the reconstruction going on, we can't divert the workers to that project."

Naruto then took his turn and spoke.

"Tsunade-sama….may I speak?"

Tsunade nodded and Naruto stepped forward and spoke to the Council directly.

"I am well aware of the fact that Konoha's resources are being directed in the reconstruction, but I will have the resources and materials…and the manpower needed for the home, you do not need to divert anything from the reconstruction of Konoha. I will handle those details on my own accord."

The Council were still in discussion as Naruto stepped backward and Koharu then spoke.

"And just how do you plan to handle the requirements of making your own residence Naruto Uzumaki? You may be getting payments for missions you undertake, but the earnings of a Genin will not be enough to buy the materials, tools, and the payments for the workers…not to mention how to feed and house them for the duration of the job."

Koharu asked this practical question to test Naruto and see how he would respond. She like Homura didn't have that much faith in the young man despite his apparent growth in ability and strength. Naruto was quick on the uptake and decided to reveal something that he had been practicing for some time. He had gotten so skilled with Alchemy for the past few days he could do things that many would have deemed impossible.

He took out a lump of coal and chanted a bit as he held the coal in his hand and after a few minutes he opened the hand for all to see and before the stunned members of the Council….was a large diamond….the size of a small orange and in a pure state of beauty. He tossed the diamond on the table and Kohane looked at the forged jewel and her eyes told her that there were no flaws in the diamond and it was a very valuable treasure. Naruto gave a simple smile and replied.

"As you can see Elder Koharu.I am very capable of generating my own funds….but I only do so when I need to do so as this is not easy for me to do all the time, plus I am well aware that too much wealth will devalue the economy of the village….I will pay for all the needs of a new home's construction myself. I trust that is enough for everyone in the Council?"

Tsunade smiled a bit and so did Shizune as the Council were stunned at how Naruto turned a near worthless lump of coal into a pure diamond in a matter of minutes.

--------

Later…

Naruto smiled at the land he had been given by Tsunade….there were trees there and a large open field and there was a large river nearby that came from the upper mountains and the river created a fairly large lake in the middle of the grounds as well….allowing Naruto a good deal of leeway when it came to his training….the land he was given for his new home was idyllic indeed and he thanked Tsunade profusely in private for letting him have the land for his new home….and since it was well within Konoha's borders he had little to fear. Tsunade smiled as she kissed him on the lips and said that he had done a lot and if this was one way to repay him, then she was happy he approved of it at the moment. The blonde Hokage then bid him farewell and whispered that when the time was right, then he could properly thank her….making Naruto blush bright red, much to her amusement and she told him to relax for the time being.

He had ordered large amounts of quality stone, wood and other building materials for his new home using his Transmutation magic to create a small but very valuable pile of treasure that he could use to fund the construction of his home….but he focused only on buying the materials and not the workers themselves. He already had a number of workers who he knew he could trust already and they were certainly going to be of great help to him. Holy Talon then spoke to his master as he stood in the field of the large tract of land and there were the materials that he requested.

(("You are ready Master Naruto?"))

(Yeah….let's do this.)

--------

Weeks later…

"Hey….did you hear? Naruto moved out of his old apartment and got a new home!!!!"

"What? You're kidding…."

"No I'm not, he's on the land that used to belong to the old Senju Clan….and get this….Hokage-sama was the one who gave that land to him."

The rumors were all over the village that Naruto had moved out of his apartment….the villagers who still didn't like him or hated him thought at first that he was finally going to leave and they were happy, but when they learned that he was actually awarded land to settle into near Konoha, and it was the former land of the nearly wiped out Senju clan, they were shocked and stunned at the news. The land of the Senju was considered off limits and was not to be handed down to anyone with the exception of a direct blessing of the Hokage. They then heard that Tsunade….their current Hokage and last of the Senju Clan had rewarded a portion of her clan's lands to Naruto for ownership, and while many of them were not very pleased with the news they could do little but complain silently and privately.

Others in the village however were of better moods and tempers, some of them who were sympathetic to Naruto's case were actually happy that he had finally moved out of the old, drab, badly maintained, and dusty apartment and finally getting a decent place to stay for once and with the Hokage's blessing as well. Teuchi and Ayame were frequent guests to the site and when they returned they were telling stories about Naruto hiring strange beings who wore working clothes and had beard….and who were very short and stocky, as well as tall and very strong yet graceful looking people who were skilled workers of wood, while the shorter beings were masters of stone and metal.

The villagers were also hearing rumors about the foreign women who were given residence in one of the apartment complexes in Konoha, the women who apparently were not from any of the known countries would often travel to Naruto's new home and would return to their apartments as well…many rumors flooded out and most of them were not very nice towards the women, namely from married women as their husbands would often stare at the women who were walking about in sometimes odd clothes….what was surprising was the fact that the women in question also were with other men in the village.

Asuma was normally seen with Kurenai and they were also seen at times….but recently, the Jonin was seen in the company of one of the foreign women who had silver hair and red eyes like Kurenai herself, and the woman was rumored to be as attractive as Kurenai herself. The Jonin and the foreign woman named Vlana would routinely speak about the history of Konoha and despite looking delicate and slender….the woman named Vlana was strong and skilled as a fighter.

Asuma's own students, that is his male students were also meeting several of the foreign women, Shikamaru was having a usual chat and an occasional game of shoji with the woman who carried that strange spear like weapon on her back…even when she was not wearing her armor at the moment, Chouji was also seen eating with another of the foreign women and this woman has slightly dark skin and red hair and was seen to be very strong despite being slender, compared to Chouji, the two would be eating some form of food together and would at times even spar with one another. Ino was on cordial terms with the two women and they would even tell one another about their experiences.

Gai's own male students were also with some of the foreign girls….Lee would be seen learning much from the pointy eared woman named Valena who proved to be an amazing fighter in terms of Taijutsu….earning even Gai's approval to train with him, Lee, and Neji. Valena was not the only one as Coryin was also there and both she and Tenten would test Neji's combat skills and defensive techniques, The Falcon Ranger proved to be a real challenge for Neji as well as Tenten and instead of being enemies, the two females were very friendly to one another.

The same could be said for the male students in Kurenai's team, Kiba and Liana were getting along well with one another and both Tsume and Hana were approving of the friendship between Kiba and Liara….and so was Akamaru as well as the dog familiar considered Liana a good friend. Liana's gift of understanding animal languages and also her unique powers made her a considerably skilled warrior and her combat skills were very good. Plus her love for nature made her welcome in the Inuzuka household and she decided to apprentice herself to Hana to learn the trade of veterinary medicine. The same could be said for Telis as she took the time to be with Shino and his family….most other people would be scared somewhat by the Aburame clan, but not Telis, rather she considered the family to be nice people and good company. Her familiarity with animals and insects as well was considered rare even by the clan's standards as she had not made pacts with the insects and animals she speaks to but they came to her freely as well. Shino and his bugs felt comfortable in her presence and she was very curious about Shino's abilities as well. The two female warriors got along well with Hinata and even joined Kiba in teasing Hinata about her long time crush on Naruto though in a kind and gentle fashion.

Kakashi himself was normally seen in the company of Kaelyn and while some of the women in Konoha were not that happy with the situation, not everyone complained….as they would see Kakashi with a real woman for a change and that was a good thing….though Kaelyn seemed not to mind when Kakashi did buy the books on occasion. The woman who spoke the language of Konoha seemed to like Kakashi and the Jonin didn't mind her company as well. Kaelyn also removed her armor and dressed in a more civilian fashion for the time she was out in public as well and she seemed to find Konoha fascinating as well.

The female warriors were granted safe haven by Tsunade as they were not there to fight with the village or cause trouble and they proved that they were allies and considering the fact that they had no other place to go, she decided to let them stay. The apartment complex that was handed to them was not used much and was damaged…..but the female warriors proved themselves to be more than capable of doing things on their own as well.

Naruto's new residence was not very large but the way it was built was certainly something very new and different….it was similar to make houses that belonged to the noble clans of Konoha…..but there were quite major differences in the way the house and surrounding grounds were built at the moment. The dwarves crafted intricate walls with unique symbols and pictures…and the stone masonry in the house was delicately made, as if the house itself was a work of art….but it was also more than that as well. The house was surrounded by a well crafted wall that was surrounding the house and was amazingly strong enough to withstand explosives….the people were unaware that Naruto and Holy Talon had imbued the stone with Dragon Fire to reinforce the stone of the walls and in the house itself….so it was stronger, and tougher as well. The wood is also enchanted with Dragon Fire so it was stronger, tougher, and was not affected easily by rot, insects, and water….making the wood very much high valued wood for construction….the wood also was filled with intricate symbols and pictures….along with stone statues and more.

There were several good rooms there as well…a central dining room with several stone fire places to warm the house in cold nights as the dwarf craftsmen had placed special channels that spread out the heat all over the house to keep it warm and cozy. The room also had a well crafted set of tables. One was small for Naruto eat one and several larger ones on the chance he would have guests in his home. The kitchen was also very much a well crafted on and there were storage bins to store food and more in them…Naruto's kitchen tools and equipment were also there as well as those had been moved out of his apartment and placed into his new home. The sleeping quarters were very spacious and well stocked as Naruto bought a goo number of things to fill up his new home. The dwarves and the elves that he summoned also created several other sleeping quarters if Naruto had any guests come over to his him. There was also a large bathing area….similar to a hot spring that Naruto could relax in if he decided not to go out for a bath in the hot spring resorts in Konoha or had little time to leave. There was even a shower and bath tub as well. There was a training hall for him to practice in when he was in his home and an armory as well….

The outside of the compound was also well made as there were gardens there as well and a large pool that was fed by the river and he could easily swim there as well. And he could practice with his Dragon Fire there as well.

The house had good roofing and design and resembled the home of a royal member of a country, that was one thing that Naruto took pride in as it really set him out from others….but he was not going to have the old apartment he lived in destroyed, but he planed to have it fully rebuilt and refurbished for use. His new home also had power and electricity as well so he would be able to use the appliances he had with him at the time he needed them.

Weeks later, he got his first visitors as Tsunade, Shizune, Sakura, Hinata, Ino, Tenten, Kin, Kurenai, Anko, Kakashi, Sasuke, Neji, Iruka, Lee, Shikamaru, Kiba Akamaru, Asuma, Shino, and Gai saw the new house and they were amazed at how unique the house was and now Naruto had quickly build the house he was now going to reside in for the rest of his life….it was not as big as the Uchiha compound or the Hyuuga estate…but it was undeniably majestic and spoke of power and position.

Naruto did his best to be a good host to his new home and as soon as the house was properly blessed, it was back to his duties as a ninja as several new missions finally came up for him to take and they seemed to be tough ones. However….one mission that got Naruto very excited was escorting one of his favorite female actresses for a film shot in the Land of Snow.

--------

In the Konoha Council chambers… three months later…

Tsunade was busy there on the round table that was the meeting place for all the top leaders and officials in Konoha for the annual leaders meeting…she was not dressed in the Hokage robes but wore her normal clothes and was reading a new bunch of reports…but all these were reports of the accomplishments of a certain blonde ninja and his Team and she couldn't help but smile warmly at the news…she then placed the documents down.

"It seems that Konoha is beginning to get back to it's feet…the recent reconstruction funds have been doubled by the Feudal Lord and we have more than enough money to begin full scale repairs to the village at the moment."

"That's correct Hokage-sama…we've also gotten reports of a soon to come number of Snow artisans to help us with the repairs on our electrical systems, power, and sanitation…and all of them have been personally recommended by the new Feudal Lord or rather Princess of Snow/Spring Country to help with the repairs."

Tsunade smiled at the news as she recalled how the mission to Snow Country had turned out…she then took up another report and read the information and it was the report on the Chuunin Exams and as soon as she was done…she spoke out and called the Council to attention.

"I have recently been aware that before the Chuunin exams were halted by Sound and Sand's invasion months before…that there were two viable candidates to be Chuunin that were recommended by the senior and junior Jonin and judges presiding the event…and the names are Shikamaru Nara and Naruto Uzumaki…I have read the reports and their performances in the invasion and I am approving their promotion into Chuunin."

Several of the Council were in agreement…namely Inochi, Shikaku, Chouza, Ginji, and Hiashi…they had heard Naruto's performance in battle and having seen him train had made them see that Naruto would truly be an asset to the village and be one of their best…hard to believe that like the others of the Council…they had some reservations about making the blonde a ninja before…but now they were in full agreement of the idea.

"I have to agree with Tsunade-sama…Naruto's training had proven to have improved his overall standing and ability as a ninja of the village. And he is worthy of promotion since he has undergone a number of successful missions for the past months."

Hiashi said and Ginji nodded as well.

However…not everyone was happy with the decision as they still did not trust Naruto well enough…they recalled that he had given them a very serious ultimatum before and knowing that he had threatened them the way he did still grinded them the wrong way and they were not in the mood for the blonde Genin to get another advantage. Tsunade however was able to see that and she was not the least bit happy with the sight at the moment.

Tsunade glared at the small number of dissenting Council members and replied pointedly…

"Are you questioning Naruto Uzumaki's accomplishments as a ninja? He has proven to be more than a capable ninja time and time again and the people in the said reports have made excellent commendations and mentions of the said ninja…in fact the Feudal Lord of our own Land has recommended him to be promoted in light of his accomplishments…and the new leader of the technologically advanced Snow/Spring Country, Princess Koyuki Kazahana has given him her own seal of approval and commendations…and you still think that he does not deserve to be promoted to a higher rank?"

The Council members were not happy as there was great truth in Tsunade's words…to prove that…the Feudal Lord himself had given a massive monetary payment to Konoha for the defense of a vital gold and silver mine that had been the target of a highly organized force of renegade ninja and bandits…many of them were arrested and others were slain by Naruto's group…and his defeat of the tyrant of the Land of Snow…Doto Kazahana added further weight to her words. Tsunade then looked at everyone ion the Council room and then to the oldest leaders and also the ones that earned her ire…Homura, Koharu, and lastly Danzo himself…

The former head of the secret police/assassin division of ANBU Root had been a fierce contender for the place of Hokage when her sensei Sarutobi had been alive and was younger. While his policies and ideals were more fanatical and blunt…he was a shrewd tactician and politician and that made him influential in Konoha's politics despite being forced off his position and Root disbanded…that and there were members of Root loyal to him. He favored direct attacks and assassination than diplomacy and that was what made him a fierce opponent to Sarutobi…there was also the fact that she disliked him immensely and the feeling was mutual…she knew that while he respected her…he disliked her as she was the First Hokage's granddaughter and was like the Third Hokage.

Homura was the first to speak.

"We do not question his accomplishments and the praise given to him is well deserved…however…he has not take the full extent of the Chuunin Exams. We have not seen him unleash his full potential for ourselves to make a sound judgment at the time being."

"So are you suggesting that we wait until he takes the Chuunin Exams again Homura? We cannot do that as we are still rebuilding Konoha and we are short handed in ninjas. However…Naruto has proven himself time and time again in these missions he and his group have undertaken and to deny him a just promotion would be a slap in the face."

Koharu then spoke to Tsunade.

"So you wish to promote him due to his actual mission records Tsunade-hime?"

"Yes…it has been done before as I recall and Naruto has proven to be a ninja worthy of an official promotion…I have received records of his battles and I can see that he has the promise to be one of the finest ninja we have."

Danzo coughed a bit and that directed the attention of everyone to him and he replied.

"I fully agree with Tsunade-hime…many here might have thought that he should have never been made a ninja…but his records have proven that Iruka's judgment on the matter of his graduating as a Genin was the right one."

The Council were surprised at this and another wave of discussions were made and the Council thought it over and it was then that Jiraiya arrived in the Council chambers…while some of the Council were not happy with the unexpected arrival of the Sannin, they did little to stop him as well. The Sannin had been back to his usual antics and had been keeping tabs on both Akatsuki and Orochimaru who had been silent for some time and it would not be long before things would pick up.

Jiraiya grinned at his team-mate and spoke to her.

"So you're getting Naruto promoted to Chuunin eh? Nice move…that blonde kid will be utterly happy with the news."

"I know…I guess I'll need to buy some ear-plugs before I break the news to him and his group. The very second he finds out he's promoted by the Council and me…things will be very interesting."

Tsunade nodded at that and wondered just how Naruto would take his promotion. She knew for a fact that he would be utterly happy with the news and the decision of the Council to allow him to be promoted into a Chuunin. He was probably going to be utterly happy as he was now one step further into accomplishing his dream of being the next Hokage.

She however had to keep an eye on Danzo, and even Homura and Kohane….she didn't know why she had the desire to keep a strong watch on them but she was not going to challenge these thoughts as she knew for a fact that sooner or later they would prove to be true….she knew that all three of them were not very trusting of Naruto and his abilities as a ninja….which was why she was wary of them at the moment and although they finally budged on promoting Naruto, they might have an ulterior motive in mind.

--------

And sure enough…

Naruto was dressed in his clothes and Holy Talon strapped to his back and with him were his team-mates and Jonin-sensei Kakashi…who was carrying a newly forged katana…courtesy of his young Genin student who had began to learn the art of being a smith with the aid of his dwarf comrades. Sakura was very much curious why Naruto had been summoned and so was Shikamaru…along with the Nara clan heir's team of Chouji and Ino…along with Asuma. Tsunade, Shizune, and Jiraiya were there as well and they were eager to see Naruto react to the news.

Kakashi stepped forward and spoke.

"You wanted to see us Hokage-sama?"

"Yes Kakashi…I have been reviewing most of the missions taken by Team 7 and it seems that your team has proven to be quite a good force and there have been many good marks from various clients…the most coming from the Feudal Lord and the current leader of Snow/Spring Country, Princess Koyuki has sent her best regards for Team 7 as well."

Kakashi smiled as he felt great pride for his team and knew that he got a good team under his command.

"I also have reviewed the performance of each Genin in your team…Sakura has proven to have exceptional chakra control and is the brains in the team…while Naruto and Sasuke are able to work well as a team when the time comes…as it stands…I and the Council have decided to have one of your team to be promoted…and it is Naruto Uzumaki along with Shikamaru from Asuma's team."

The Jonin were surprised and the Genin were as well…and Naruto was even more awed by the news…Sakura felt great surprise for Naruto while Sasuke was silent for the moment as Tsunade spoke even more.

"Shikamaru is by far one of the best Genin in terms of tactical brilliance and skills in analysis and leadership…as were noted by the judges in the previous Chuunin Exams. As for Naruto…his battle records and the good commendations from our clients concerning his performance have given him the right to be promoted to Chuunin by battle rank merit."

"Has this been approved by the Council?"

"Yes it has…as of today…out of the named Rookie 9…Naruto Uzumaki and Shikamaru Nara are the ones who have earned Chuunin rank. Both of you know that by being Chuunin, you both will be taking sub leader positions as Chuunin and therefore will only be with your teams when under the command of your Jonin sensei…should the mission require haste and your sensei is not available…then you will command your teams…understood?"

"Yes Hokage-sensei!"

Naruto was utterly ecstatic but he didn't rush up and hug Tsunade in public as her lessons in social graces were still with him and he knew better than to try such a thing in public. However, he showed his joy with his warm smile. Shikamaru merely groaned and gave a silent complaint about another workload coming his way.

--------

Later…

"Man…congrats Shikamaru…you're a Chuunin!!!!"

Chouji said as he patted his best friend on the back while Ino was smiling all the while…and Asuma was smiling warmly as he smoked his cigarette as he watched the three members of his team enjoy the news…he knew Shikamaru had the talent to be a Chuunin and he was not disappointed as well.

One the other side…Kurenai's team, including said Jonin were congratulating Kakashi's team as well.

Hinata was blushing as she approached her long time crush.

"C-Congratulations on being a Chuunin N-N-Naruto-kun."

"Yeah! Who would have thought you'd be Chuunin? But hey…you deserve it, right Akamaru?"

"ARF!!!"

Naruto smiled as despite not being fully skilled in understanding animal speak as Kiba and Liara was, he could tell that Akamaru agreed with his master's words. Shino then walked over and offered his hand for a shake,

"Congratulations Naruto…you did well and deserve this rank."

Normally people would be wary of Shino with the exception of his team and his family but Naruto had long since known that he could rely on the bug user to help out in a dire situation when needed and accepted the handshake from the normally silent Genin.

"Thank you guys."

Sakura was also smiling as she looked at Naruto and spoke honestly.

"I can't believe you've been promoted…it's so unreal…but still, I'm happy for you Naruto-kun!"

Naruto smiled wider and replied.

"Thanks Sakura-chan!"

Kakashi looked at his team and smiled a bit more though he gave a worried look to Sasuke who was silent the whole time as the others in the Rookie 9 were all having a fun time…it didn't take long for another team to arrive…along with several others. Gain and his team were there as well and they were grinning, and with them was Haku, Kin, and Zabuza…Lee was the very first to reach Naruto and he gave his 'Nice Guy' look to Naruto complete with glinting pearly white teeth and thumbs up.

"You did it Naruto-san…you're a Chuunin…you're 'flames of youth' burn brightly today!!!"

Gai also did the same thing…much to the discomfort of Neji and Tenten…but Gai then replied to Naruto.

"It's going to be a tougher situation now that you're a Chuunin Naruto-san…so do your best and keep your training sharp and honed like Lee okay?"

"I understand Gai-sensei!"

Neji then showed his hand and the two shook hands as Neji replied in pure honesty. He had held Naruto in high regard ever since their battle in the Chuunin Exams and during the mission in Suna when he and his team were there to back up Team 7 in the fighting. If it hadn't been for Naruto giving him that specially made Orchaelium chainmail shirt that protected him…that Reaper's scythe would have torn him in half with one swipe.

"You deserve this promotion Naruto-san."

"Thanks Neji…I've got no doubt you'd make a great Chuunin yourself…heck you might even be a Jonin soon."

"I might do just that."

Tenten smiled and shook Naruto's hand as well in congratulations as she was happy for Naruto's promotion and hoped that sooner or later…she and her team would also be able to take their own step into being Chuunin or even Jonin…it would also help her achieve her dream of being a famed Kunoichi like Tsunade…her idol.

Haku and Kin were there as well as Zabuza…the probation period had ended for the two former citizens of Water Country and they were now given positions in the Konoha forces…with Zabuza being given a position in the ANBU forces, while Haku was placed as a Genin to earn his way back…despite his skills being in par with a Chuunin…Haku however didn't complain much with the decision and relished the chance to put his skills back to good use and being a Medic nin would be worth it.

Kin was happy for her savior and showed her support for his promotion as she hugged Naruto a bit and shook his hand.

"You did great Naruto-kun…you deserve this promotion!"

"Not bad kid…not bad at all."

Zabuza replied as he smiled underneath his mask, while Haku gave his usual smile and his own words of encouragement.

"I am happy for your promotion Naruto-san. You've proven yourself worthy of such an accomplishment."

Naruto was very happy and it was then that Kakashi spoke as he revealed a very thick envelope.

"By the way…I've gotten a very big bonus during a mission a few days before and I figured that the time has come to celebrate…especially since it's Naruto's promotion as a Chuunin and also Shikamaru's, we're going to have a celebration in one of the best steak houses in Konoha…and as much I don't like spending a lot…I'm inviting others to come in and join as well."

Asuma, Kurenai, and Gai was surprised and for good reason…it was not every day that Kakashi treated others out to a celebration and they had no idea how to react…that is Asuma and Kurenai had no idea…but Gai certainly did as he grinned.

"I'm game!"

The others agreed with the sole exception of Sasuke who silently left the scene….by the time the others found out he was not there…the group had decided to go ahead and go to the one place Kakashi was known to enjoy eating out…a fair distance away…Sasuke was not happy as he was in a nearby forest and was looking at the group in a very unhappy fashion.

As soon as he was alone…Sasuke turned and growled.

(I have had enough of this…..I will kill you Itachi even if it's the last thing I do! But….I have another path in mind….)

Sasuke then looked out towards the direction of the sun and the horizon…and thought of a certain sword… and then spoke to himself.

"I will claim you…Death Fang…."

Unknown to him…four cloaked figures were watching him and they were apparently spying on him…one turned and spoke to the others…their words were not heard by Sasuke and they faded away in the background and as soon as they were out of sight and a fair distance away from Konoha….another band of ninja came to meet them…all having the musical note symbol of Sound….

In another part of the world….A certain Uchiha was currently giving a report to a number of other figures who were dressed just like him while Kisame was looking on and eager to hear just what the plans were for the new information.

Itachi however…while giving his report knew that as things were…he had to make contingency plans of his own…the arrival of Death Fang and Holy Talon into this world has brought complications that he had not properly planned for…he only hoped that he would have enough time to plan out things he knew had to be done soon.

Unknown to all parties involved…the topic of their thoughts and discussions and was already sensing their motivations.

--------

In it's lair…

Death Fang gave a dark and sinister chuckle as it sensed what was happening. The emotions it could sense from massive distances was really making it smile…things were on the move and soon…it will see just who will prove worthy to be it's master…but until then….sowing more discord was on the agenda…

It wanted to see just what sort of chaos and death it could send into this rich world…the death of it's Reaper minions was somewhat regrettable but not a serious dent…after all…the spirits of the Reapers were under it's command and would not die unless he was either severely drained of power or shattered. The victory of Naruto and Holy Talon was not entirely expected…but it further impressed the evil sword as it saw Naruto's growth to be truly a challenge… But for now it had other plans…

The last three months have given it time to plan out a very special treat for Naruto and his companions…it was a little experiment it had in mind and it had spent the time being silent in order to plan things out and now…it's latest agent was on the loose…only this particular agent was very delicious…and deadly.

--------

A cloaked and hooded figure walked out a nearby inn and looked at the setting sun and gave a dark and seductive chuckle…indicating that the figure was a female woman…the hooded female looked outward and there were two glowing points of red in the recesses of the hood.

"Mmmm….it's been an age since I got to have my fun…and the new boys back there have been rather nice to the taste…I wonder if there are other delicious morsels out here in this world? Regardless….I know where my target is…but why go all the way there…when I can lure him out?"

The figure then moved on…it's destination unknown….but inside the inn were a large number of people in their rooms….and all males….and they all had looks of bliss and happiness…a normal scene…unless one overlooked the fact that they resembled shriveled mummies as their skin was dry and taunt on their bodies, their bones being seen… and their eyes were nearly white.

They resembled mummies at the moment…barely alive but apparently were drained dry of their life force and fluids.

--------

To be continued…

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Author's notes:

This wraps up the chapter….but I have to admit that this one took a while due to the fact that with me being swamped with so many projects…plus other real life issues that had to be at my full attention.

As you can see in this chapter…the situation is going to be rather explosive as things get underway as Sasuke…after seeing the ability of Death Fang and knowing that it is Holy Talon's only rival in power…now plans to seek the sword out and use it to accomplish his plans…now everyone thinks that this is a letdown…however…Kabuto now knows the origin of the only equal to Holy Talon and now doubt Orochimaru will learn of it as well…and so will Akatsuki….

It will not be long before they seek out Death Fang and maybe others will as well…like those of evil hearts and desires did long ago in Dagern when they sought to take Death Fang and use the dark powers of the evil sword for their own use…

However…there are two factors that are against them…

The first is that none of them know Death Fang's true location….when the sword made it's first appearance, I have not told anyone where it is located….I only said it was in it's lair but never where…so they will have a hard time seeking the sword as they have no idea where to start looking for it.

And the second is the most obvious…

The sword CHOOSES it's master and it can sense ulterior motives and desires, that allows Death Fang to weigh them and see just who deserves it's powers and become the master. Just because it's an evil sword, it does not just choose anyone to be it's master, it seeks only the most evil, the ones who are willing to sacrifice everything to be it's master and to wield power and spill the blood of those that stand in his or her way. Death Fang can read the minds of those who seek it and will react accordingly.

Making ownership of this sword….very difficult to just about anyone…

Trailer:

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"AAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!"

"Itachi!!!!"

Kisame rushed in and caught Itachi as the Uchiha fell to the ground in pain….Kisame took out the Samehada and got ready to fight but found himself surrounded by Wraith Knights….and Reapers who quickly appeared out of nowhere to surround them….and without any knowledge of how to defeat these undead warriors, Kisame knew his chances were slim.

((("No….do not kill them my minions. They are not worth the time")))

The Wraith Knights and reapers obeyed without question as Death Fang's eye turned to Itachi and it glared darkly at Sasuke's elder brother. The sword was surrounded by a blood red aura mixed with midnight as well and the lava in the caves grew darker and more evil and vile by the second. This time….the sword spoke directly to Itachi.

((("You pathetic fool….powerful you may be….but you are not truly evil….I sense something in your mind…a love for a brother. I know your mind Itachi Uchiha….I have seen it…and all your lies and disguises mean nothing to me! You are powerful and yet you are dying….I have no use for a sentimental and dying fool as my master…I might cure you of your disease easily, but your still lingering love for your brother disgusts me.")))

The evil sword glowed even more malevolently and spoke harshly at Itachi.

((("You may have found my lair….but you shall not be so lucky next time….and if you dare to seek me out yet again….to shield your brother from me….then you shall be slain quickly….now, you and your companion…..BEGONE!!!!!")))

A massive cloud of red light surrounded Itachi and Kisame and Kisame tried in vain to fight their way through but the light surrounded them and faded away as Death Fang spoke.

((("This place is no longer a good place to be in….I need to be somewhere….nicer.")))

In a lake the red light appeared and down came Itachi and Kisame….uninjured and alive. They walked out of the river as Itachi sat down and felt the pain in his right hand begin to slowly fade away….his mission to find the sword was successful….but who knew what that evil blade would do now….and his real mission to sacrifice himself to claim the sword and keep it from claiming his brother….has failed utterly…

"Itachi….we need to go."

"I know…"

"Pain is not going to like this…"

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See you in the next chapter as we are about see just what this new….and more attractive threat comes to seek out Naruto and have a little fun with the Dragon Champion….how will this turn out?


	29. The Dark Lady Part 1

Naruto The Twin Swords

Disclaimer: I don't Naruto or any involved media and characters of said series…

Chapter 24

Part 1

The Dark Lady

( ): Thoughts

((" ")): Holy Talon's voice

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Author's Notice:

The female villain who is in this chapter was the result of collaboration between me and my good friend Rictor Yagami who provided many of the key details and information for the creation and conception of the said female villain….as such, credit goes to him for his contributions to the creation of Naruto's first solo female opponent….who's title is the same as that of the chapter in question…The Dark Lady.

Many thanks Rictor!!!

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'_Be very careful of those you face from the realms of Chaos….not all the enemies of the Holy Dragons come in evil and brutal forms….some can come in forms no one expects….but when they come in the guise of a woman…'_

'_Then you must be extra careful…_'

A sage's warning to his acolytes…

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In Konoha…

Naruto was busy doing a regular round of push-ups to build his strength and also to relax and get his muscles limber and loose for another round of learning sword combat techniques and some new Elemental spells. The blonde Chuunin however was busy thinking about how he was dealing with the new things happening in his life at this very moment. He was dealing with the fact that he had a new home to live in, courtesy of his dwarf comrades, Rumkil and Thorell Stone hand and Leena and her elven comrades. Not to mention the fact that he was now a Chuunin…

(I can't believe it….I'm a Chuunin….and soon, I can be a Jonin someday….this is so cool!!!!)

Naruto finished his training and summoned one of the essences of the Dragon Champions, Vane and as he was filled with the knowledge of the previous Dragon Champion, he took from a nearby weapon rack, a pair of Katanas and he kept Holy Talon on his back, and as he relaxed himself and cooled his breathing he stood before a massive number of wood targets and large numbers of dummies. The blonde ninja had placed the weapons on either side of his hips and when he felt relaxed….he drew the weapons out and opened his eyes and attacked quickly and effectively at the targets.

The Dragon Champion and Konoha ninja moved quickly and methodically as he understood that when fighting in the dual wielding style, one had to rely not entirely raw strength and power….but stamina, endurance, speed, agility, precision and power. The blonde moved quickly and lashed out with stabs, slashes and overhead strikes at the targets as wood and more were cut down by the blonde ninja as he dodged and moved accordingly. The blonde ninja used the knowledge of fighting with two long blades to perfect his ability to balance his hands and become more ambidextrous and that gave him a greater sense of fluidity and motion, plus it built up his speed as both swords were of equal weight and balance….thus required equal skill and strength to properly wield both weapons and to perfect one's skills with blades.

Naruto continued his training and movements as the blades bit into their targets and cut them down with effective cuts and stabs and he moved through with good speed and balance and as he was finally able to finish his training, he relaxed and as he placed away the swords….he heard a knock on his door and took a nearby towel and wiped his sweat away and rushed to open the door as the knocking increased at the moment.

"All right, all right already!!!!"

Naruto opened the door and was greeted by a certain novel, though as far as he can tell….it had a new title and images to boot. And it was then accompanied by a certain voice and a certain figure.

"Hey there Naruto….like my new book?"

"PERVY SAGE!!!!"

--------

Later…

Jiraiya sat down and drank from the cup that Naruto had as the blonde Chuunin got a pack of food for his guest….despite the fact he was not all that comfortable with the idea of having the ninja world's greatest pervert in his house. But he didn't worry too much….after all, he owed Jiraiya a good deal, since he taught him the Rasengan and also got him to meet Tsunade who was one of the people he respected….though in more ways than one.

Jiraiya finished his drink and looked at Naruto's house and whistled.

"You've really done good for yourself my boy….not only are you a Chuunin now, but you own a house like this….you did great….namely with that date you had with Hinata, nice moves on that occasion."

Naruto gave the Toad Sage and erotic novelist a slight glare and spoke.

"You were watching the whole thing?"

"Of course I was….you think I would miss out on seeing you go out on your first official date? I'd be an idiot to do that. So how was it by the way….I was only using my telescope to see the whole thing and I had some work to do."

"Making more content for those books of yours?"

"Pretty much….of course….keeping an eye on Akatsuki was part of the job description as well. They have been pretty busy lately….they have been moving about in their usual team formations of two members each…not to mention I've been seeing a number of ninja moving about that have the same trademark of theirs…."

"What do you mean by that Pervy Sage?"

"You remember the forehead protectors Itachi Uchiha and the former Mist Swordsman named Kisame? Well….as far as I understand it….when they formed Akatsuki, it's traditional for them to gash the forehead protector to show that they no longer uphold the ideal of their former village and no longer follow their traditions. From what I saw however….these ninja are from Rain Country….which is strange as there have been no news from the place for a long time."

"Really….what's the deal with the silence?"

Jiraiya shook his head and replied.

"You should have read your history no matter how boring it might seem to you at first….that way you would understand at the moment. Rain Country was the site of some of the greatest and most bloody battles in the Third Ninja Wars….when, Orochimaru was still part of Konoha though he was already walking towards betraying the village, Tsunade, and I were younger, we fought in those wars and even fought in Rain Country….it's usually a country filled with refugees from the wars as it was in the middle of three of the great countries. The government used to be nearly non existent and no sense of order was there….until recently the Land was in a state of unending civil war that only stopped when some unknown ninja became the village head. T he fact that their ninja wear the forehead protectors with the same gash on Akatsuki forehead protectors is very odd unless someone in the country is a member of Akatsuki itself and that is what worries me at the moment. The idea of a member of Akatsuki leading a country is a very unpleasant thought at the moment."

Naruto thought it over and had to agree with Jiraiya….and he then decided to try out a suggestion.

"Why not go to the Land of Rain and see for ourselves if this guy is a member of Akatsuki?"

Jiraiya gave the blonde Chuunin a very amused look and replied in answer to Naruto's question.

"Not a bad idea….but we need to get more details first before jumping the gun at the moment, we need to plan things out first before we just go there half cocked. Rain might be calmer now….but I get the feeling that their peace was won through a very brutal method at the moment."

Jiraiya thought about that and he was himself very curious on just who the leader was that finally silenced the wars that were tearing Rain apart that much at the time. But for now….the new movements of Akatsuki worried him….they would have gone looking for other things but now they all seemed intent on other more important matters.

The Sanin however decided to place those thoughts aside and see how Naruto had been doing ever since his promotion to Chuunin and he could see that Naruto had done well form himself for the past few weeks and had been working long and hard to be where he was at this point and time and he couldn't help but feel proud of the young man who was dear to him in a very special way…after all, if it hadn't been for Naruto, the legacy of the Fourth would have faded….not just the legacy of his sacrifice….but his family's own as well. Jiraiya nearly felt like shedding a tear and Naruto noted that very quickly.

"Hey Pervy Sage….don't tell me your crying or something."

"Not your concern kid….but I have to say….you're doing well….but keep in mind, there's always going to be another challenge waiting on the horizon so you have to be ready for those kinds of situations when the time comes….don't relax just yet and be ready for anything because you'll never know what happens in the future."

"Thanks for the advice….so where are you off to now?"

"I have to head for the Hokage Tower to drop off a report to Tsunade again about Akatsuki's recent movements and also do my usual research….if you know what I mean."

"Again? You're darn lucky the women here haven't caught you peeking at them just yet you perverted old man. Someday that stuff your doing is going to come back to haunt you."

Jiraiya then smirked at that and replied.

"At least I love to see women in their best….what about you….have YOU seen women when they are at their most beautiful?"

"What are you blabbering about?"

"You've never seen a woman naked before have you? And I'm NOT talking about those pictures you see in the magazines….I am talking the REAL deal kid."

"Knock it off you perverted old man before you give me way too much to think about at night!!!!"

Jiraiya laughed at the deep red blush on the blonde ninja's face and he spoke once more.

"You'll get your turn soon enough Naruto and you'll find out how right it can be to actually see the beauty of women first hand."

As Jiraiya left….Naruto slapped his forehead and began to laugh as he recalled the words the Pervy sage spoke of and he walked back into his dining room and grabbed some of the rice cakes that Jiraiya had not eaten while he was in the house. As the blonde finished the short meal, he couldn't help but think back on a very important occasion that really got him into serious hot water at the time….and while he had tried to get out of it….a part of his more primal male side was happy that he didn't. he then had a thought and laughed even more as his memories of the day came back.

(Thank Kami the Pervy Sage didn't find out about that….if he did, I'd never hear the end of it…)

Naruto then thought back on that incident that made him very much familiar with women in ways he never thought he would learn likewise…it might have not been what he expected….but life did have a way of throwing surprises down one's direction when one least expected it. And the incident was one hell of a surprise to boot.

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Flashback to three days ago…

Naruto was tired as he made his way into the hot springs to have a break after his latest mission with his team and Kakashi as well. The Jonin had kept the sword Naruto had forged for him as a reserve weapon in a scroll for easier carrying at the moment, Sakura had gotten used to the knowledge that she had Dragon Fire in her body and it had melded with her chakra…making her chakra more potent and powerful as well…and Sasuke….well…he was still the same silent and brooding type….though Naruto worried a bit about the stares the Uchiha would give to Holy Talon and his sword did tell him that it was not trusting the way Sasuke had been acting these past few days…

(Ahhh….no time to think that for now….time to relax and enjoy a good hot soak.)

As Naruto took off his clothes and placing Holy Talon aside, the Chuunin stepped into the spring and marveled at the warmth of the spring and he was eager to finally take a good, long, well deserved soak in the water. As he relaxed, he lowered his defenses for the time being and closed his eyes….as such he lost track of time….and after what seemed like a moment to his relaxed mind….he spoke out loudly….knowing that he was the only one in the hot spring at the moment.

"Ahhhhh…..nothing like a hot spring…"

It was then that Naruto finally got the hint that he was not alone, he had company….and the company he had at the moment were not of the same male gender as he was used to at the moment….rather, it was the company of the….female persuasion.

"You said it….this is the best cure for a long day in the office!"

"I agree Tsunade-sama….I've been looking forward to this for weeks!!!"

"I agree Shizune."

"The same goes for me….that last mission was hard."

"Oh yeah….nothing like a nice hot spring soak….and having a hot looking guy for company is certainly a bonus….right ladies?"

(WHAT THE?!)

Naruto quickly opened his eyes and turned to see just where the voices came from and to his total surprise….as Tsunade was on one side with Shizune as well, while Anko and Kurenai were also on the other side on where he had been resting in a very comfortable fashion previously, the fact that the four Kunoichi were in the hot spring were with him was not the only fact that he was digesting in his mind at the very moment….the second fact was that the four women who were in the waters of the hot spring…were only wearing towels…

That was enough for Naruto finally ask the question that was plaguing his mind at the very moment that he heard those voices.

"W-W-WHAT ARE YOU ALL DOING HERE?! DID I WALK INTO THE FEMALE SIDE OR SOMETHING?!"

The Kunoichi couldn't help but snicker at Naruto who was blushing bright red and was standing there with the funniest expression they had ever seen and Tsunade couldn't blame the blonde ninja for the reaction, apparently Naruto had no idea about this particular day in Konoha's social circle…the blonde Hokage then replied.

"No you didn't wander into the women's section of the hot spring Naruto-kun….this is 'Mixed Bathing Day '."

"What?!"

Kurenai smiled and replied.

"That's right Naruto-kun….twice a month, the hot springs resorts in Konoha allow men and women to bathe together….that's why it's called Mixed Bathing day…"

"Yeah….and it seems to be your lucky day kid….you just got us all for company…."

Anko said with a very perverted smirk on her face…and the way her eyes traveled Naruto's form was very suggestive of what she had in mind. That was enough for Naruto to realize that he was buck naked and only had a silk towel to hide his privates…he quickly ducked down and tried to hide….but the excitable Jonin was having none of it and grabbed Naruto's arm and she then dragged the blonde ninja closer to her, and the others as well…

Naruto found himself surrounded by the women and he was hard pressed in keeping himself from reacting to the sight of Kurenai, Anko, Tsunade, and Shizune naked, though they did have towels wrapped about their bodies which hid their….assets, the towel did little to hide their forms from his eyes….Naruto felt like he was going to faint at the fact that all four women were on either side.

(Kami….what the heck am I going to do?!)

Naruto quickly realized that a certain part of his anatomy was beginning to get rather active and he quickly looked about and saw that all four women were currently relaxing and seemed not to notice his discomfort and arousal at the moment. He hoped that once the women had relaxed, they would be asleep and he could at least sneak away…

However…

Say Naruto-kun….can you do me a favor?"

Naruto turned and saw Shizune with an impish smile on her face and he gulped a bit as he blushed bright red and the other women noted that as well, Tsunade was curious what exactly Shizune had in mind at the moment and so were Anko and Kurenai. Naruto managed to get his mind to work and he spoke carefully, hoping he didn't make himself look like an idiot.

"W-What sort of favor….Shizune-san?"

"Can you wash my back for me?"

"W-W-Wash your…back?!"

"Yes Naruto-kun, it is just a simple thing you know."

Naruto gulped as he looked at Shizune's wet back and he felt his body begin to react once more and he tried his hardest not to let the other Kunoichi see it. He gulped and tried to say something but Shizune turned and gave him a very cute pleading look.

"Please Naruto-kun….there's nothing wrong with you washing my back is there?"

"Uh….no!!! I….all right…."

"Thank you Naruto-kun! The sponge is there on the side….take it and you can start washing my back….I can't reach there at times and I don't get to do this a lot."

Naruto gulped and he went to the sponge that Shizune pointed to and with the fact that Tsunade, Anko, and Kurenai were in the pool and looking at him was certainly playing merry hell on his nerves at the moment. He reached Shizune's back and then he slowly began to rub the soft sponge on Shizune's back and the moans that Shizune gave as he cleansed her back was having an affect on him at the moment and it was testing his self control at the moment.

"That's it Naruto-kun….that feels really good…you're hands feel good as well…."

"Thanks…."

It was then that Kurenai was on his right side and the blonde gulped as he could see her cleavage at the moment to his right and he couldn't help but see her smile in a very mischievous way towards him at the moment. The fact that the undeniably sexy red eyed Jonin was this close to him….and only a thin towel prevented him from seeing her body in full light was not lost to the blonde Chuunin. Kurenai could tell that Naruto was really having a hard time controlling himself at the moment as much as she wished not to do this at the moment….she couldn't resist for too long as she found his reactions very cute…

"Say Naruto-kun….can you wash my back after your done?"

"Ummm…"

Kurenai went closer and her breasts plus her naked form touched Naruto's arm and he gulped out loudly at the moment and she couldn't help but smile a bit at how shy the blonde ninja was and this reminded her quickly of the time back in the pool when he was in the escort mission of the medical supply convoy weeks before.

"Come on Naruto-kun….it's not a bad thing you know."

"I guess…"

Naruto knew that he was walking on hot water at the moment when it came to talking with Kurenai while he was in the spring with her, Shizune, Anko, AND Tsunade at the same time. He was hoping this pleasurable torture would end at the moment before he passed out or did something even more embarrassing.

That option however was taken out his hands at the moment as he felt another person on the other side of him….and when he turned….it was none other than Anko herself who was smiling in a very sexy fashion on Naruto at the moment. The excitable and very much aroused Jonin smiled and spoke to him as well.

"And when you're done with Kurenai-san….then can you wash MY back to?"

Naruto had no way to say anything yet as Anko came closer to him and he was trying his best not react as both Kurenai and Anko pressed ever closer to him from the sides and it was taking all of his willpower not to pass out as both women were around him and the knowledge that he was buck naked and so were they and only towels as thin as one can get were covering them at the moment. He felt his body begin to heat up to the point that he was amazed he was not steaming like meat in a pot himself at the moment. He wished that he could just fade away before…

He was too late as he felt a pair of large but soft and firm objects touch his back and he didn't need to turn to know that Tsunade had joined the act at the moment and was leaning on his back and before he could do anything, the blonde Hokage then spoke to him in a very seductive voice….she rarely used that voice in public and now she was speaking in his ear…

"Don't forget to wash my back as well Naruto-kun…."

Naruto gulped out loud and managed to muster enough of his wits to finish his cleaning of Shizune's back and he spoke to Shizune in a very tense voice at that moment as he tried his very best to resist his body's reactions to the fact that the blonde Hokage had her breasts on his back and her arms on him as well as speaking seductively near him, as well as the fact that the red eyed Jonin was on one side of him and her breasts were touching his arm at the moment as well as her form was next to his as well, and of course the fact that Anko was right next to him as well and her considerable breasts were also on his other side and his naked form was right next to him as well. The blonde was able to finally finish washing Shizune's back and he spoke.

"I'm done….washing your back Shizune-san…."

Shizune turned and then without any fanfare….she was now pressing herself on Naruto's front and she smiled at him and that was the final blow to Naruto's self control….and who could blame the blonde Chuunin? Here he was at this moment and time…

In a hot spring naked….

With only a thin cloth towel shielding his privates…

And he was surrounded by four of the most attractive female Jonin in the village…and they were in the same states as he was.

Naruto had no idea what to do at the moment, but fate had other ideas as Shizune felt a certain something poking her stomach and when she looked down through the steam and water….she spotted a very familiar part of male anatomy that was at full attention and she gasped…and then looked at Naruto in a very sly and sensual way as she reached downwards

"Oh my….Naruto-kun, you are getting very much into this aren't you?"

Naruto gulped at the seductive tone in Shizune's voice and it was not long for the other three Kunoichi to get the meaning and they looked at Naruto who was so red in the face that eh would have passed for a tomato at the moment and then all four of them smiled, with Tsunade speaking to him first…

"Don't worry Naruto-kun….that's a normal reaction for a boy your age…and we're not offended….actually, it's considered a point of pride for a woman when a man reacts this way to her as it tells her that the man finds her attractive and desirable….do you find any of us desirable Naruto-kun?"

Naruto nodded and that was what made all four women smile warmly at him and it was then that Kurenai spoke to him about something she had asked him before.

"Don't forget Naruto-kun….you have to wash my back "

With that done….Kurenai moved and showed her back to Naruto and he couldn't help but do as she asked for the time being….he was past the walls of thinking now and was washing Kurenai's back and she enjoyed that sensations of the sponge on her back and Naruto was surprised to suddenly feel a sponge on his own back and that was then she felt two other sponges join into the situation at the moment. The rest of the day for Naruto was spent washing the backs of the four Kunoichi and they paid him back as well, by massaging his back and he had to admit that it was actually not so bad….though he did keep in mind that he was still very much naked and so were they. He was still very much aroused and the female ninja were more than happy to tease him as well. Naruto had to resist the fact that when the women moved about….their bodies were very much seen as the towels did little to hide their soaked, and undeniably naked forms at the moment.

Tsunade then spoke to the two women and they decided to up the ante by asking Naruto to massage their backs in payment….but with the added bonus of them removing their towels as they lay down and Naruto passed out and he fell on the ground with a thud….and as soon as he was able to wake up…he found himself on the ground…and the second his eyes got back to focus…

(OH MY GOD!!!!!)

Naruto found himself surrounded by the four female ninja….this time….they did NOT have the towels on and he could see them in their full nakedness…and the fact that the four women had very well formed, large, soft and firm….cleavage made Naruto blush bright red and that allowed all four of the Kunoichi to see him not ONLY blush but see a certain part of his anatomy get even harder, all four women, despite being older than Naruto….couldn't help but blush and lick their lips a bit at the size of Naruto's….package….the blonde ninja couldn't help but feel like he was in heaven Kurenai, Shizune, and Tsunade were enjoying the sight before them….and Anko couldn't help herself as she leaned forward and placed her breasts on Naruto's chest and teased him.

"Ooh….easy there…we don't want you to pass out just yet."

Naruto felt like he had his tongue in knots at the moment and he was going to faint yet again and then the four women helped him up and he was what most guys would have considered heaven…Tsunade was holding him at the back with her very considerable bust on top of his head….Shizune was on the right and Kurenai was on the left and Anko was right there on the front. If any man came into the spring at this point and time….they were going to kill him right on the spot for this action….but at this point Naruto was past caring at the moment what the other men would think….he was here and now and he was enjoying every second of this. Tsunade and the others were also enjoying the moment and things were getting REALLY hot and steamy at the moment, Tsunade then spoke to Naruto.

"Time for you get to know how to please a woman with a kiss Naruto-kun….and now is a good a time as any!"

"Huh?!"

Shizune blushed and Anko was grinning like a hungry predator cornering a meal at long last while Kurenai was also blushing but she was eager to see how this will turn out….after all, she had been in a situation like this before and as much as this was rather unorthodox to say the least….she was keen to see just how this situation was going to turn out and before Naruto could say anything at the moment, Tsunade quickly kissed him in a very hot and torrid fashion….Naruto was naturally stunned by that and before he could do anything, he found himself responding to the kiss and he gently touched his tongue with Tsunade's own and she smiled at that and guided him gently and he quickly responded and got the hang of it…making the blonde Hokage smile at that.

(He learns fast….I guess with his ability to learn the Rasengan in only a week, he can get the hang of kissing easily.)

The two kissed one another for a minute or two longer and then Tsunade moved away and smiled at the very lost and amazed look on Naruto's face and she and the other Kunoichi smiled and when Naruto managed to get his wits back and his brain back in working order….at least to some degree anyway, she spoke to him.

"Did you like that Naruto-kun?"

Naruto nodded and Tsunade spoke to him….she knew she was REALLY pushing the limits of their relationship now but she wanted Naruto to learn how to please a woman….as sooner or later he would be in a situation like that and she wanted him to be able to know how to please a woman properly.

"That was a French Kiss….unlike a normal kiss….you and your lady partner will move each other's tongues in your mouths. It can be very pleasurable….but do it gently so the two of you can enjoy it properly….why don't you try it with the others?"

Naruto looked at Tsunade and silently asked if she was all right with it and she nodded and as he walked over to Shizune….the dark haired Jonin blushed and nodded as the two of them kissed and Naruto gently ran his lips on Shizune's own lips, and the Jonin giggled a bit before she responded by slowly opening her mouth and Naruto gently rubbed his tongue on her teeth and gums…making the Jonin moan a bit and she opened her mouth more as Tsunade leaned in and once more…pressed her breasts on Naruto's back and whispered.

"Good….you have to be gentle with some women….but others like me at times or maybe Anko would like you to be rougher and more direct….keep in mind to know the woman before you kiss her Naruto-kun…and relax….no one else apart from us is here today."

Naruto didn't quite hear that as he was still kissing Shizune and then as he understood how it was done he got the hang of it and parted from Shizune. The Jonin blushed and replied.

"That was a great kiss Naruto-kun."

Anko however was not going to wait as she was getting hot herself and she made it clear to Naruto that it was going to be her turn. And the blonde Genin had no time but to respond to Anko's actions as she kissed him roughly. The same thing happened though Anko was a lot more aggressive than Tsunade as well…and as he got the hang of it….Anko began to slowly relax a bit and then after they were done….Anko then moved away and gave Naruto a pat on the cheek and smiled at him.

"Not bad kid….some more practice is in order though."

Kurenai then moved in and she grabbed Naruto's head and amazingly….she kissed him first….and it was then that she showed a combination of Anko's aggressiveness, and Shizune's hesitation and Tsunade noted that and spoke to Naruto.

"Some women are both aggressive and gentle at the same time Naruto-kun….you have to work double hard for that but the results will be good for you and the lady in question."

Naruto wondered just how he would do that and he tried teasing Kurenai first and then giving her ground and kissing back and the way Kurenai moaned told him that he was getting some progress done with his actions and that was a good thing in his mind at the moment as he continued to kiss the red eyed Jonin

However, it didn't take long for the fun to end as the day was getting shorter and the heat was fading and night was coming into the area and the women were getting a bit uncomfortable in the cold and so….they reluctantly parted and Naruto and company got dressed once more…and the manager could only shake her head at the moment after all that she had been doing….but she couldn't help but smirk a little bit and say to herself.

"You have got to love Mixed Bathing Day…"

As the five people left the hot springs….the four Kunoichi smiled and looked at Naruto and Tsunade spoke.

"Now that was the longest Mixed Bathing Day I have had…and it was certainly something worth keeping close….right ladies?'

"Oh yes!!!"

Naruto gulped at that as he recalled how close he was to losing his virginity this day, and he was not happy with the result of night coming in and they women could see it and Shizune spoke gently.

"Don't worry Naruto-kun….you've done nothing wrong and what we did will be between all of us….and you've learn just how to kiss a woman. You'll make a special woman very happy someday with what you've learned."

Anko then teased Naruto a bit more.

"And what you've learned can really be an aid when you and her do the deed….and IF you do decide to go to the more…..numerous crowd….well….you know what to….at least when it comes to kissing anyway."

Naruto blushed and all four women smiled and bid Naruto farewell with kisses on the cheek, though Anko licked Naruto's cheek after her kiss and they left….making Naruto stand there for a bit longer until his growling stomach reminded him that he had to eat right now.

--------

End of Flashback…

Naruto shook his head at the memories that inspired; ever since that incident….he had been taking a LOT of cold showers to calm himself as he had the images play many times in his head. Of course…his wayward imagination was not content with just having the images of the four women who he was with at the time.

He would be imagining him in the same situation with Sakura, Temari, Ino, Kin, Hinata, Tenten, Ayame….and he was having a much harder time with those feelings at the moment that it was sometimes maddening for him. He managed to relax and got up and wondered what was he going to do now and Holy Talon decided to speak to it's master.

(("Are you all right Master Naruto?"))

(A little….just having a trip down memory lane….)

(("Ahhh….those memories again….relax Master Naruto….I have no doubts in my mind that you are not the first man to be in that situation and you certainly will not be the last to be in that kind of situation….though I have to admit that the situation was certainly…interesting."))

(Interesting doesn't cut it….man, if the Pervy sage found out about that, I would be really in hot water.)

(("I agree on that part Master Naruto….hmmmm….we have a guest coming in."))

Naruto got up and wondered just who was there as Holy Talon was on his back, as he walked over to his home's door, and opened it, he got a very interesting surprise at the moment, and for good reason as the person who was there.

"Sakura-chan? What brings you here? I thought you were training with Tsunade today?"

Sakura smiled a bit and replied.

"She gave me some time off at the moment I've done all my chores for the past hours with my parents, so I figured I could come by and see how you are doing….plus talking about this new healing power I have is important to me at the moment, and since you know more about the power in me….who better to talk to than you….May I come in?"

"Sure! You can come in anytime Sakura-chan!"

Sakura entered Naruto's home and found herself once more in awe of the home that Naruto had with him at the moment and also wondered if Kin was planning to move in with Naruto and that was something that she decided to keep an eye on. As they entered the living room, Naruto excused himself to get some food and drink for her and this allowed Sakura some time to both indulge in the surroundings and the privacy….but also about her soon to come plans for something she had been dying to do.

When Naruto came back with some sushi in a bowl with chopsticks and a bowl of sauce and two glasses and some cool tea, the two sat down and they began to relax as they ate the light meal that Naruto got from the kitchen at the moment. As they did so, Naruto began to explain some of the basics of Life Magic to Sakura and the ever eager pink haired Kunoichi listened to what Naruto had to say at the moment and she was eager to learn about this power she had….and while it was bit shocking to know that it was inside of her….it proved to be something she could use to her advantage greatly. This would help her in her training under Tsunade as a medic nin as well, she had approached the Hokage earlier to become less of a burden to her team and to her happiness, Tsunade accepted her as a student and she had begun her training only a few weeks ago, bother mother and father were happy to learn that their daughter was going to be a Sannin's apprentice and to their new Hokage nonetheless. It was a point of pride to her and her family as Tsunade had said that she was a great student as she had possessed the right level of chakra control to be a medic nin, and both her parents were happy for her as well.

Sakura smiled as she digested the information and decided to ask Naruto how to use Dragon Fire more effectively and Naruto could already see how the Dragon Fire was affecting Sakura….she had grown a bit taller and even her figure began to show an increased growth and maturity…signs that her Dragon Fire reserves were manifesting already and reconditioning her body to accept the changes as well. He placed that thought aside for the moment and continued to talk to Sakura about the situation she was in with her new found powers.

As the day wore on, Sakura decided to spring her surprise on Naruto.

"Naruto-kun….do you have free time tomorrow?"

Naruto thought about it and the next day was a Saturday actually, plenty of free time for him at the moment and since he had learned to take breaks once in a while and enjoy life as well as have fun to break and relax a bit, the next was certainly going to be worth the wait.

"Not right now….why do you ask Sakura-chan?"

Sakura blushed a bit and then spoke.

"I know that you want to hear this from, so I'll do it for tomorrow…"

""Uh….I don't quite understand Sakura-chan, what are you saying?"

Sakura smiled and then spoke.

"I want to know….would you like to go out on a date with me tomorrow Naruto-kun?"

Naruto was flabbergasted as he looked at Sakura at the moment…

Sakura was asking him out….on a date?! An honest to Kami date?! Was he dreaming this again?! He mentally pinched himself and was now assured that what he had heard was not a dream or fantasy and he managed to get his mouth to work once more and he could see that Sakura meant those words and there was no way he was dreaming it at the moment as he was wide awake. He looked at Sakura's blushing face and replied.

"You….want to go out with me?! Are you serious Sakura-chan?!"

Sakura gave him a glare and replied softly…

"Why….am I already too ordinary for you?"

"No!!! No!!! I didn't mean to sound insulting….it's just….unexpected."

"I guess….but would you go out on a date with me?"

"Of course I would Sakura-chan, and I mean it….I'll pick you up at your place?"

Sakura nodded and smiled as Naruto utterly happy as well and no doubt his smile was the same kind that was on her face as well. The two talked it over and decided to plan just a few places that they heard were good places for a date to play out and as soon as that was done, Sakura bid Naruto farewell and so did he and he was smiling all the while and as he closed the door, Sakura couldn't help herself and snuck in to peek and saw that Naruto was actually getting ready and was pacing back and forth as well as checking his frog wallet and seeing the smile on his face told her that he was going to make sure that their date was going to work out well for both of them.

As she walked away….she thought back on how she had finally made the decision.

--------

Flashback….two days ago…

Tsunade was watching Sakura's progress and she admired the fact that despite her lack of other ninja skills, Sakura, levelheadedness, intellect, skills, understanding of all basic ninja skills, and her chakra control actually made her excellent Medic nin material and she knew that her parents were very happy that their daughter was her second apprentice at the moment, and Shizune was also able to show her the records of Sakura's time in the Academy and she was interested to see her scores….no bloodline traits or any of the sort….just a normal Kunoichi but fairly well rounded and her chakra control was top notch, not like Sasuke, or Naruto before getting Holy Talon.

Sakura currently learning how to regulate her chakra at the moment and was using a small rabbit as a test subject, the rabbit had injured it's right hind leg and needed proper healing to set the bone right and Sakura was doing well enough as she dedicated herself to being a medic nin.

(She has great potential….I am glad that there is someone in Konoha with the same level of charka control, though hers is a bit more refined.)

As the Hokage watched her student's progress at the moment she was able to see that Naruto words to her about Sakura having Dragon Fire in her blood that augmented her chakra were very true as her chakra was stronger now and a lot more effective in healing wounds and injuries….and since it was Dragon Fire, she decided to ask Naruto if he could train Sakura on the art of using her new and growing reserve of Dragon Fire to her advantage when the time came Naruto was the only person in all of Konoha to know how to use Dragon Fire quite effectively in both peace and war.

"All done."

Tsunade checked the rabbit's leg and nodded….Sakura's training was touch and go at first as she had to train the young Kunoichi on the art of basic Medical Jutsu techniques and when she grasped it quite easily and began to improve….the blonde Sannin's impressions of Sakura grew…

"Nicely done….more training is required but for now you can relax a bit Sakura."

"Thank you Hokage-sama….by the way…."

"Hmmmm? What is it Sakura?"

"I wanted to ask….if I….I could ask Naruto out on a date?"

Tsunade raised an eye-brow at that as she looked at Sakura at the moment and tried to digest what she heard. She had expected this to happen at some point and looked at Sakura and wondered just why she would come to her and ask her permission to date Naruto, that was the thing that made her somewhat curious.

"Why ask me? You could just ask Naruto-kun directly right?"

"I know…..but I just wanted to be sure that it is all right with you."

Tsunade chuckled and knew that this had to do with the fact that she liked Naruto as well and actively pursued the young man and since she was Sakura's master at the moment, it would make sense that Sakura wanted to be sure that she was not going to come into conflict with anyone at the moment.

"It's all right, I did say that I would provide you ladies with competition for his affections, but I'm not going to take him all for myself."

"Thank you Hokage-sama."

"Just make sure to be nice and cordial Sakura."

"Hai!"

--------

End of Flashback…

She recalled telling her parents about her plan and both her parents were surprised and were agreeing with the whole thing. Ginji liked the idea of his daughter going on a date with a guy he approved of and Naruto had won his approval and Sakura's mother Hazumi Haruno was in approval as she had seen Naruto's battles and hearing about he had saved her daughter's life. When she had told them that she was going to ask him today they agreed to help her get ready for the big day.

As soon as she got home, she greeted her father and mother while they were getting diner ready, with Ginji asking his daughter how it all went.

"So how did it go dear?"

Sakura smiled and blushed a bit.

"Naruto-kun accepted it."

Ginji smiled while Hazumi also smiled and Sakura's mother replied.

"Then you had better get ready for your coming date dear, after dinner I'll get you some things that may help you in your coming date."

--------

The next day…

Naruto checked himself once more in the mirror to see if he had groomed himself well enough for the coming date. He wore a white shirt underneath his black and orange lined gi top, with a blue cloth belt and black pants with orange lining on the sides and he completed the suit with black sandals. He took his Konoha forehead protector and tied on his head and placed Holy Talon on his back and then decided to get his wallet which he had filled with plenty of bills for the date….and Holy Talon spoke to it's master.

(("You seem to be very ready for this."))

(Yeah…I've been hoping for this in a while now….though I hope Hinata-san doesn't see this, I don't want Hinata to think that I'm being a playboy.)

(("True….very true….but you have made it this far Master Naruto….you might as well see this through to the very end."))

(Right, come on, I think Sakura-chan is already waiting for us.)

Naruto left his home and went towards Konoha and he got a number of stares from many of the villagers at the moment, while some still had the dirty looks, others were a lot more accepting of the matter and he walked to his old apartment and saw that it was finally being constructed….he had used a small amount of the diamonds he had made from coal with Transmutation to have his old place properly furbished and repaired for Kin and the former Sound Kunoichi was happy for the changes as well and she proved it by making a good meal for him when the place was fully repaired and he had a meal there. Right now Kin was being assigned to a new squad and it appeared that she might be assigned to work with Zabuza and Haku….though they needed another member to join their squad to make it complete. Zabuza took on the role well and was also using the newly forged sword that Naruto had made for him.

Naruto had taken up the art of being a blacksmith and made a small number of powerful blades, two of which were in the hands of Kakashi and the other with Zabuza….he had offered to make a sword for Sasuke but the dark haired Uchiha refused and walked away. That made Naruto even more curious on what was that the plan of his team-mate.

He placed those thoughts aside as he had finally arrived at Sakura's house and knocked and there was Hazumi who smiled in greeting.

"Hello there Naruto-san….we've just had break-fast and Sakura is almost finished getting dressed up….and so are you, you look very nice….would you like to come in?"

"Sure."

Sakura's home was fairly nice and seemed to be rather well furbished and clean as well….showing that Sakura's family were not that rich but also well off and were able to live comfortably for themselves at the moment. The home was very cozy and had a number of shelves that had books in them for Sakura to read in her free time and the house was very clean as well, Hazumi noted the way Naruto was examining her home and she spoke.

"How do you like our home Naruto-san?"

"Its very nice Hazumi-san, no wonder Sakura loves her home so much."

"You're welcome….ah, dear I see you're here!"

Ginji came into the home as he had gone to meet with the younger members of the Council and Ginji greeted Naruto….just as Sakura' came down, and she smiled at Naruto and when Naruto saw her….his jaw dropped once more.

Sakura had her hair well combed and she had a light application of makeup on her face and lipstick on her lips, not too showy but certainly the way to grab a man's attention right off the bat and Naruto's attention went to the small decorative hairpins in her hair, she had on a very simple but elegant kimono with light red flames on the sleeves and on the lower portion of the kimono with flying cherry blossoms on the kimono in the windswept style with a white background and on her waist was a well fashioned obi and there was a tie on the back as well….she wore comfortable sandal and carried a small purse to complete the ensemble and Sakura turned around a bit to show her date how she looked at the moment.

"How do I look Naruto-kun?"

Naruto didn't say a word as he was taking how Sakura looked at that moment until Holy Talon spoke to him.

(("I suggest that you say something Master Naruto before she gets offended….and close your mouth lest you do something dim witted, like drool."))

(Right!!!)

Naruto did just that and replied to Sakura with a great smile of awe and appreciation.

"You look great Sakura-chan!"

"Thank you, and you're not so bad looking yourself Naruto-kun."

Sakura and Naruto then were able to stand side by side as Ginji and Hazumi spoke to the two. They had the whole day to themselves, but Naruto was asked to escort Sakura home by early evening and not any later time. Naruto agreed and Sakura promised to be good. The two were finally allowed to leave and Sakura was happy to spend some time with Naruto for herself and she was sure that sooner or later as they walked out into Konoha to have their first official date….the others would soon find out.

The two traveled to the more scenic sights of Konoha and enjoyed the bright day that they were having at the moment and the sight of the simple yet elegantly dressed pink haired Kunoichi was sure to grab attention from the younger men and they would gaze at Sakura and talk about her attractive qualities and also they would give murmurs of disappointment on the fact that they were not the ones she was latching onto.

The young women were also admiring the sight and were somewhat jealous and were whispering on how Sakura was able to get a date with the blonde Chuunin at the moment and Naruto could hear them all due to his enhanced senses and the fact that Holy Talon was telling him everything at the moment and he couldn't help but feel a bit awed by the feeling of it all…he however knew that this date was unique and different at the moment. The two made their way to the parks and sat down there to relax at the atmosphere and since they had breakfast in their respective homes, they were able to enjoy the day fairly well.

As they chatted with one another, Sakura got to see Naruto in a much better light and it was actually nice to know that there was a lot more to her blonde team-mate than she had once thought and she could see that Holy Talon's influence on Naruto was entirely positive and was good to see. They also went to a few nearby booths and bought some gifts for each other….for Sakura, she bought a new set of small items for Naruto and for Naruto, he bought her a few jewels that in his mind suited her well and Holy Talon told him so and Sakura did appreciate them.

It was also when Naruto and Sakura went to have their lunch and although Sakura was not that big a fan of ramen, she agreed and as they had their bowls of ramen together, Naruto's kind and friendly nature was very welcome and both Teuchi and Ayame said that they looked nice together, though Ayame gave Sakura a slightly jealous look at the moment. As soon as they were done with lunch, the two of them went to a movie and they got to see the current leader of the Land of Snow and the Land of Spring act in her newest movie and as before….the two of them were happy for her performance in the movie and marveled that she was both actress and leader at the very same time.

When the movie ended, they went out to have more time together and took a light break and Naruto treated Sakura to a meal in a steak house….the very same one where they had celebrated his promotion to Chuunin though this time this was a private affair and the two of them at the moment. However, Sakura's thoughts on her date being found out by the others were proven true as a certain band of Kunoichi were spying on them.

"So they are there right now Hinata?"

"Hai….they are ordering the steak with sauce and some simple tea…"

"So that's why Forehead Girl's been saving up the money for the past few days. Though I can bet Naruto-kun's got his own amount of money to spend."

"Hush….less talking more looking."

Ino, Tenten, Kin, and Hinata were looking at the two at the moment with Hinata's Byakugan giving them small group the range needed to see Naruto and Sakura without giving themselves away at the moment, they knew that they were not supposed to fight over Naruto but they wanted to see just how Sakura's date was progressing with Naruto at the moment. They looked at them for the time being and kept track of Naruto and Sakura at the moment.

As the two finished their meals without incident at the moment, they left the place and Naruto escorted Sakura back to her family home just a few minutes early before the allotted them for their date set by Sakura's parents and as they were at the door, Sakura turned and spoke to Naruto with a smile.

"I had a great time Naruto-kun….thank you."

"No problem Sakura-chan, I am happy you enjoyed the day."

The two then parted ways and as Naruto walked back, he smiled happily and in Sakura's home….she breezed into her room and looked at Naruto as he rounded the corner and smiled warmly at Naruto and sat down on her bed and smiled at the memories of her date and slowly removed her clothes and treasured them as well as Naruto's gift to her this day.

--------

Unknown to them….while they were having the time of their lives…

--------

In a large town that was a fair distance from Konoha at the moment…

The women were panicking at the moment as they and their daughters were being pushed away into a massive complex that had once been the town's many grain storage chambers….and not by any bandits or soldiers, or even hired ninja….but by their town's own male guards and their own husbands, fathers, and sons, and brothers. They tried to plead for them to stop this nonsense but the men acted like they were under some sort of spell or jutsu at the moments….the women tried to act but the men were armed with their weapons, both those used by town guards and the normal tools of the village people themselves.

As they were brought into the place….it was then that they saw a robed and hooded person who spoke to them.

"Sorry to do this you ladies….but I have a use for all the nice young and old men you have in this quaint town of yours."

"Who are you?!"

"What have you done to them?!"

The stranger chuckled and then spoke gently as the mayor of the town, who was a man stepped forward, she quickly walked over to the man and placed her hand on his face and spoke seductively.

"Your men now belong to me as long as I live….and if the one I seek does not come out….they will remain mine. I'm going to have a lot of fun with them you know. But as for you….you are going to be insurance for now….don't worry….there's plenty of food and water in the place you're all in at the moment. I might be evil, but I do have SOME morals….or things close to that….now then…farewell."

The women tried to fight back but the men who were now under the control of the robed and hooded woman were able to force them back and the building was now under lockdown and were guarded by a number of men who were also like statues at the moment. The robed and hooded woman then relished the memories of how she had come to this quaint town.

She easily charmed the town guards that tried to stop her and had a quick taste and then made her way into the one of the main town buildings and her new pets were able to get her into the town barracks and there she had a lot of fun having the men on his side…plus the trip had been long and she had been rather hungry and her latest snack was enough to feed her hunger at the moment. As soon as she was done with them…which took her a few hours, she made sure to try the mayor and that didn't take too long and she then directed her attention to the rest of the men and now…despite the fact that she didn't have that many useful pets to send out and play with in her free time….they were more than useful enough to track down the one she was planning to deal with at the moment. Now that she had a working number of soldiers to send out and the information she needed from her previous….excursions, she now planned to see if luring out the one she came to track down and deal with at the behest of her master.

"All right gentlemen…time to go out and find me someone….and there is one place we need to find him."

One of the Town Guards, the senior town guard then spoke.

"Where shall we attack my Lady?"

"A place called Konoha….go there and do what you can to lure out the one I see."

"At your orders my Lady…."

--------

The next day in Konoha…

The guards were busy in their duties in the border area of Konoha at the moment and they were not expecting any serious threats at the moment since the ninja of Konoha….while not in the same numbers as before were more than capable at the moment. However…the band of Chuunin on patrol were suddenly surprises to see a number of men armed with a variety of weapons were heading right for the direction of the village. One of the Chuunin spoke to the others.

"What the heck is going on here?"

"I don't know….but those men look to be guards of a town somewhere beyond our borders…."

"So why are they marching towards Konoha? What are they doing all the way over here?"

"Beats me….let's go see…"

But just as the ninja got there to try and find out the intentions of the coming town guards….they were suddenly attacked by the guards….forcing them to be on the defensive….a battle started and the ninja were not expecting the town guards to be hostile….they fought back and one of them, a woman turned and spoke to her leader.

"Why the heck are they attacking us?!"

"I don't know!!! Go back to Konoha and tell Tsunade-sama that we're under attack!!!!"

The female Chuunin quickly rushed back to Konoha as her comrades were doing all they can to fight off the town guards that were attacking them, they were able to succeed in stopping a number of them in battle but the men just kept on attacking the group until they were forced to back away. They were wounded and had to try and figure out why a large band of simple town guardsmen would not only abandon their posts, but willingly attack ninja of the village of Konoha. They had no time to ponder that as the guardsmen were moving in ever closer to the direction of the village.

It was then that several reinforcement teams from Konoha were coming in the lead were Kakashi and Naruto as well as Sakura, Sasuke, Zabuza, Haku, Kin, and several other Chuunin as well as Ibiki himself so if they succeeded in capturing one of the men, they would find out what they were doing here.

Naruto landed on the ground as Kakashi did and they moved in to fight and sure enough, the wounded ninja were able to rest as Shizune and a small band of medic nin came along as well. Tsunade knew they could ill afford to lose any ninja at this point and time and that was why she dispatched Shizune to help heal the injured along with a support team of skilled medic nin with a pair of ANBU as escort.

Naruto and Kakashi quickly attacked with Kakashi using only his fist and kunai and not Naruto's gift sword for the time being….however he himself was confused as to why town guards were out here and hostile to Konoha….as far as he knew….Konoha was in a period of reconstruction and there was no open or covert state of war at the moment.

"What the heck are town guards doing here Kakashi-sensei?"

"I wish I knew Naruto, but we don't have time to try and debate it….we need to take down now and quickly….if we can get one alive….then we can get some answers!"

With the reinforcements on their side, the Konoha ninja began to fight back and Naruto drew out Holy Talon and it was then that Naruto and the Holy Sword noted something….odd about the town guards they were facing at the moment….something about them was totally out of place and they way they moved was a bit off….they were fighting like normal foes….but it seemed that their eyes were not showing any emotion, even those who were wounded were not reacting that much.

(Something it wrong here….Holy Talon, can you sense anything?)

(("I sense something odd…but I can't be sure entirely….all I know is that these men are not evil."))

(If they are not evil….why are they attacking us….wait….could they be under some Genjutsu?)

(("I don't think so….regardless we have to beat them down so I can place them under better examination."))

Naruto hoped Holy Talon was right as he began to use his training in dual wielding to fight the number of foes before him as he took out a secondary sword and fought with the town guards and used Holy Talon as the main striking weapon while the other sword was used to block the attacking weapons of the town guards which were swords, spears, clubs, staves and other melee weapons that gave them a number of options to attack their foes with. Naruto leaped over a number of them and lashed them from behind with Holy Talon and cut down a spear coming for his chest and slashed the man on the head with Holy Talon only.

Naruto then moved aside to block a pair of swords aimed at him and then blocked them down and slashed the two attacks with two strikes from Holy Talon to make sure that he took them down quickly and effectively at the moment. The other ninja also came in and several of the attacking Town guards were wounded and left to fall down….however the ninja were surprises to see that the ones they had injured were not even crying in pain but tried to get up and fight once more….forcing them to either try and knock them out or outright kill them. But the ninja were doing all they could to fight at the moment and Kakashi could tell that something was up with Naruto as the blonde Chuunin continued to fight with the Town guards before him, Sakura was using some of the Taijutsu skills she had learned both in the Academy and in her time with Tsunade and she was able to hold her own while Sasuke was using his own brand of fighting which was more direct and brutal at the moment….something that did not escape the attention of many of the ninja in the area….including Naruto as he leaped over a band of guardsmen and with several arcing strikes with Holy Talon, brought them down quickly and effectively.

The blonde Chuunin then used both swords to flip over the next band of guardsmen and he landed in the middle and unleashed a powerful new technique he learned some a previous Dragon Champion.

"SWORD BOOMERANG!!!!!"

Unlike the same technique he had used against Orochimaru, Neji, and Gaara from before where he tossed the spinning form of Holy Talon and the sword would return to him….this technique was more a close to mid range attack and Naruto swung Holy Talon and released it….but the blade was not sent flying as the eye in the guard was open and the blade sailed out and slashed hard into the crowds of town guardsmen….sending them flying everywhere with one well timed strike. The sword came back to Naruto at the moment and the others looked on as Naruto knocked down more of the town guardsmen….Sakura smiled and so did some of the others….but Sasuke merely looked on and focused on the task at hand yet glared a bit at Naruto's back at the moment.

As the battle raged on for the next few minutes….questions were still growing at the moment in the minds of many of the ninjas in the fighting. What was the reason these men were here and why? And why were they fighting like….they were puppets, they could bleed and whatnot, but they uttered no cry of pain at all and seemed to be only interested in getting up and fighting even more despite their wounds. Naruto then decided to end this and summoned a Body Spell.

"BLINDING SPEED!!!!"

In a moment….he was bathed in energy and so was Holy Talon and he then focused the energy into his other sword and shouted.

"STUNNING BLOW!!!!"

In a moment….Naruto was ready and unleashed himself in a speed that equaled Lee without his weights for the moment and out of nowhere….Naruto attacked with blinding strikes that were hard to see for some of the ninja though the more keen eyed ones were able to see it at the moment as he lashed out with a massive array of slashes and thrusts in order to hit his foes all at once. The battle was soon to be over as there were not that many guardsmen still standing..

--------

Later…

Naruto was able to finally check on the men who had attacked Konoha after the battle was now over at this point and time with Holy Talon on his back and his spare sword placed away at the moment….and true to Holy Talon's words….even with his greatest blows with Holy Talon and the sword he had used in his dual wielding fighting style, none of them were badly injured or had been cut deeply by Holy Talon or by the sword that was weakened to stun but not kill….proving that these men were not evil in their hearts….the other ninja were also confused at this as Naruto used powerful kenjutsu moves that would have guaranteed kills….and some of the untrusting ninja spoke.

"Are you getting soft Naruto?"

There were some murmurs, but Kakashi put a stop to that with a glare and walked over to Naruto….he was familiar with the sword in some fashion and knew from what his student told him, the blade never spilled the blood of the innocent. He stood next to Naruto as Sasuke and Sakura arrived.

"What's on your mind Naruto?"

"These guys were not slain by Holy Talon's edge….and it's telling me something Kakashi-sensei and that something is that these guys are under some form of Genjutsu or a mental spell of some sort. There's no way these men were acting normally or were doing things of their own volition, I know that for a fact already in my studies with Iruka-sensei."

And it was at the moment that Holy talon spoke of it's findings to it's master.

(("These men have been mentally dominated and are being used as pawns of some sort of power….but I can sense Chaos energy traces somewhere in them at the moment….apparently it was done by someone gifted with mental domination."))

(Could it be Death Fang's work?)

(("Possibly….Death Fang is an evil weapon but it is gifted with great intellect and will, use me to scan their bodies more thoroughly."))

"Naruto-kun?"

"Hold on Sakura-chan….I need to try something."

Naruto took out Holy Talon once more and ran the blade over the body of one of the unconscious guards and sure enough, the Holy Dragon Sword's eye was open and it faintly glowed and there on the neck of the bodies was a strange spiral tattoo surrounded by a pair of female lips and a pair of fangs in a seductively evil smile. As soon as Naruto looked at the tattoo, he was able to understand it as Holy talon informed him of it. Sasuke and Sakura looked at the tattoo and so did Kakashi and the pink haired Kunoichi spoke.

"That is that thing on his neck?"

'That looks like s seal of some sort…"

Naruto then spoke as he mentally spoke with Holy Talon who had mentally hissed and swore a bit….startling him somewhat and the Holy Dragon Sword apologized and explained just what the mark was..

"The tattoo is a mystical control symbol of mental domination tattoo used by a Succubus Maiden, this is not good news."

Kakashi looked at Naruto as his student was very serious at the moment and when he got like this, the Jonin knew that what they were fighting was not something he and his fellow ninja knew of and was to be approached with caution for them.

"A Succubus Maiden? I've never heard of those before…."

Naruto nodded as well and was told exactly what Holy Talon knew of these evil female warrior seductresses, and from what he can understand….these women were NOT to be trifled with in combat and also when it came to their abilities to charm and dominate the weak minded. These female warriors were serious threats since what the dark forces couldn't accomplish with bloody force….they could accomplish with mental and physical seduction and charming guile and domination.

He scanned the others and saw the same marks on them all as well. He then spoke Kakashi.

"We need to lock these guys up….place them in isolation so they won't do something foolhardy and desperate….I'll fill you all in later."

Ibiki was there and somewhat confused by Naruto's words and so was Shizune but she nodded and told Ibiki to have the unconscious town guards brought into the Konoha prison to be held there until some answers could be found though she suspected with good reason that Naruto knew more about what was going on at the moment.

--------

However….they had no idea that a lone ninja on a return from a single mission had just been captured by a band of the same town's guardsmen.

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In the Hokage Tower….

"This one woman did all that?!"

Tsunade was shocked and so were just about everyone else in the room, which included Sakura, Sasuke, Kakashi, Shizune and even Jiraiya as well. Naruto had relayed them the information that Holy Talon had been able to provide him on this new threat that had somehow turned a prominent township into attacking Konoha no less than several hours ago. The town's guardsmen were in prison and were chained to prevent them from escaping and those who were injured or near death were healed and isolated in the prison's medical ward as Naruto had told them that these men were not the real enemy….but someone else entirely.

Naruto nodded and continued.

"Holy Talon told me that a Succubus Maiden can use both physical charms and mental powers to completely enslave any man to her will when she senses their exact level of mental and physical control and how to best weaken them. In that way, she can dominate a man or a number of men with either Chaos Magic or her body and her seduction arts, they are also skilled fighters and don't rely on looks and charm alone when in battle. These evil demons are not to be ignored in any case….if she can influence a town's guards to attack Konoha, she then can use even an army of mentally dominated men to attack her foes….and she feeds on pleasure, life force and life fluids in order to survive, she may be able to live and fight without it, but from what I can understand of it….a Succubus Maiden is a very strong fighter when she is able to satisfy her urges more and more…."

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow at that and he couldn't help but try and picture out just what sort of female can be able of doing such a thing on just a small town. The idea of a woman who's very life was tied to pleasure was very interesting in many ways, and he would be tempted….but from what he can piece together….this was one woman he wanted never to meet.

"Anything else Naruto?"

Naruto nodded….

"This attack she launched was not without purpose ….she wants to draw me out and she knows how to do that, if she continues with her actions without us stopping her….there's a chance she can have an entire army at her beck and call to attack us….Death Fang created that Maiden for a purpose and no doubt that purpose is to test me yet again….though this time it's going to be in a whole new set of circumstances. If we don't find a way to stop her soon, she could continue this and any man who bears her mark will slowly be lost to her power….completely."

The group of ninja was silent about this and Naruto looked out the window and he wondered just how he was going to deal with this situation. This was something he knew he was not prepared for as a person but he had to deal with this eventually….the freedom of the people beyond Konoha was at stake here and he couldn't afford to waste too much time.

Who knew just what that Succubus Maiden was up to this time?

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In the lair of the Succubus Maiden…

"Well now….it seemed that my little pets have been captured….no matter….I can always send out more of them to test just how far I can push the Champion….he must be very strong….and more to be able to win that easily…..Mmmmm, I am going to enjoy this…"

The female demon seductress in question looked at the map of Konoha and wondered just how she was going to lure the Dragon Champion out for some fun and games, both of which were the sensual and bloody type….it had been a while since she had taken part in a battle of blades, and a battle of wits with anyone and she was looking forward to this greatly at the moment and wished to see just how talented this new Dragon Champion was….

"But for now….time to have some fun…."

She walked down and quickly heard some struggling and shouting and instead of being annoyed by the racket….the Succubus Maiden was very interested in the situation at the moment and she was in the mood for some fun time. As she entered the room, there was a new addition to her little collection….a ninja from what she could see…and it was going to be fun with this one…

"Hello there…."

"Who are you?!"

The seductive demoness who was still wearing her robes at the moment walked over to the restrained ninja and spoke to him in a very seductive fashion while rubbing her hands on his face gently…but and she extended one of her fingernails and cut his skin…making the ninja flinch a bit in pain and she moved her hand away and gently licked the blood and replied.

"Naughty, naughty, I am the one asking the questions here, and I deserve answers….now….who are you and where are you from?"

The ninja glared at the Succubus Maiden and replied.

"I won't tell you anything!!!!"

The female demon smiled and replied.

"That's just what all the men in this little town said before I came along….now they obey me….and the women and children who are female are, shall we say in captive hands….alive and safe, as for the men and the male youngsters however….their lives and their bodies are MINE to play with. Now then….I think you have questions I want answered….we can do this the easy way, which is I get what I want out of you and I can let you live as my pet….OR you can resist and I pleasantly torture those answers out of you….either way….I win….and so would you….in a fashion of course."

"What the heck are you saying?!"

The Succubus Maiden then took off her hood to reveal her face and the ninja was stunned to see that the woman had deep white skin and had pair of markings on her left cheek, the three marks looked like claws but did little to detract the beauty of the woman as she had a face that was well crafted and her eyes, while deep violet had a quality about them…and the dark blood red hair was there as well in a lush mane behind….it was only when he saw the curving horns on the side of her head that he realized that this beauty was not entirely human.

"What….are you?!"

The female demon then smiled as moved forward and then removed her robe….revealing her in a very seductive outfit that would have made men nose bleed and faint dead away. The outfit had a strange corset that covered her chest though barely covering the essentials…allowing her considerable bust to be see, there were fore-arm guards on her arms and also several other markings on her arms, her stomach was exposed by the corset and her body was sensual to the core, she wore a pair of figure hugging silk pants with strategically made slits to show her long and slender legs and on her back was a scabbard for a sword and she had no shoes at the moment. She then pressed her body on the ninja's own and the licked his ear and spoke

"My little boy….I am a demoness….but I can show you just how much fun I can be….provided you can entertain me of course…."

The male ninja could only brace himself for what was about to come….only he had NO idea what he was about to be subjected to.

--------

An hour or two later…

The Succubus Maiden smiled warmly as she looked at the ninja who her servants have captured….he would prove to be a perfect find and now that she was done….interrogating him and having her fill for the day. As she spoke gently to him….he got up normally but as if under a spell of some sort.

"Now….do you know what you have to do?"

"Yes My lady….I will go back and observe the one you hunt….and I will report his weaknesses to you so you can make the proper plans to deal with him."

"Good my pet….now…let me mark you with my favor."

The ninja didn't resist as the Succubus moved forward, hugged him as he stood there after their very serious interrogation session, though the interrogation had NOTHING to do with torture at the moment…she moved to his neck and then she opened her mouth and then her canines extended and she bit the ninja by the neck and the man merely moaned as she sucked some of his blood and when that was over….the same mark that Naruto had seen in the attackers briefly appeared and then faded away…as well as the teeth marks.

The Succubus Maiden licked her lips and moved away and spoke.

"It is done….now go….they might start looking for you…"

"Yes my lady."

The ninja turned and the forehead protector was seen and so was the symbol of the village the ninja was from…

Konoha…

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To be continued…

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Author's Notes:

Well now….Naruto's finally getting the life that he hoped for, with his own hands and efforts….and with the help of those he trusts….things are finally looking up for him at the moment. And some hjinks in the spring and a good day out with a long time crush in a real days act to make life more interesting for the blonde ninja…but now things are about to get very interesting from here on out.

Well….the cat's out of the bag now….how will Naruto handle the situation before him at the moment. This time, Death Fang is not sending foes Naruto is familiar with to some degree….this time the Chaos Dragon Sword has sent a foe who is wrapped a more….unique package and this will test just how strong Naruto is in not just combat….but in will power….as the Succubus Maiden knows more than one way to break down a man's defenses.

Think of the Dark Lady as a physical combination of Christie from Dead Or Alive with Ivy Valentine from Soul Calibur with long blood red hair and the appetite for pleasure to rival Goku's own appetite…and she is a Succubus as well like Morrigan and Lilith Aensland of Dark Stalkers though pure evil unlike the two Succubae mentioned, and relishes pleasure in every fashion that she can feed on when she can….

You don't need to ask me how she controls men physically….as a Succubus….the answer is fairly obvious….so don't ask me that.

And what will her newly converted spy in Konoha….what exactly does this evil female warrior have in mind for Naruto and what sort of weaknesses will this female demon use in order to lure Naruto into a trap?

Wait and see on the next chapter!!!


	30. The Dark Lady Part 2

Naruto The Twin Swords

Disclaimer: I own nothing related to Naruto….I do however own the materials not related to Naruto.

Chapter 24

Part 2

The Dark Lady…

( ): Thoughts

((" ")): Holy Talon's voice

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In Konoha…

"For the last time….why did you attack Konoha and the ninjas here?"

"I will tell you nothing!!!!"

Ibiki turned as he and several of the ANBU Interrogation Squad turned to see Tsunade and Shizune arrive and the Jonin gave his report.

"Nothing so far Hokage-sama, these people don't seem to know much….whatever this seal is….there seems to be no way I can break it at the moment."

"I see….but what have you got from their weapons, gear, even their armor?"

"They are from a town at least a day and a half away from Konoha though that trip can be done if they had marched all night….which apparently these men did, not much more at the moment though since they aren't budging on the matter."

"Hmmmm….very well, keep the men here until we can figure out what is our next plan."

"Hai Hokage-sama…."

As Tsunade and Shizune left the Interrogation chambers and out of the prison for the moment they wondered how they would respond to this crisis, on a professional level….they couldn't dispatch male ninja to fight this threat as Naruto warned them of the Succubus Maiden's ability to seduce and dominate men with her magic or her charms. However, they also knew that Naruto warned them that as long as that Succubus Maiden was out there….there was no doubt she would be launching attacks on Konoha with whoever she could seduce and control to her cause….normal town guards could be handled to a degree….but not that many at once….but skilled ninja were another matter. The thing that bothered Tsunade was that fact that this Succubus Maiden had the time….she could very well summon a massive army that could be sent time and time against Konoha until the village was exhausted and with the reconstruction going on at the moment….they were severely underpowered.

The Hokage wrestled with the idea for some time and decided to go and see what else they could to increase security for the village. The knowledge that this lone demonic woman could send large forces of innocent men she had enslaved against them troubled her greatly. A few groups they could handle and restrain, but an entire army would prove difficult to fight against. As she made her way to the tower, she could already tell that Naruto himself was getting ready to encounter and face this threat, though how he would beat someone like this Succubus Maiden was something that was yet to be answered at the moment.

However….much to Tsunade's annoyance, a certain pair of Council members were there to pester her yet again, along with a few others of the Council….who she knew had little faith in Naruto. She sat down on her chair and then faced them all.

"What is it this time?"

Homura was the first to speak.

"We have heard reports that a band of our village's Chuunin were attacked by a band of guards from a town and some were wounded….that was a serious mistake….what would the other villages and nations say if they found out that Konoha has an internal problem and we can be attacked by anyone at this point and time?"

"You are the Hokage Tsunade-hime….what seems to be the problem that some town guards would attack Konoha?"

Tsunade gave a slight growl and replied.

"There's a lot more at play than just a random attack….this attack was staged to draw someone out from the village."

"Who?"

Tsunade sighed and gave the Council members and the two elders in question a very pointed glare.

"You already know who I am taking about."

"Naruto Uzumaki?"

"Correct….the target for this little raid was to draw Naruto out of the village. He is the target, not us."

"Is it Akatsuki?"

Tsunade knew enough about Akatsuki from Jiraiya and her own forays out in the world and knew that Naruto had been targeted….but she knew that Akatsuki were no longer the ones who had a vested interest in Naruto alone at the moment. Death Fang had a very strong and vested interest in Naruto's growth as well….and for it's own reasons. She recalled seeing that evil sword and she had to admit that despite her abilities and her confidence in herself….challenging that evil living weapon by herself would have been the most reckless and foolish things she would do. She wondered if she would reveal the information to the Council members, namely the information concerning Death Fang and it's dark plans for the ninja world at large. She had a feeling that this was crucial and risky at the same time….but they already know about Holy Talon and Naruto's status as Dragon Champion, so it would have to be that they knew about the other sword.

"Akatsuki is not the only force that is after Naruto….something more ancient and evil is after Naruto."

"What do you mean?"

Tsunade sighed and wished she had Naruto here to talk about the matter….however….her wish was granted as Naruto….being a Chuunin was also arriving in the office to ask permission to do a recon assignment…

"Tsunade-sama….I need to…oh, is this a bad time?"

And to further add weight to the whole situation….Jiraiya came later, his cheerful and leery grin replaced by a serious look the very second he spotted Homura and Koharu in the room, as well as some of the Council members who he knew were not very receiving on Naruto's case…Tsunade was not sure how Naruto would receive the fact that she needed to share the information that concerned Death Fang….as the two walked in….Jiraiya spoke.

"Is there something going on?"

Tsunade turned to Naruto and spoke seriously to him.

"Naruto….I need to ask your consent for something…."

Naruto frowned and could tell that Tsunade's question was a very serious one and he needed to know just what was it that Tsunade wanted to say that she needed his consent to say in the first place and he decided to find out.

"What is it Tsunade-sama and why do you need my consent?"

"Because what I am about to say….involves the rival of that sword you carry….as much as I don't want to say it….it's time that the truth comes out on this matter. I know that you have a lot to deal with….but I have to prepare Konoha for a possible attack…."

Naruto was quick on the uptake and understood the situation, Death Fang was a big threat to everyone in the ninja world and it would not hesitate to unleash another attack soon. The guards who were mentally dominated by Death Fang's new minion who they had in prison at the moment were living testament of that truth. He knew that both as a ninja of Konoha and as a Dragon Champion, as well as a soon to come Hokage, he had to defend the village from all threats and he wanted to make sure that no harm came to the village while he was alive. If the truth came out….then Konoha would be better prepared. He turned to Holy Talon who was on his back at the moment and spoke through the mental connection with his friend and ally in battle.

(Should I yet Tsunade tell the Council?)

(("It was bound to happen eventually Master Naruto, I do not see what can be done at the moment to hide it….however….they must not mention this information to others from this room, lest all things can get really bad for everyone involved."))

Naruto nodded as well and then spoke to Tsunade.

"Go ahead Tsunade-sama. I have to get going and get ready."

Tsunade gave a slightly sad look at Naruto as he left the room for the moment and she focused her attention on the Council members and then to further make her day difficult was the arrival of Danzo into the room in question at the moment, she never liked him and knew that the feeling was mutual….as Naruto passed Danzo she swore she saw the bandaged man look at Naruto and Holy Talon in a way that alerted her to something that she knew was asking for a great deal of trouble at the moment, this made her decide to keep a firmer eye on Danzo.

As soon as the room was settled, she told them all she knew of the sword that was Holy Talon's only known rival….Death Fang, the Council listened and many of them were unaware that such an evil weapon existed and this point and time, Tsunade and Jiraiya, as well as Shizune told the Council what they had seen this sword do….or rather, the minions it commanded to attack other locations and what it did to the land and the people living in it. They mentioned the town that was attacked by the Wraith Knight and what happened and their first meeting with the evil sword's image.

"I've never seen anything like it in my many years of being alive…..that sword was pure evil in all fashions…."

"You sound as if you fear this sword Tsunade-hime."

Tsunade looked at Danzo and although she couldn't see his expressions at the moment on his face….she knew for a fact that he was mocking her, but despite her anger, she had to admit that she was in truth wary, and as much as she hated to admit it, afraid of Death Fang as she recalled the corruptive touch it had on the lands before it and what it could do to it's enemies even without it's master using it's limited but vast and dark powers….and the kinds of minions this evil blade could command.

"That's because….I am afraid."

Danzo for the first time opened his uncovered eye in surprise…and so did Homura and Koharu….this was the first time they had heard that Tsunade was afraid of anything….she was a Sannin and one of the strongest medical nin in the known ninja world, that and her immense killer strength made her more than a match for any normal ninja….and to hear that she feared this weapon more than anything was rather….unexpected.

"I am afraid that if it can do these evil things to the world without a master commanding it, then I shudder at the thought of anyone in our world being able to claim such dark power. Death Fang's power is not of this world as is Holy Talon's and both swords are truly alive and can think for themselves in battle. That and they possess the knowledge, skills, and powers of previous champions and the powers of their creators….these weapons are not to underestimated for ANY reason."

"We should hunt down and destroy Death Fang before it becomes a threat!!!"

Tsunade turned to the Council member and spoke.

"There's two problems with that idea….the first is that we do not know where this weapon can be found, Death Fang is not the kind who would tell you where to find it, it could be anywhere in our world, and for all we know….it could be in any of the great countries and we could create serious situations if we go there to the other countries without reason. The second is that no weapon or jutsu we have can come close to harming those weapons….Death Fang and Holy Talon are not of our world, and are made by Dragons and living weapons themselves, and you already know that no weapon can harm Holy Talon….even Orochimaru's Kusanagi cannot even come close to harming or scratching Holy Talon….Death Fang is no different and would not be destroyed by normal means…there are only two things that can harm or destroy Death Fang, the first is Holy Talon as Holy Talon is Death Fang's only known rival in power and ability, and the second is the power of the Dragons themselves….only they can destroy either sword."

Tsunade then looked at all members of the Council who were in the room at the moment and looked at them all, and finally Homura, Koharu, and Danzo at the moment and spoke seriously once more.

"This little raid was started by one of Death Fang's minions….sent to test and see Naruto's growth as a Dragon Champion….the sword seeks to see what sort of Champion Naruto will be in the near future which is why it sent this minion….a seductress demon named a Succubus Maiden to use whatever means needed to draw Naruto out, and this attack with those mentally dominated guards is but the first…."

"What do you mean by that Tsunade-hime?"

Tsunade continued….

"This minion could seduce and dominate a large number of men and could use them as a totally dedicated fighting force, the guards were just the first. If she wanted to she could send an entire army of mentally controlled slaves to attack Konoha….she has the time to spare and the power to do just that. Naruto says that as long as she remains alive….the men she controls will remain under her spell for as long as possible. With the manpower we have and the reconstruction going on, attacking this female minion of Death Fang and her controlled forces head on is a very dangerous and foolish idea, and she could very well turn our own ninja against us, if she captures them and manages to control their minds….then she could very well turn ninja against ninja."

Jiraiya was not silent for long as he also spoke as well.

"This attack was but the first….the Wraith Knight that nearly killed Naruto was able to slaughter an entire town and a bandit camp….and brought the slain back to life by using this sword to contain the souls of all it had killed and using those dead people…men, women, and children as attackers, no matter how many times Tsunade, Shizune and I struck them down….they came back up again, and when we attacked the Wraith Knight in it's own home turf….the land around it was dying….everything in the land was dead….the water was discolored, stagnant and filthy, all plants were dead and lifeless, trees were reduced to dead skeletons….and so were all manner of animals and birds….even the air itself in the area felt sick and dying. Naruto was able to defeat the Wraith Knight using Dragon Fire, the Rasengan which I taught him, and Holy Talon….that was when I and the others saw Death Fang for the very first time….and I have say….I shudder at the thought of anyone I know being chosen to become the wielder of that sword."

Tsunade nodded as she recalled the sight of the corrupted valley that was the location of the former bandit camp and how Naruto was able to heal the land and the results afterwards.

"Naruto managed to heal the valley and the lands around it but seeing the devastation told Naruto to take his training a great deal more seriously at the moment, and he has proven to be able to succeed, especially making it to be a Chuunin. The attack on Suna a few months ago was also made by Death Fang who used it's summoned minions the Reapers to make the attack happen at the time. The Reapers are deadly foes and are not to be taken lightly by anyone and it was only through the combined efforts of Gaara and Naruto was the Reaper leader defeated. Now this….this is something that we have to be ready for, This sword wants to bathe this entire world in fire and destruction….it cares little for our politics and ideals….it only wants us to either die….or be nothing more than slaves for it's amusement. Naruto and Holy Talon are the only ones who can stand up to this evil weapon and that is something no one here can change."

The Council were silent about all this at the moment….and Tsunade and Jiraiya couldn't blame them for the silence….after all….this was a lot to take in at the moment and the two Sannin knew that at this moment….they were getting a very accurate idea on what exactly was going on at the moment and what forces were on the move in this situation. As the two looked out into the windows of the Hokage Tower….they wondered what they would do now.

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In Naruto's home…

Naruto looked over all the information that Holy Talon gave him and it looked very grim as this was one kind of foe that he had no idea about….unlike the Wraith Knight he faced before….who used slain villagers as servants. The Succubus Maiden used living people who were innocent of any wrong doing and that would weigh heavily on him…he could not risk attacking just yet until they got enough details to make a right decision regarding the situation with the Succubus Maiden at the moment.

With that in mind, he got out and took Holy Talon and used a summoning spell…and in moments a pair of Falcon Rangers appeared and they were ready for battle…the two spirit warriors bowed before Naruto and one spoke.

"What would you have us do Champion?"

"I need you to track down any trace of the Succubus Maiden in the area in Fire Country….keep me posted whenever you can."

"Very well Champion….we will do what we can in this mission that you have given us."

With that….both Falcon Rangers left Naruto's home and headed off into the nearby forest and Naruto knew that their skills in stealth and woodcraft would allow them to evade most if not all pursuers…these warriors were a much better choice for scout and recon as they were already spirits and could not be easily influenced by others and the powers of Chaos as well. He only hoped that their would be successful in locating the exact location of the base of operations of the Succubus Maiden before she made new attacks on Konoha or any of the outlying towns in the Land of Fire….knowing that she could seduce and control men easily made him worry about the idea of an entire army of people who were under her control attacking Konoha at the current state it was in….they had quality ninja….that was an absolute fact and he knew that he was among the quality ninja as well as the others who were close to him….but quality alone was not enough….they needed not just quality ninja, jutsus, weapons, and more….they needed information, resources, time, alliances with others, contacts and more. Naruto's months of learning all he could from Holy Talon's vast archives of information on various matters had given him a much deeper understanding of the world he lived in through more unique point of view and how to deal with key situation.

As Naruto thought over the various matters before him at the moment, he decided to go out on a patrol for the time being as he was relegated to guard duty at the moment and he was moving out to meet with Kakashi, Sasuke, and Sakura, for the time being….pending the situation before Konoha….all ninja not on missions were to be on guard duty around the village and as a Chuunin, he was expected to take that duty for the time being.

As he arrived in the ninja assembly hall….he was greeted by a number of Konoha Chuunin who were also going out on patrol for the time being. The Chuunin were greeting him while some ignored him, Naruto didn't mind that for the moment and sure enough….Kakashi arrived with Sakura and Sasuke in tow….

"Hey Naruto….going on out on patrol?"

"Hai….with the situation this bad….we're going to need to be on guard….how's the sword I gave you Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi took the sword from his back and replied to Naruto's question at the moment…he recalled the day Naruto had taken up learning how to craft a sword for his free time when he was not yet promoted as a Chuunin, figuring that he should learn how to craft blades by himself when not using Dragon Fire, both dwarf smiths agreed to tutor him and he bought the quality metal needed to make his first practice blades. It had been touch and go for the time being as he had no idea on how to make a sword by hand….but it proved to be very helpful indeed to pass the time and to further build up his physical strength and abilities.

Flashback… A month and a half earlier…

Naruto sweated as he worked on the final touches on his first sword of the day. The blonde ninja placed away his sharpening stone and looked the newly crafted katana over…seeing if there were any flaws on the construction of the sword. He saw none and smiled as his teachers in the art of being a blacksmith looked on with approval. Rumkil and Thorell looked the blade over and tested it with their own hands and noted the balance, the edge, and the weight and the two nodded.

"A good blade this one is laddie…a bit different from the ones we make…but good all the same…"

"You've taken yer first step as a blacksmith and ye did good too. There's more to learn however but you've made progress."

"Thanks…now I need to test this out, and I know just the person who can test this for me!"

Naruto took the sword and the sheath that he had been able to make in conjunction with the sword and headed to the meeting place where he and the others would meet up with Kakashi….but before he took a little side trip for a moment to get some much needed things to see just how well his sword can do in battle.

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Later…

"So let me get this right Naruto…you want me to test this blade on this?"

Kakashi asked as he pointed to the large block of stone and nearby was a thick bar of solid steel. The Jonin had gotten back from a mission when the blonde Genin presented him with the newly finished product of his training, he admitted that the blade looked good and had good balance…but now Naruto was asking him to subject such a piece of work to this? Sakura, Kin, and Sasuke looked on as well…the Uchiha was nearly reaching full recovery at the moment and he was curious what the blonde was up to this time.

"Yeah Kakashi-sensei…I want to see how this performs."

"Naruto-kun…are you sure about this?"

"There's no way that thing can cut stone and steel dobe."

Sasuke said with a smirk…wanting to see Naruto's reaction to being stung. It had been a while since he had been on a mission since being allowed to leave from the hospital.

Naruto merely grinned back and replied.

"And if it does cut through stone and steel then you're going to wish you never said that Sasuke, Believe it!"

Kakashi sighed and knew that Naruto was serious about the whole thing and took out the sword and admitted that the near silent hiss of the sword from the wooden sheath told him that the blade was smooth and well sharpened. He struck at the rock first but to his shock and that of both Sasuke and Sakura…the sword didn't chip or shatter at all…but cut through the stone with a nearly effortless arc…the cut halves of the stone fell apart and the cut was clean and smooth…the Jonin felt the cut stone and marveled at the utterly flat and smooth feel of the cut. He was impressed indeed and decided to look at the blade and was further impressed when he saw no damage to the blade…the edge was as sharp as ever and no signs of tear, and chipping were there…not even a crack on the sword was there at all.

He then tried the steel bar and to his surprise and amazement the sword sliced the bar cleanly in half…just like it had done the stone block…he looked at the edge and saw no dulling, chipping, or cracks…he then turned as he felt something coming at him and he saw the sword slice a water-melon in half with the same effortless grace that he had just cut the stone and steel with. The fruit fell down in a cleanly dissected pair.

"Wow…"

Naruto was smiling all the while…the blade was not yet perfected as he still thought that more improvement was in order for his forging. But he was happy with the results and smiled at his Jonin sensei and to his team-mates…

"I guess that means my work's a success! Can cut stone, steel and still be sharp enough to slice fruit!!"

"Wow! That is one amazing blade Naruto-kun!"

"I have to admit Naruto, this is a fine blade…it has the same cutting power as both Chidori and Raikiri, but in a solid form…you did well."

"Thanks Kakashi-sensei…it's not the best yet but I'll improve my skill on making blades and other weapons like it more later on. In the mean time you can have it for free as a gift."

"Thanks I can find a good use for this on my missions."

Kakashi said as he sheathed the sword into it's sheath and then held it close to him…this was the first time he had gotten a gift from Naruto and he had to admit that it was an impressive one to say the least.

Naruto then turned and grinned at Sasuke who was looking wide eyed at the blade.

"I guess that means you were wrong eh Sasuke? If you want I can.."

"No thank you…"

Sasuke then stalked off and Naruto was not liking this one bit at all. Sasuke was acting rather weird at the moment and he turned to face Kakashi and Sakura.

"What's eating him…I was going to say I could make him a blade like that one too. Oh well…I guess that means I can get down to making a sword for Zabuza next…hopefully it meets his approval since I have no idea what sort of sword I have to design for him at the moment. But I know for a fact that it would have to be in the same caliber of that sword he used to have at the moment. Well then…I have to get going Kakashi-sensei, Sakura-chan!"

End of Flashback…

Kakashi saw that Naruto had made a sword for Zabuza as well and he wondered how Zabuza found his new sword at the moment, for now however, he decided to answer Naruto's question on how the sword performed.

"It's doing all right….I have been using it for some time and it's performing well….why do you ask?"

"Just checking….I don't want that sword to break early since I still need to test out my skills in making a much better sword at the moment. I might even get to making blades like that one for the village in my free time….I have been getting better as a blacksmith after all."

"Not a bad idea….you could be a weapon-smith in your free time in the village and the blades can make can go a long way from here."

"Thanks….we should get going."

Kakashi nodded as they all got together and the rest of the ninja were heading out at the moment, and there was Zabuza, Kin, and Haku at the moment with them, the newly formed team still lacked another member to complete their cell but for now….Zabuza was content to have this time….Kin's use of sound to disorient opponents and to distort their vision was handy, as well as Haku's skills as a Medic nin and his skill at disabling foes, plus his Kekkai Genkai made him invaluable, plus he was his adopted son. The new Leaf Jonin led his team alongside Kakashi's own as they all went on patrol at the moment.

The former Mist Seven Swordsman wondered how the town guards came here…and from what he understood, they were attacking Konoha ninja….and that was something that confused him at the moment as he and his team moved out for their own mission.

Unknown to them all….a certain Chuunin was keeping track of Naruto…

--------

For days since the attack, the Chuunin held in thrall by the Succubus Maiden kept an eye on Naruto and was recording everything that he saw and was making sure to watch for any known and hidden weak points in Naruto's abilities. When he was alone he delivered his report when the seal of domination appeared on his neck and his eyes glowed faintly and in the moment….all the information he had gathered pertaining to Naruto's life and weak points were sent to the Succubus Maiden.

In her home base….the demon female in question relished the imagers being sent by her spy and studied carefully her prey…she had to admit that Naruto was certainly a very attractive sort….though he was not the kind she normally expected of Dragon Champions, she had been told about his physical descriptions by her master and creator Death Fang….but she had to admit that he was certainly a good looking one. For now she kept track of the movements of her prey through her spy.

Normally when the seal was active it would emit a signature of Chaos Energy that Holy Talon could sense….so the Succubus Maiden only used smaller but no less powerful portions of her Chaos Energy to make the seal function for the time being, thus evading detection from the Holy Dragon Sword. She had halted the attacks for the time being in order to lower the sense of security in Konoha and let them think that it was just a freak occurrence at the time. However….it seemed that band of ninja from Konoha, including the Dragon Champion himself were not so easily fooled and were more intent on the patrols and with greater intensity as well.

For now however….she looked for any key weaknesses and people that she could use to her advantage in luring out the young Champion….and she found some promising prospects that could be helpful….but she knew that in order to effect their capture….she had to plan things out carefully at the moment and she knew that if she wanted to lure the Champion out…..she needed more than one spy….she needed more people to lay down the ground work and time was on her side….

"Hmmmm….I am going to need more help to get this done."

The Succubus Maiden however had no idea at the moment that a pair of eyes were busy watching her town…The Falcon Rangers had been moving about in the towns in the Land of Fire and were able to notice the lack of women in this one and they watched over the place for the time being and were gathering all the needed intel before they would send the message back to Konoha to Naruto.

--------

Midday…

Naruto was not on duty at the moment and had decided to go to the Ichiraku for his lunch and as soon as he got there…Ayame was happy to see him and well as Teuchi. Naruto himself was happy to see their familiar faces and he sat down to take an order for a nice hot bowl of ramen this time he had more than enough money to pay for it.

"I'll have the large beef and chicken ramen today!!"

"All right Naruto-kun….hold on."

Teuchi went back into the kitchen to get the order made for his stand's best customer and this allowed his daughter Ayame some privacy with Naruto for the time being and she planned to have the chance to chat with Naruto, she had always been fond of the young teen, but now her feelings towards him were changing….she knew that despite being a lot older physically….she was still five or so years older than Naruto and while it was true that Naruto was by ninja law and tradition no longer a kid, she wanted to make sure that she was able to do this without embarrassing herself in the process.

"Naruto-kun….how is it being a Chuunin?"

"It's pretty different from what I am used to….but the pay is nice and I get a lot more respected now….and the missions are certainly a lot different than when I was still a Genin, I still can't believe at times that I even AM a Chuunin Ayame-san!"

"I am happy for you though Naruto-kun….oh yes….here's your order!"

Ayame handed the bowl down as Teuchi gave it to her and the way Naruto looked hungrily at the ramen and then took a good long smell of the odors made her smile a bit more….he might have grown up a lot, but deep inside he was still the same young Naruto she liked a lot since he had come to their stand every chance he got after his days in the Academy and when he was still a Genin. She had grown very fond of him in those years….but now the feelings had become something deeper and stronger…

Unknown to her and even Naruto at the moment, the converted Chuunin was watching the whole things….recording the emotions being displayed by Naruto towards Ayame, and then the emotions Ayame displayed in Naruto's direction and as the memories were being filed away for further use of his mistress….for now….he had to record everything…

Naruto continued to visit and hang out with his comrades as the converted Chuunin spy recorded all that he was witnessing at the moment and saw Sakura and Naruto chatting and he could see the emotional connection that the two had with one another, yet another viable bit of information his mistress could find useful in her plans. The spy then observed as Naruto continued his daily routine and his training as well….he noted the affection shown by the white eyed and dark haired girl who was training with him, as well as the affections being directed at the blonde Dragon Champion by a blonde haired girl with short hair and yet another with black hair that was long, the two would often chat with Naruto at times and that was yet another thing of interest to the spy of the Succubus Maiden.

Naruto was not aware of it at the moment as the seal was hidden and as the blonde Chuunin worked with the others, the spy was able to gather data on two more people who showed affection towards him and that was enough to set things in motion. Konoha was allowing new workers into the village to effect the reconstruction but unknown to them….the Succubus Maiden had other plans at the moment as she sent out a number of covert agents and they were quickly informed of the plan and were also already given the tools needed to effect the attack she had in mind from within Konoha itself..

It was then…nearly three weeks after the attacks that the Succubus Maiden decided to play out her plans to snare the young Dragon Champion and see how well things would turn out….and maybe when it was all over….she could have her fun.

--------

The ninja patrolling the borders of Konoha were suddenly able to spot a large number of town guards heading this way….and this time, they were in a much larger and better armed force than the previous bunch….and this time it seemed to be a very serious attack, the group wondered just what was going on yet again and quickly they engaged the town guards who quickly fought with them. The ninja did their best to fight off the town guards as a member of their unit retreated to inform Konoha of the incoming attack.

Naruto was currently training in the home he lived in when he got the message that another attack was coming….and this time it was a lot more serious. Naruto wondered however on the delay of the attacks and as he made his way to the battle field alongside several of the other ninja….he shared that same sentiment with Holy Talon.

(I don't get it Holy Talon, this Succubus Maiden could have just seduced and dominated a large number of men and overwhelmed us by now with a whole army considering her abilities and skills….why did she wait too long and attack only now?)

(("She's planning something….I have a feeling that what she lacks in the love of overwhelming forces…she makes due with subtlety, Succubus Maidens are not above fighting openly and relish bloodshed as any of Death Fang's agents as you already know….but they are intelligent as well, there's something in play here Master Naruto….we must be careful….let we be caught off guard."))

Naruto arrived and met up with Kakashi and Sasuke….who told him that Sakura would be on her way after she had finished a few tasks for the Hokage…

Sakura was about to move out when her danger senses kicked in and she got ready and found herself suddenly surrounded by a number of men, one was a ninja who silently tossed a ball at her….which suddenly exploded in a blinding flash of powder….Sakura was so surprised that she had no time to fully react to the situation and the powder was able to hit her senses and she suddenly fell to the ground unconscious….the men took her away and they quickly fled the scene…

Konohamaru and his friends however saw the whole thing as they were moving about….Konohamaru had no idea what was going on but quickly rushed to inform Ebisu of what was going on at the moment.

However….Sakura was not the only one who was about to kidnapped…

--------

Naruto panted as he held Holy Talon and was now over the incapacitated bodies of the guards that were attacking Konoha once more….he knew that sooner or later, the Succubus Maiden would strike swiftly and soon….but he was not expecting such a brazen and powerful assault….the Town guards that were attacking the village were better equipped than the last bunch….and they were moving in a much larger force this time….something was up…

Kakashi looked about and shook his head.

"That was a very serious but ultimately weakened attack….what is this Succubus Maiden planning….could she be probing our defenses?"

"I think so Kakashi-sensei….either that or…."

"NARUTO-SAN!!!!"

Naruto and Kakashi turned to see none other than Konohamaru, Moegi, and Udon, along with Ebisu heading right for them with a look of worry….Konohamaru and his friends topped and were panting hard….apparently they had taken on a very fast run to get here and that was what worried Naruto and he wanted to know why his young friend Konohamaru would willingly risk it all to come here in a battle-zone.

"What's going on Konohamaru? Why the heck are you here?"

"It's….Sakura-san…..she's….she's been…."

Naruto's blood ran cold at that and he was instantly worried.

"What happened?!"

Moegi spoke…and she too was tired…

"It was….a band of people….they kidnapped….Sakura-san….they ambushed her…."

Ebisu nodded and spoke to Naruto.

"Konohamaru-kun and Moegi-san speak the truth Naruto-san….Sakura was kidnapped on her way here to support you and the others when she left from the Hokage Tower after training….she was ambushed by agents who were in Konoha somehow and taken before it was discovered…and Naruto-kun….she was not the only one…."

--------

In the Hokage Tower…

Tsunade could see the anger Naruto had as he read the letter that she had handed to him when he came to the Tower and she couldn't blame him for the anger he was showing….she was not the only one as Ginji, Hazumi, Inochi, Teuchi, and Hiashi were there….also showing great concern and anguish at what was transpiring. Naruto tossed the letter aside and shouted…

"THAT WITCH!!!!!"

Kakashi looked at the discarded letter and picked it up as he and Sasuke looked at what was in the letter to make Naruto swear in such a fashion at the moment, and it didn't take long for them to find out what had made Naruto very angry… In the letter were the words.

'Dear Dragon Champion….Naruto Uzumaki….

I do hope you don't mind me not introducing myself in person, my name is Solana, and I am a Succubus Maiden….the same one who had sent those guards a few days before and the one who unleashed this little attack on your beloved village….I must admit that your people are indeed skilled….but very lax in their security….I was able to send in a number of my agents into the village to get the lay of the land….but I doubt that you care for the details…

Well then, let me get down to the point….while you and your fellow….ninja I think is the term here, were fighting my pets….my own covert agents managed to capture a number of people from your precious village and many of them are the ones you have a good tie to….I must admit that you are quite attractive as my spy has sent me images of you via the seal of domination I placed on him. And now I offer you a simple choice….

Come to my abode and when you do…I will allow you to fight for them….defeat me and they will go free….and just so you know….you have three days to make your move, if you are not here in time….then I will have to entertain myself in a fashion, and these people looked VERY tasty to me….I can let my pets have their turn if you know what I mean….have fun making your choice my dear…

Oh….and don't be late….'

Naruto gritted his teeth as he clenched his fists as well as he thought over what would happen to the people who were kidnapped….and he knew that this demon woman would not hesitate to carry out her threat and the thought of Sakura, Hinata, Ino, Tenten, Ayame, Kin, Kurenai, and even Anko being violated by that sadistic demoness and her pets was making him even more enraged…

He calmed himself as best he could and looked at the people there who's family had been taken from their homes and vowed to free their loved ones….no matter the cost.

"I will free them myself…"

"Naruto…."

The blonde Chuunin then turned to Tsunade and spoke seriously.

"I have to do this Tsunade-sama…I am the only one who stands a chance against that evil witch, no other ninja or weapon can harm her except Holy talon and me….I have to do this."

"You'll need help…."

"I know….but we're in a bad situation right now….besides….she might kill Sakura and the others if I don't go alone…."

"Dobe….what makes you think she won't kill them anyway?"

Naruto turned and spoke to Sasuke evenly….keeping his temper cool and objective….he had to as he was facing a team-mate and not an enemy. Kakashi could see the tension between the two and was thankful that Naruto had matured enough to keep a level head at the moment and didn't lash out at Sasuke, showing restraint and focus on the tasks at hand.

"What choice do I have Sasuke….if I stay here….she will do Kami only knows what to Sakura-chan and the others she kidnapped and she would keep on sending more of those men she has under her spell to attack us, and if I go….there's a chance I can free them and defeat that witch in her own game."

"And if worse comes to worse?"

"I said before Sasuke and I will say it again….as long as I strive to become Hokage….I refuse to die….no matter who it is I face…."

The others looked on as both Sasuke and Naruto looked at one another seriously and Sasuke gave a snort and moved away and Tsunade could see that there was tension between the two ninja but she too was impressed as Naruto showed good maturity in that situation at the moment and she then spoke.

"All right Naruto….consider this situation a special S-Ranked mission that only you can deal with….depart as soon as you can….and be careful."

Naruto saw the worry and fear there in the blonde Hokage's eyes and nodded.

"I will…."

--------

Naruto was back in his home compound as his two Falcon Rangers had given their report….it seemed that while the attack on Konoha was still going on…the two spirit warriors had been able to locate the town where the Succubus Maiden was hiding….as well as the possible location of the town's female residents and the newly captured Konoha Kunoichi at the moment….Naruto was thankful for the information and quickly made his preparations and as soon as he was sure that he was ready to leave….he left his home and made his way to the gate…

When he got there, Ebisu was waiting and with him was Kakashi and Iruka….the blonde Chuunin was surprised and hoped that his father figure Iruka Ebisu and Kakashi were not planning on challenging the order of Tsunade to stay behind and guard the village….even Jiraiya was there and he was hoping the Pervy Sage was not going to try and join him….he shuddered at the thought of the Succubus Maiden getting her hooks on the perverted ninja….the last thing he wanted was to be fighting the perverted ninja who was a Sannin and in the prime of his life nevertheless…

However….Jiraiya proved to be a lot more intelligent and deductive than he had pegged the man for as he spoke for himself and the others.

"We're not coming with you Naruto….we merely wished to see you off at the gates….listen….this might sound corny….but be careful and don't trust that woman…ever…"

"I know…"

"Listen….keep in mind that you have only one shot to get this all right….don't fumble at the end…."

"NOW he tells me….take good care of the village Pervy Sage…."

"Don't worry I will…."

Naruto smiled at the Sannin and saw that he meant those words…and that made him see that despite his perversion and antics at times…the ninja sage was all right. He then turned to Kakashi and Iruka, the two nodded and Iruka took out a bag filled with smoke pellets and even some hidden explosive tags….

"Use these well Naruto-kun."

"I will."

Kakashi then spoke to his student still in a very serious and strong way…

"You've grown up Naruto….but this fight will not be easy….keep your mind sharp and don't reveal more than you have to…remember….don't show off your full abilities and jutsu until the right moment comes your way….understand?"

"Got it Kakashi-sensei!"

Naruto moved out and Holy talon spoke solemnly…

(("I should have known this was a trap….she must have somehow lessened the power of the seal to evade my senses so she could get her agents into Konoha….we need to help improve the security of Konoha."))

(How?)

(("We can create special sensors in the gates which sense the presence of Chaos Energy….these can make sure that no agent of Death Fang can just walk into the village….but for now we have to hurry….that Succubus Maiden might very well try something on the women she had her agents captured."))

--------

In the town…

"Uhhhhh…..what…."

Sakura opened her eyes and was confused and disoriented for a few minutes and slowly her consciousness came back to her. As soon as her memories came back….she tried to move her arms and found herself being chained to a wall with her hands and feet. The pink haired Kunoichi looked about and to her surprise….there were others with her as well…

"Hinata?! Hinata?! Are you all right?!"

The white eyed Hyuuga heiress managed to wake up….the last thing she recalled was heading out to meet up with Kiba, Akamaru, and Shino and she had some treats for Akamaru that the young puppy loved to eat as a gift for the efforts he, Kiba, and Shino gave to help her develop her skills as a Kunoichi but somehow she had been approached by several men and then before she could react….one of them attacked her….forcing her to move away and defend herself but it was a trap as another man who was hiding nearby fired a ball at her that exploded like an explosive tag….and she lost consciousness.

However she was already waking up and at first she was confused as she was in a place that she had no idea about at the moment, but the moment she saw Sakura and found herself being held in chains and unable to escape at the moment she was very shocked and afraid but was happy to see a familiar face.

"Sakura-san!! Where are we?!"

"I don't know….wait….Ino?!"

Ino Yamanaka was there as well….and she too was starting to wake up from her own kidnapping attempt by the Succubus Maiden's agents in Konoha….she was minding the Flower shop owned by her family when a number of men came into her shop and she was wary of them at the moment and before she could respond to what was going on at that point and time the men had thrown a ball that exploded and the cloud that covered her that was made from the powder inside the sphere knocked her unconscious.

Ino was finally awake and as soon as she was able to get her wits back in her mind she spoke to the two others who were already wide awake at the moment.

"Hinata?! Sakura?! What happened….where are we?! What the heck is going on here?!"

"I don't know….all I know is that I was leaving to help Naruto-kun, Sasuke-kun, and Kakashi-sensei on a routine patrol when a bunch of people came up to me and tried to attack me for no reason and then I was hit by some sort of ball that exploded and released a powder that knocked me out and all I know is that I was here…."

"The same thing happened to me too…."

"Same thing here….some guys came into my family's shop and….oh my God….Kin?!"

Kin also recovered. The former Sound Kunoichi was planning to head out and meet with the others of her current team and as soon as she left the room of Naruto's former home. But she found herself facing a small band of men. She was surprised and tried to talk to them and find out just what was going on here and what they were doing in Naruto's old home….when they didn't answer her questions….she felt like she was intentionally being ignored and was about to move….however…she spotted one reach for a knife and she got her Senbon ready and was about to fight when another pair appeared and then they threw out a sphere that released some sort of paralysis powder as she lost consciousness.

As soon as she got her bearings, she was shocked to find herself chained and unable to escape….for a moment, she had thought that Orochimaru had somehow captured her and she was to be tortured for her actions, and she was not going to let them succeed, but the surroundings were not that of Orochimaru's lair….rather it seemed that she was in some sort of town house….the second she spotted Ino, she was shocked to find a familiar face who was very much in the same situation as she was at the moment, and even more so when she spotted Hinata and Sakura.

"What the?! How did you guys get here….who captured us and why?!"

"I don't know….wait a minute….Ayame-san?!"

Ayame opened her eyes and was shocked to find herself being chained….she had been busy with delivering some food orders to the workers in Konoha's restoration work and left the ramen stand to do the job while her father was busy working for some customers there. She was on her way and took a quick short cut that she knew of when she noted she was being followed and when she turned she was tackled by another from behind and before she could scream a cloth covered her mouth and she smelled something that sent her to sleep in that instant…

She was shocked to see Hinata, Sakura, Ino, and Kin with her,….and also chained to the walls on the other side.

"What the heck is going on here?!"

"Ayame-san….how did you get here?!"

"I was delivering food to the workers in the restoration of Konoha when some guys followed me and when I tried to see who they were….someone else jumped me….I tried to scream for help but I was stopped when someone covered my mouth….i think there was some sort of paralysis medicine in the cloth because I lost consciousness afterwards… "

"Oh Kami….Tenten?!"

Tenten was awake and she too was shocked to see her fellow Kunoichi chained as she was at the moment. She had been on her way to the training field when she was suddenly attacked by a band of men….she got ready to fight but was shocked not to see ninja but ordinary people armed with short knives and sticks….her confusion was enough to allow a hidden group of men who were there to ambush her and she was suddenly hit by powder that was also able to knock her unconscious.

As soon as she was awake and discovering her fellow Kunoichi as well as herself as prisoners at the moment, she was shocked.

"Wha…..Sakura?! Ino?! Kin?! Hinata?! Ayame-san?! Where are we?!"

It was then that they saw Shizune, Anko and Kurenai waking up as well….the women were busy working earlier in their respective posts….Kurenai was busy working on some important reports and was going to meet with Anko to grab something to eat in a restaurant….and Shizune was taking a break from her duties as Tsunade's secretary and all three of them were on their way when they were able to see the Chuunin move out….they were about to move along as well but then they were suddenly surrounded by several men who were armed with weapons….what surprised them was the fact that the men were civilians and were supposedly none combatants….all three of the female Jonin were getting ready to fight but several more attacked and then they fought back….avoiding fatal attacks in order to find out why these people were attacking them.

It was then that some of the men took out spheres that exploded and released some form of power….similar to a smoke bomb….but it turned out to be paralysis powder and all three of them were knocked out cold….and now they were here.

It was then that the Kunoichi was greeted by the arrival of a band of the town's men and there between the two men was a woman who was dressed in a fashion that was considered totally immodest and the woman was utterly seductive….but the Kunoichi could sense something was unnatural about this person before them at the moment and when they saw the horns….they KNEW that she was not human…

The woman smiled at them all and replied seductively.

"I do hope you are all in good condition….I hope my pets were not rough in capturing you all…."

"Who are you?!"

Solana then turned and replied to Sakura's question with a very cheerful voice…

"The name is Solana….I am the Succubus Maiden who sent those guards who I have under my control to attack Konoha previously…"

"WHAT?!"

Kurenai glared at the demonic woman and spoke and knew that with her arms bound, there was no way that she could use her Genjutsu and even if she could….something about this woman was not human and there was a chance she could be resistant to Genjutsu…

"Why did you kidnap us?"

"To lure someone out of course…."

"Who would that be?"

Solana smiled and she spoke in a very simple tone…

"You ALL know him….after all, he is a very interesting young man….and he is a Chuunin I believe….and he carries a very unique sword….Naruto Uzumaki I believe."

"WHAT?!"

The reaction was universal for all the Kunoichi the very second when they heard this demonic woman was after Naruto. They had no idea why she would be after Naruto of all people but the way she acted was something that was really unnerving for them all and the thought of this demonic woman getting her claws into Naruto was making their blood boil as they had no idea what this woman would to Naruto the very second she got her claws into him. Hinata was the first to speak.

"What could you want with Naruto-kun?!"

Solana grinned and replied.

"Why….I want to meet him as was asked of me by my Master…and when I do….I am going to have some fun with him before I kill him."

That served to only infuriate the Kunoichi and they were struggling to attack the woman who laughed at their struggles and she replied.

"Don't bother trying to break free….those chains are fused into the walls and are enchanted not to break and shatter, unless that wall they are connected to is destroyed and they can unleash a powerful surge of pain inducing energy…."

All the Kunoichi screamed as arcs of energy flooded their bodies and they couldn't help but stop their struggles as they tried to recover from the massive shock and pain that had shot deep into their bodies as Solana relished their struggles and she spoke.

"Good….show me your fire….I like that in anyone….even women for that matter. The reason my Master sent me to find and deal with Naruto is simple….he is the owner of my Master's only rival in power….and I think some of you have met my Master before….after all….it was he who unleashed the Reapers on that quaint village in the desert known as Suna I believe…"

The Kunoichi were shocked and then realized that she was referring to that evil weapon that had appeared after Naruto and Gaara had defeated the leader of the Reapers….and Solana nodded without any hesitation.

"That is correct….Death Fang created me to deal with Naruto….and if you excuse me….i think he is already here….bye, and don't worry….if you all would like, I can let you see me have my way with him, I liked having an audience anyway."

The Kunoichi saw red as they tried to free themselves as the thought of that Solana raping Naruto was something that they were NOT in the mood to see that happen at this point and time and even if the chains that held them once more covered them in great pain they tried desperately to free themselves…much to Solana's amusement at the moment.

--------

In the Town Square…

Naruto arrived in the area and was surprised to suddenly see a number of men surrounding him and they were armed and they charged right at him and Naruto took Holy talon and fought them head on at the moment, the ninja used non lethal strikes and since the men were not truly evil, they were not harmed by Naruto's attacks at the moment, however it was then that he was facing none other than Solana herself as she removed her hood.

"You…."

"My….you ARE a handsome one aren't you?"

Naruto wasted no time and quickly attacked Solana….however the woman was not easily frightened as she moved aside and managed to evade some of Naruto's attacks and then as she removed her robe….she revealed her form and even though Naruto was not keen on it….even he had to admit that she was an attractive sort….however he was focused on the matter at hand and spoke to the Succubus Maiden that he was facing at the moment.

"What have you done to the ones you kidnapped?!"

"Oh, you mean those lovely ladies who seem to have the hots for you Naruto? They are alive….I must congratulate you for being here so prompt, and punctuality is rare nowadays."

"Enough talk!!! What have you done to them?"

"They are alive and safe….but now I get to have my fun…entertain me Champion!"

Solana took out her sword and Naruto attacked quickly and the two traded slashes and thrusts with their swords and they each countered one another with blocks, evasion moves and more, Naruto had to admit that this woman was no ordinary foe as she was able to evade his blows and he stopped to try and focus on letting her make the first move….and he was not disappointed as she turned and attacked with her own attacks and they crossed blades and she then did something totally unexpected…she leaned forward…

And licked Naruto's cheek!!!"

Naruto was shocked by that action and he backed away and looked at the Succubus Maiden who merely licked her lips and smiled seductively.

"What the heck was that for?!"

"Oh…just wanted to see how you taste….and you taste nice….despite the Dragon Fire in your veins at the moment…I am going to have a lot of fun with you."

Naruto did NOT like the way she was acting and got ready but Solana sprung her trap as he was suddenly surrounded by tendrils of Earth that lashed out at him from all angles and Naruto was forced to fight off the tendrils with Holy Talon, but while he was able to slice down the tendrils, several more managed to restrain him and it was then that he was brought to his knees and Solana smiled at him and then she cast a spell on a nearby building and the walls fell down and there in the ruins were none other than the ones Naruto had been sent to rescue…

"NARUTO!!!!"

Naruto turned and saw them and they were hurt and he glared at Solana who smiled viciously at him.

"You lied….you said they were safe!!!!"

"They are alive after all…besides, they tried to escape from those chains and since the chains are designed to inflict pain if they try to escape….then it's not entirely my fault….but enough about that….time for me to see just how strong you are…"

Naruto barely had enough time to react when she leaned own and bit him on the neck….in a moment, Naruto cried out as Solana's venom began to flood his body as the tendrils of earth that held Naruto moved him to a prone position on the ground and Solana smiled as she placed her weapon aside and straddled the blonde ninja at the moment and the other Kunoichi looked on in horror and anger as the woman was seducing Naruto right in front of them!!!!

"LET HIM GO!!!!"

Solana turned and snorted.

"Why should I? I suggest you ladies just sit back and enjoy the show…"

The Kunoichi tried to escape once more but screamed in pain as the chains once more reacted to their movements as Solana licked Naruto's face and then began to kiss him….intent to have her way with Naruto before she ended his existence with either her powers of her weapon, but for the time being….she was going to enjoy this.

Sakura and the others could watch as Solana began to remove Naruto's clothes and then reach his armor and she decided to remove her own garments though magic and they couldn't help but see that Naruto was slowly losing the will resist Solana's actions as his grip on Holy Talon began to loosen….they couldn't stand it anymore and shouted to Naruto.

"NARUTO!!!! DON'T GIVE IN!!!!! AAAAAAUUUUUUUUGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!"

Solana turned and laughed manically as she was now naked and spoke to the women as they writhed in pain.

"Don't bother….he is slowly being transformed by my spell and venom….soon he will be mine to play with Holy Talon will lose it's hold over him….so stay there and enjoy the show…"

--------

In Naruto's mind…

Naruto tried to fight the glowing purple haze that was trying to blind him….but then he was feeling some sort of pleasurable tingle flowing on his body where the mist was touching and sure enough the pleasure began to invade his senses and blinding him….he tried to fight it but his reasoning was being affected…

(What the heck…..i….)

(("Master Naruto….you must resist!!!! That is her poison in your system, you must not surrender to the sensations!!!"))

Naruto heard Holy Talon's voice and he tried to fight it as best he could….yet it was not easy….it felt so good….then he saw a face appear before him and then a female body as well, and she was naked before him and before he could do anything she was hugging him and doing Gods only knew what to him….Naruto felt his body give in….until.

"NARUTO-KUN!!!!"

He turned and saw Hinata, Sakura, and all the others being held prisoner and being tortured and he then felt something in his hand and turned to see Holy Talon in his hand at the moment and he felt that the pleasure was mixed with evil, vile evil and he slowly fought on and countered the attempts of the mist to control him and he saw the woman before turn into Solana with her horns and wings on her back…and wielding none other than Death Fang itself.

He reacted and quickly fought off the mist and finally faced Solana and the two traded blows with one another and Naruto finally managed to land a blow on the mental image of the naked Succubus Maiden and felt his body fighting once more.

--------

Sakura, Hinata, Kin, Ino, Ayame, Tenten, Kurenai, Shizune, and Anko watched as Naruto suddenly glowed with a pure silver energy and that forced Solana off of him and she leaped back and re-summoned her clothes to her side.

They watched as the tendrils holding Naruto were destroyed and he got up and wiped the blood from his lip as he faced the Succubus Maiden once more….after breaking free from her spell and they were relieved that Naruto had managed to fight the enchantment that the demoness had placed on him when she had restrained him with that spell of Earth….but they were worried at the moment as Naruto readied Holy Talon at the moment as he was already exhausted at the moment and they knew that the witch knew it too.

They tried to free themselves from the chains to help Naruto but every time they did….arcs of pain filled their bodies as the chains held them tight to the wall that was used by the Succubus Maiden to restrain them as they watched her try to control Naruto.

"My….you were able to free yourself from my enchantment, what a shame….and I was going to have a lot of fun playing with you….nevertheless I should have expected that of a Holy Dragon Champion."

Solana smiled however as she took out her sword and it extended itself to match Holy Talon in the length of the blade and she readied herself.

"However….you are still a novice and I will enjoy beating you to death….then I can have my way with you…."

"What the hell are you yapping about?!"

"Once I take you away from Holy Talon….then I can have my fun…and I'll even let your lady friends watch as I have my way with your dying carcass before you die and join the dead."

Naruto gave the Succubus Maiden a look of utter revulsion and shouted at her.

"YOU ARE ONE SICK FREAK!!!!!"

"YOU LEAVE NARUTO-KUN ALONE!!!!!"

All the Konoha Kunoichi and Ayame shouted in wrath as they heard the sickening plan of the Succubus Maiden to deflower Naruto as he was dying and the idea of Naruto being subjected to such a degrading and disgusting act filled them with great anger and the desire to get free despite the pain they were feeling at the moment. Solana turned and laughed at them….

"My you ladies ARE feisty….maybe I should let my pets have their turns with you all first so we can give the battle between me and your hero some more drama….I always heard men perform better when they hear the cries of the people they care about…"

The men who were kept in reserve appeared and were now ready to heed the commands of their mistress as Solana gave them their orders for the time being.

"Gentlemen….show these lovely ladies a good time….and don't be gentle… give them ALL you have…."

The men nodded as they made their way towards the Kunoichi and Ayame and the women already had a VERY accurate idea what they were about to be subjected to and that was the most horrible thing that any woman could endure at these circumstances. They tried to escape but with the chains injuring them and draining their strength, escape was becoming even harder for them, and Naruto was quick on the uptake on what the men were going to do to Kin, Sakura, Hinata, Ino, Tenten, Ayame, Kurenai, Shizune, and Anko under the control of Solana and it turned his stomach and he growled at Solana.

"You sick witch!!! Leave them out of this!!!!!"

"Why should I? At least it will motivate you to fight better and more fiercely….besides, I happen to like seeing a man and woman go at it….though I wonder if those girls can handle servicing that many men….why don't we find out?"

Solana's smirk however was suddenly shattered as a gust of wind came out of nowhere and sent the men she had under her command flying backwards and then the two turned to see that the men under Solana's control were knocked out and there came several figures….six wearing an ANBU uniform and a certain pair of blondes…one wielding a fan and the other wearing a certain set of armor and carrying a pair of arm blades.

Temari placed aside her fan and growled at the Succubus Maiden.

"I don't know who or WHAT you are….but I will not let any woman suffer this fate!!!"

Tsunade then turned and slammed a hard fish into the summoned wall and her superhuman strength shattered the wall and also the power source of the chains and this allowed her to rip the chains off the Kunoichi and they were happy to be free though their injuries stopped them from moving all that much….Tsunade then turned and spoke to Naruto.

"Deal with her Naruto-kun….we've got it here."

"Right!!!!"

Naruto then got ready to fight Solana who's face was now in a scowl….but she then shrugged her shoulders and spoke to her soon to come foe.

"I guess I won't have this much fun as I thought….very well, let's dance you and I Champion…."

Naruto growled and recalled the fact that because of that converted Konoha Chuunin several of his closest friends were in danger and were almost about to be subjected to a horrible, degrading, scarring, and humiliating experience for any woman….and all because of this creation of Death Fang….this demoness who thrived on pleasure while subjecting others to her will….he was not just going to defeat her….he was going to make sure that she would never harm or enslave anyone ever again!

(I will destroy her for this!!! Are you with me Holy Talon?)

(("Always Master Naruto….time send this hell-spawn back to her home in the darkness!"))

Naruto roared and attacked as Solana charged in and they got ready to fight one another to the end….Naruto summoned his Dragon Fire and was covered white and gold flame as Solana revealed her own powers as black flame appeared on her hands and bat like wings come out from her back and clothes harmlessly and her canines grow longer and she was ready as her sword glowed with purple vein-like cracks on them.

Tsunade was able to heal both Sakura and Shizune and all three of them healed the others as best they could as Temari and the ANBU squad acted as security to defend Tsunade, Sakura, and Shizune as they healed the others of their injuries….they wished to join the battle….but this was a foe Naruto had to defeat on his own….

The question that plagued their minds however was…can he?

--------

Naruto lashed out with several slashes and thrusts at the Succubus Maiden….intent on finally ending her threat to the world and his attacks came close to slicing the Succubus Maiden in half but she had used an illusion technique similar to the Kage Bushin Naruto normal used and then her wings dove into the ground and then erupted in front of Naruto and he was forced to flip backwards as the living wings became like spears and lashed out at him…

"Nicely done Champion….but this fight is FAR from over!"

And the words of the Succubus Maiden proved true as she unleashed a number of lightning spheres at Naruto and that attack forced Naruto to use a spell to defend himself.

"EARTHWALLL!!!"

A massive wall of pure Earth came out to shield Naruto the attack and a great amount of explosive force was heard as earth was thrown everywhere by the blast itself and that was enough for Naruto to quickly leap over the wall and unleashed a powerful blast of pure fire from his hands.

"DRAGON BREATH!!!!"

Solana moved away quickly from the incoming attack and fired a powerful arc of purple lighting that crackled and lit up the sky and hit a nearby building….quickly engulfing the place in fire in a heart beat and Naruto could see that even when not seducing the living daylights out of the opposite gender, Solana was more than capable in combat and the demon female knew that for a fact as she unleashes another bolt of the purple lightning that incinerated several houses and trees and she spoke to Naruto with a very seductive but malevolent and malicious smiled.

"How do you find my powers Champion? .You might be a Dragon Champion Naruto Uzumaki, but you still have a long way to go before you can take the place of the Champions of old…"

"You might be right….but I will be stronger!!!!"

Naruto unleashed a powerful arc of lightning of his own and Solana managed to block the attack with her own powers and the shock was enough to move him a few inches and she smiled a bit more.

"Of that I have no doubt….you have grown and you have talent….now let's see if that talent you have is enough!!!!!"

Solana then took to flight using her functional wings and as soon as she was airborne, she dived down with her wings protecting her and she was covered in purple lightning as she attacked Naruto.

"LIGHTNING STRIKE!!!!"

The Succubus Maiden smashed downwards and Naruto quickly responded with his own defensive action as he jammed Holy Talon into the ground and then used his Dragon Fire to create one of his chosen defensive techniques to stop the incoming assault from the Succubus Maiden as she came at him at a great deal of speed, due to his training and his hard work and lastly, his will to succeed….Naruto had cut his casting time to half.

"DRAGON SCALE DEFENSE!!!!"

The hexagonal shield activated and blocked the incoming attack and arcs of purple lightning came all over the shield and Naruto was able to hold it off and despite her best efforts. Solana couldn't break through the shield and was forced to back away for the moment as her wings moved away and she smiled even more as the shield moved away, she said nothing and launched a full attack with her sword and Naruto quickly blocked the attack with Holy Talon and the two changed sword blows….the sword that was wielded by Solana was damaged by Holy Talon like most weapons were and it was only the fact that Solana evaded most of Naruto's counter attacks that her weapon was on easily destroyed by his attacks at the moment. She smiled and then moved away but not before she landed and unleashed her shadowy wings once more and they stretched outward from her body and turned into spears as they surrounded Naruto….

"EMBRACE OF SHADOWY PAIN!!!!!"

Naruto quickly evaded the incoming spikes of shadow mass that Solana unleashed with nearly no effort as the spears tried to impale him from all sides at the moment, one managed to cut Naruto by the leg….Naruto forced the pain away from his mind at the moment and blocked more of the spears with Holy Talon, Solana unleashed several powerful arcs of purple lightning at Naruto, forcing him back yet again and Naruto then took the fight by firing several power arcs of pure Dragon Fire mixed with Chakra from himself to further amplify the power of the attacks he was unleashing at Solana.

"DRAGON CLAW FRENZY!!!!"

The energy blades slammed hard into the Succubus Maiden's wings and the explosions were enough to cover the area that she had been standing on no less than a few minutes ago….she moved out of the smoke and her wings were ruined and damaged and her expression was of pain and she was not looking as smug as she was no less than a few minutes before.

"You are going to pay for that Naruto…."

"I'd like to see you try and make me!!!!"

Solana grinned as her wings were reformed and she flew right at Naruto and unleashed her sword at him and used her flight abilities to attack Naruto from the air, forcing Naruto to fight in a very unorthodox fashion as the Succubus Maiden's flight abilities made it hard for him to effectively attack her and that forced him to be on the defensive the moment and she was taking full advantage of that fact as she pressed the attack on Naruto at the moment and the blonde ninja had to do think of another way to attack her. Solana then taunted him n mercilessly.

"I have the advantage in this fight Naruto….what are you going to do now?"

Naruto gritted his teeth and recalled that he still had some spare kunai and shuriken with him and he enchanted the weapons in time as Solana came at him for another attack, he blocked it and then rolled backwards….allowing her to fly above him and he quickly turns and fires three of the shuriken at the Succubus maiden as the weapons glowed for a few moments and were now ended with silver….the Succubus Maiden turned and Solana howled in pain as she was struck by the shuriken….one bit deeply into her right thigh, the other in her left shoulder and the other….above her left breast….the Succubus Maiden growled at the enchanted weapons burned her flesh and the screams of their mistress had the men in pain as well.

Solana roared and finally ripped put the shuriken that was burning her as Naruto's enchantments were designed to harm her as Holy Talon had told him via their mental link. The Succubus Maiden finally lost her cool and unleashed more bolts of purple lightning at Naruto…intent on frying them young man and reducing him to a broken heap before she had her way with him.

Naruto was forced back and he blocked the purple lighting bolts with Holy talon and held his ground and then decided to throw some more of his enchanted throwing weapons and did so with his kunai at Solana, but this time she was ready and waiting as she dodged the incoming attacks and unleashed another bolt of purple lighting but this time….it was aimed right at the others and Naruto saw that it was heading for all of them and without any hesitation he rushed towards them and quickly activated his defensive spell of choice.

"DRAGON SCALE DEFENSE!!!!"

The lighting slammed hard into the shield and the scale like shield held off the attack and when the lighting faded and Naruto moved the shield away and blocked the spears of shadow that Solana unleashed once more to skewer his comrades and the ones he cared about and he got wounded as the spears came back and cut him from behind….his armor that he had on protected his body at the moment but not all of his body was safe as he was wearing chainmail but the spears were able to cut through some of the weaker parts of it.

"AUGH!!!!"

"NARUTO!!!!"

Solana laughed and attacked Naruto as she charged with her sword and began to unleash a massive number of slashes and attacks, intent on severely wounding or crippling Naruto with her attacks at the moment and Naruto was forced to fight quickly and her attacks were fast and lethal showing that while she relied on charm, seduction, domination and more….Solana was a deadly fighter as she unleashes strikes of her sword that were hard for Naruto easily see as he was still recovering from the attacks that she had unleashed on him.

A powerful slash that Solana unleashed to slice off Naruto's head was blocked by him and he moved away and attacked with slash to Solana's mid section and she backed away and Naruto leaped into the air in a spin and unleashed a whirling series of slashes and forced Solana back even further as he landed on his feet and she charged….intent on impaling Naruto with her sword, Naruto however turned aside in a spinning motion….barely avoiding Solana's attack and then she followed suit and the two were back to back to one another and then they used their arms to block one another from attacking. Solana smiled as she spoke…

"My….you feel well built….I wonder how your skin tastes as well as how your muscles feel as well…."

Naruto was not liking this at the moment and tried to attack but Solana blocked his attempts and smiled once more and spoke in her usual seduction attempts.

"How do you find my body? Is it right for a woman my age? Do you want to touch me for a moment?"

"No thank you!!!!"

"Pity….but before I do kill you….I'll let you see me naked….whether you like it or not!!!"

Naruto leaped forward and so did Solana and both of them turned and unleashed slashes at one another and both their swords clashed hard into one another with a massive clang and this time Holy Talon was able to slice through Solana's sword and she moved away and then jammed her destroyed sword into the ground and chanted and pulled it out….using her own magical powers and the elements of the earth to re-forge her sword and she was now ready and back into the fight between her and Naruto at that moment as they traded slashes and thrusts at one another. Naruto dodged three stabs to his torso and he used Holy Talon's flat edge to knock the sword of Solana away and he struck with a powerful slash that nicked Solana's skin, wounding her, but she was not stopped easily as she leaped into the air and came behind Naruto and unleashed a powerful slash to the back of his neck….Naruto quickly moved forward and then recalled the explosives that Iruka had given him and he quickly reached for them in a hidden pocket and unleashed them quickly as he got up and Solana' charged at him once more and was intent on dealing with him once more.

"Now you are mine!"

"I don't think so!!!"

The smoke pellets came right at home as Solana was confused on how this was turning out and Naruto used the smoke to buy himself time and used the explosive tags to further injure Solana….the explosions sent Solana out of the cloud of smoke and she got up and Naruto finally revealed his ninja skills…

"KAGE BUSHIN NO JUTSU!!!!"

Solana was surprised to suddenly see several being who were equal to Naruto come right at her and there seemed to be a whole army of them coming at her and she retaliated with by unleashing her purple lighting and many of them were destroyed in puffs of smoke as she looked on and tried to locate Naruto.

"Where are you Naruto?"

Naruto then made his move as his last wall of Kage Bushin suddenly stopped and they unleashed a horde of shuriken at Solana forcing her to use her wings to shield herself from the oncoming attack….the shuriken bit hard into her wings and she shook them aside as Naruto unleashed his surprise as Solana was caught off guard….for when she moved her wings aside…there was Naruto with a sphere of glowing energy in his hand that suddenly was covered in pure golden lighting, Naruto had used the Kage Bushin to force Solana to defend herself so he and a Kage Bushin could close the gap and strike hard with this new variant of the Rasengan that he created with the use of Dragon Fire.

"TAKE THIS!!!! LIGHTNING STORM RASENGAN!!!!"

Solana was hit hard and the Rasengan covered in a massive sphere of destruction that was crackling with massive lighting energy and she was screaming in pain as she was sent all the way back and then Naruto followed up with his other attack as the Succubus Maiden was sent into the air by the blow that stuck her right in the chest and he used a brand new sword technique that Vane had taught him as he reached in his back and took out a piece of Orchaelium and created a secondary sword with his Transmutation and Enchantment powers as he faced the recovering Solana who was bleeding from burns all over her body and he shouted.

"NOW THIS ENDS!!!! TWIN DRAGON FANG DANCE!!!!!"

Solana barely had time to scream as Naruto unleashed several power slashes and thrusts in mid leap, using the dual wielding style to attack her as both blades cut into her body with lethal and amazing speed as Naruto attacked…slicing her arms clean off as well as her wings and she was covered in massive gashes and slashes as well and she screamed as she fell to the ground in a bloody heap before the Dragon Champion and Naruto finished her off with both Holy Talon and his spare sword in reverse grips and stabbed Solana right in the chest with both blades as they landed on the ground….Solana gasped as she felt her death coming….but she smiled in death as she looked at Naruto in a very impressed fashion….and she spoke gently, almost like a lover to Naruto…

"You were….impressive….you have truly proven, yourself to me….Naruto Uzumaki."

Naruto moved away as he pulled both blades from Solana's body as she began to break into nothing but purple dust but she spoke her final words.

"You are going to be….a real challenge for….my master….grow stronger Naruto….grow stronger…."

As Naruto watched Solana faded off into nothing but dust he looked to see the men who stood up and were shaking their heads….trying to make sense of what they were doing….questions were everywhere as the men were now freed from Solana's control of their bodies and minds….and the Chuunin from Konoha was able to recover from Solana's grip was able to speak…

"Where…what….Hokage-sama? What's going on here, this isn't Konoha!"

"Naruto sighed and spoke to his fellow Chuunin…

"It's a LONG story…."

Tsunade helped Naruto and the men were finally able to find their wives, sisters , mothers, daughters, aunts, and other family members and freed them, the women were utterly relieved and were happy to see that the vile Succubus Maiden's hold on their loved ones was utterly broken and they were finally free from being held there for a long time. The mayor himself was able to finally embrace his family and hours later….he spoke to Naruto.

"You did us a great favor Naruto Uzumaki….you freed us from that demon witch's power and you gave us back our lives….you and the Hokage can be assured that we will never forget what you all have done for us and we will do our best to make sure it will never happen again….if there are more ninja like you in this world Naruto Uzumaki…then the world will be in greater hands than before….please, accept this amount that our town's many families and mine have gathered….this amount will never truly measure the gratitude we feel for your efforts to free us, and you are welcome to come here anytime you like as an honored guest."

Naruto nodded and thankfully accepted the envelopes that contained a large amount of ryo in it…the Chuunin bowed before the mayor and then they all left.

It was not long for the freed Kunoichi as well Ayame and the others to return to Konoha and many of the Kunoichi bid farewell to head back to their duties….but Naruto was unaware that in the minds of the women he had just saved….there were thoughts on how to pay Naruto back for risking his life and more to save theirs willingly and without any hesitation on his part. He felt only a shiver go up and down his spine and the fine hairs on his body stand up as he headed home.

Holy Talon could sense the emotions being regulated by the women who were watching Naruto covertly and it couldn't help but mentally say to itself.

(("Master Naruto is going to be in for the time of his life."))

Holy Talon then heard the Kyuubi growl…and not in a hostile way…

But in full agreement with the Holy Dragon Sword, and that allowed Holy Talon the chance to think over on the events that transpired…there was no doubt in it's mind that it's dark rival would hear of the death of it's agent by Naruto's hands….and it wanted to know just what it was going to do this time….

--------

In Death Fang's lair…

((("So….Solana is dead….no matter….she has served her purpose to me….I am impressed Naruto Uzumaki….you will be a great challenge….I look forward to it when you and Holy Talon are at full power….")))

Death Fang glowed malevolently and was now on the creation of yet another plan to further test Naruto, but it was then that it's eye was alert…

((("Ahhh….it seems I have some unexpected visitors. Let's see how good they are…")))

--------

"Are you sure that this is the place you sensed it?"

"Yeah….I am not lying, Itachi….something is down here….something very powerful and strong at the moment. Do you think that we can actually find this weapon that we saw back in Suna Itachi?"

"I do not know Kisame….but if what you sense is true….then this just might be the place…."

Kisame nodded and he moved a nearby boulder aside and made his way through ahead of Itachi, they had been busy with all the other members of Akatsuki looking for this sword that they had seen back in Suna. Pain, their leader had hoped to learn more about the sword they saw and how it could be used for Akatsuki's benefit…and since only Itachi and Kisame have seen the sword, they were tasked to seek it out apart from their mission to acquire the Kyuubi from Naruto himself as well.

It was when they were able to find a cave that they saw blood red light on nearby wall and the light reformed into words.

'So…you are the first to come here….let me see….if you have what it takes to claim me….'

Itachi closed his eyes and then opened them.

"It seems this is the place…."

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To be continued…

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Author's Notes:

Well, that should wrap it up this chapter, and for all the readers of Naruto Dragon Champion….this is one of the few remaining filler chapters and after the last two or four chapters…. comes the one chapter that I bet many have been waiting for is finally here….Sasuke's attack on Naruto and the act of Sasuke defecting from Konoha.

But there is twist to this little story….he still has the Cursed Seal and Orochimaru's attacks on his mind have taken their toll, but Naruto's attempts to get some sense into Sasuke have given Sasuke a much darker plan for killing Itachi. But for now….he makes his move to show that he has had enough of being relegated into sidelines by Naruto's growth as a ninja and now makes his desire to defeat Naruto plain to see….as he does something that Naruto may not forgive him for easily.

The next chapter….may or may not have a lemon….that depends on me so be prepared in advance and as to who is going to finally lose their virginity, it's obviously going to be a blonde Chuunin….but to who is he going to lose his virginity to….that is a surprise! Or maybe….he might not only lose HIS virginity….but so will a few others as well…who knows…

This is going to be a fun part for all the readers I hope and if you have ideas, suggestions or more for the coming action for Naruto, please send them my way if you like. And I KNOW you will.

But for the action part chapter afterwards….here is a trailer for you readers.

Enjoy!

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Trailer:

Naruto was shocked at this and he couldn't believe that Sasuke was the one who was doing is in front of him. Before the blonde Chuunin was Sasuke….using his Cursed Seal without any care at all and was ready to use his Raikiri and had the lightning covered hand and the seemingly enraged Uchiha glared at him with rage. Sasuke had called him out in the field earlier and he wondered what the Uchiha youth was planning….it was his improved training, hard work, and his training as a Dragon Champion that allowed him to escape the fireball jutsu the Uchiha threw at him. It had shocked him as to why Sasuke would attack him all of a sudden but he was quickly on the defensive.

"Sasuke!!!! Have you lost your mind?!?!?!"

"Shut up dobe….I have had it with you….I will defeat you….one way or the other….fight me!!!!"

Naruto tried to reason with his team-mate once more….hoping to resolve this situation before things got out of hand.

"Knock this off Sasuke!!! There's no point in this fighting here!!!!"

Sasuke however glared darkly and replied as he got ready to attack.

"Is there? You always wanted to beat me Naruto….here's your chance!"

"Damn it!!! I have no time to be doing this Sasuke!!!"

"Then make time dobe!!! I have all day!!!!"

Naruto managed to use a Earth Wall Spell to block Sasuke's attack with Raikiri and he managed to fight back and block Sasuke's following attacks and used his training to fight in an even keel with Sasuke….and despite the fact that Sasuke was using his best moves….Naruto's long training had given him a serious edge in combat than when he was still a Genin as he used the combat styles he had been taught by many people.

Naruto blocked a kick and quickly grabs Sasuke's leg and quickly blocks any other attacks and he quickly tosses Sasuke aside and blocks several shuriken hidden by the Uchiha that he throws at him…which bounce of Naruto's forearm guards that were made of Orchaelium. Naruto then decided to end this madness before things got really out of hand. He managed to lash out with several blows that to Sasuke's anger and shock, had bypassed his defenses and he was thrashed about by Naruto and sent to the ground reeling as Naruto quickly slammed him into the nearby tree and glared at him.

"Stop this right now!!! What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"SHUT UP!!!!!"

Sasuke managed to force Naruto away and the two got ready to fight one another once more as the area was now being soaked by rain from above at the moment. Naruto saw that Sasuke had finally lost it and as much as he wished that it didn't come to this….with all that was happening at the moment….he decided to get serious.

"You want a fight so badly?"

"You damn right I do!!!!"

"Fine….you want one Sasuke….come and get it!!!!"

Both ninja charged right at one another…

Just as a group of Konoha ninja came on the scene….and in the lead was none other than Kakashi…and the Jonin's reaction was very obvious.

"What the hell?!"


	31. Rewards Part 1

Naruto The Twin Swords

Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Naruto…

Chapter 25

Part 1

( ): Thoughts

((" ")): Holy Talon's voice

((( ))): Kyuubi's voice…

(((" "))): Death Fang's voice

--------

Konoha…

It had been weeks since the incident with Solana and the village was reaching the last stages of it's full recovery and many of the buildings that were wrecked were now rebuilt and the ninjas could breath a sigh of relief at the moment as this meant that they could now ease and rest a bit…even though defense was their primary priority. The village of Konoha now had some new features in it's design however….courtesy of one blonde Chuunin.

Naruto had created a number of statues of armored warriors near the gates and on the areas where access to Konoha could be found. The Statues were armed with metal weapons such as swords, shields, spears and bows with arrows….they however were NOT merely for the purpose of decoration. The statues were imbued with special enchantments that would protect Konoha from agents coming in with Chaos energy in their bodies. If they sensed that someone with Chaos energy, the statues would alert him and the other ninja and they would be the first line of defense for the village. They could also reinforce the ninja forces inside Konoha and since they could be rebuild and could regenerate using the elements of their construction which was metal and stone…they could maintain their form and be able to reassemble themselves when needed…freeing Naruto to fight with the other ninja forces of Konoha.

The golems had taken weeks of construction and hard work for Naruto but he was adamant in the defense of his village and worked hard to create the perfect golem guards with stone, metal, and more….many of the ninja were confused as to why he made them, but Kakashi, Sakura, and Sasuke, as well as Tsunade, Jiraiya, Iruka and Shizune were privy to the reasons why he constructed them in the first place and were the ones Naruto trusted when it involved the creation and purpose of the Golems…

Once they were done, they were stationed in key areas of defense for Konoha and were now permanent fixtures there….there were even a number of them protecting key areas in Konoha….such as the hospitals, living quarters, merchant districts, the Hyuuga estate, as well as the other noble houses of the village, the Hokage Monument, and naturally the Hokage Tower as there was no way Naruto would allow ANY agent of Death Fang access to the Tower to attack Tsunade for that matter.

Naruto had been growing in skill and ability, showing that his promotion to Chuunin was a very wise move in Tsunade's part and while he had grown up considerably in many ways….he still had his immature streak at times and kept up the spirits of those he was working with….there were even stories circulating that a number of Konoha Academy students would ask to have him as their future Jonin sensei. There were of course villagers who still disliked Naruto but that was not affecting him anymore and there were many more that consider him a good ninja to the village and his recent successes had made him more respected in the ninja forces of the village.

Naruto was currently on a C Ranked mission for the Daimyo of Fire Country to collect data on a new noble family house that was being established and if they were acceptable to be allies for the Fire Country. Naruto agreed and would be gone for at least a few weeks or so as he did his assignment. Tsunade was happy to see him taking much more interesting missions and he was able to put his growing skills to use….he had been able to use the Rasengan in it's normal form and he only reserved the fused Rasengan to special occasions and foes…

This left Konoha without their Dragon Champion, but his Golem guards were more than ready to hold the line and Naruto could easily call on Kael and fly back to Konoha to support it should another attack come out of nowhere to threaten the village. Tsunade was happy for the peace and quiet and the paperwork was done for the day and she could take a break.

As the blonde Hokage looked out to the village, her thoughts went back to Naruto and wondered how he was doing on his new mission. C ranked missions had some level of risk, that much she knew for a fact, but with Naruto's growing ninja skills, his maturity, and Holy Talon by his side, these missions would not be too hard for him to handle at the moment, also, even if it was dangerous….he could call on the power of the Kyuubi to aid him in battle….though how would Holy Talon react to the presence of the Kyuubi was something she had to be wary of at the moment. And she couldn't help but wonder how he would do without his team at this point and them, he and his team were quickly gaining fame at the moment.

She thought about Sakura and was happy that she was all right and was back to being her usual self and dedicated to her training as a Medic Nin…however, she thought about Sasuke and was a bit uneasy about the Uchiha….she knew for a fact from Jiraiya that Sasuke had been branded by the Cursed Seal Orochimaru had made and being attacked by the Magenkyo Sharingan of Itachi would have done things to Sasuke's mind….something was going to happen and soon….that much she could count on…

"Tsunade-sama?"

Tsunade turned and there was Sakura who was reporting in for duty at the moment, the pink haired Kunoichi was there for another round of training in what she could offer her, and the blonde Hokage had to admit that relations between Sakura and Naruto were improving well as they were certainly treating each other differently….Sakura's home managed to gain a pair of Golems as well to protect her and her family as Naruto personally saw to their creation for her sake and that of her family….the gesture was surprising and rather touching to Sakura as Naruto cared for her safety to assign her home and her family with their personal Golem body guards.

"Yes Sakura?"

"Has there been any work of Naruto-kun?"

Tsunade nodded and there was a letter that Naruto had sent a few days earlier and she had read it already and handed it to Sakura….who after reading it couldn't help but laugh a bit at the contents….it seemed that the noble family who he was investigating had hired a Cooking Ninja from the Land of Thunder to feed them on occasion and now they were reminding him of Chouji after a eating run…Naruto then wished the village well and all he cared about…

As soon as she read the letter, Sakura gave it back to Tsunade and they headed off to the training room in the Tower for Sakura's continuing training as a Medic Nin. As the two went there and Tsunade reviewed Sakura for the time being, the two wondered about how things were for Naruto….though they were not the only ones who were thinking about Naruto at the moment.

Several other women were thinking about Naruto and what he had become ever since he had grown to have Holy Talon as an ally and becoming a much more dedicated ninja at this time. And most of all they wanted to thank him for all he had done for them in their time of need….and they all directed their thoughts on what they intended to do to show Naruto how much they appreciate and care for him as a ninja and as someone that they care about…

--------

Far away…

"ACHOOOO!!!"

Naruto rubbed his nose for a minute and tried to check if he had any sinuses or cold…which was impossible…as far as he knew….he had never gotten sick before…Holy Talon heard that and the sword was surprised that his master sneezed when it had sensed to presence of a cold.

(("Master Naruto….you all right?"))

(Yeah….I think someone was talking about me or something.)

The Kyuubi naturally joined in the conversation as well.

(((That might be a good or bad thing….I just hope we get a decent enemy to fight….that Solana woman was mighty interesting….I should have joined in.)))

(("I suppose you would….after all, you relish combat a great deal…"))

(((And YOU don't?)))

(("Not when it's without purpose"))

(((I see…)))

(Calm down you two….we're still on duty here.)

"Naruto-san….are you all right?"

Naruto turned to the young boy who was the son of the family who he was investigating at the moment and he smiled back in reply.

"I'm fine….just had something annoy my nose for a minute."

"Oh, I see….by the way….I've been hearing stories about you Naruto-san….is true you can summon….Dragons to aid you in battle…as well as armies?'

Naruto gave a slightly sheepish grin at the inquisitive young man and had to admit that his reputation was starting to get very high and while he found that to be very interesting at times, it could make things a little bit more distracting and things harder to accomplish, but he relished the challenges that was brought before him as it was a way to for him to improve and to grow….

"That's true….but I only resort to the if there is no other option…."

"Wow….can I see your sword?"

--------

In Orochimaru's lair…

"This evil blade….what can you tell me about your take on it's powers Kabuto?"

Orochimaru had been in a foul mood ever since being forced to find a new base of operations as the pain from his body from the beating he had received weeks to months before had not fully healed….no matter how many times he healed himself, the beating was still able to cause him pain. Faldren's blows to his body and his casual shattering of Kusanagi had severed to unnerve Orochimaru greatly despite how he tried to remain calm. Naruto had more than enough power to defeat him many times….and with his ability to meld the Rasengan with the powers given to him by Holy Talon….Naruto was proving to be more than a match for him. But this new information was certainly worth his attention. Kabuto recalled the kind of carnage Death Fang's minions could inflict on the village of Suna and how it was only with Naruto's intervention and that of the Konoha ninja that the village withstood the onslaught.

"It seems to have powers to equal Holy Talon and it is a living blade as well….equal to Holy Talon and from what I saw, it could very well be the key to equaling Naruto-kun and Holy Talon."

"I see….I need to have time to think this over….have a number of our spies go out into the world and see if they can gather any and all information that they can find in order to locate this sword that you and the Sound Five have seen, this could be very useful for me and Sasuke-kun."

"You have not changed your plans to take Sasuke-kun Orochimaru-sama?"

Orochimaru smiled at Kabuto evilly as he looked about and replied to his query at the moment. There were plenty of things for him to do at the moment and he needed to move to a new location in order to rest and recover carefully,. Sound Village was not becoming a safe place at the moment and with Kin on the side of Konoha, there was no doubt a chance that Konoha would deploy their ninjas to deal with them, and Suna would not be far behind as they know the truth that he was using them as mere tools to destroy Konoha completely. He knew that a combined Konoha and Suna strike team would be a problem….even more so if Naruto and Gaara were in the lead of that strike team.

"I have not….he will be mine yet Kabuto, and when I have him, I will finally have the Sharingan and then I will go out and claim Death Fang for my own….I will use both it and the Kusanagi to finally be the strongest and most powerful ninja in the world."

Kabuto looked at Orochimaru at the moment and wondered on how this would come about….despite the fact that he was loyal to Orochimaru….he was not sure on how Death Fang would receive his master Orochimaru…would the sword allow him to be it's master?

"I understand that Orochimaru-sama….but what if that sword Death Fang would not recognize you as it's Master?"

Orochimaru however grinned and replied.

"I think I have the needed qualifications Kabuto….besides…I would like to have that sword before our…enemies in Akatsuki get their hands on it….I certainly would like it if a certain Uchiha would claim it."

Kabuto nodded but he had no doubt in his mind that Akatsuki would eventually find out about Death Fang's existence at the moment.

--------

In a hidden base…

"So….are you sure about this information Itachi?"

Itachi nodded at that as he and Kisame were facing a figure hidden in shadow. And there were several others in the cave and it seemed that the others of Akatsuki were also in discussion in light of the discovery of Itachi and Kisame concerning the presence of Holy Talon.

"I am Pain-sama….this sword seemed to be a living blade with great intelligence and power….it's army were the ones who had attacked Suna at the time of our investigation of the situation there at the moment."

"I see…I want you and Kisame to go out and see if this sword can be located…if this blade's power is as great as you say it is Itachi….then it could prove useful in the hunting of the other remaining Jinchuuriki…find the blade and if you can use it…take it."

It was then that one of the shadows spoke in a very arrogant tone.

"Why should you send them? If that blade is real as they say it is…it should be in my hands!"

"Why would that be the case….you already have a weapon of your own…."

"You can never be short of weapons…."

Pain then spoke…

"Enough….Itachi….for the time being….you're hunt for the Kyuubi is delayed until we get more information concerning this blade known as Death Fang….find out all that you can and when you have more…or even the blade itself…then our hunt for the other Jinchuuriki can begin once more."

"Hai…"

As Itachi and Kisame left….Itachi began to make some plans of his own concerning the sword…

--------

In Konoha….things were getting back to normal and routine news was being delivered to the village….highlighting the situation on the rest of the outside world….it seemed that there were no more brush fire incidents that required Konoha to act immediately when danger came into the fore. Tsunade took this carefully and made sure that despite the relative peace….the village would be ready for battle….the Hokage knew that sending Genin out of higher ranking missions that were not in their usual mission requirements was asking for too much danger for their lives…but she could do little at the moment and only hoped for the best.

Though she despised paper-work and all the duties of being a Hokage and having no free time for herself on occasion, she did find it nice to be in a position of power once in a while as she could use the authority she had to make the changes she deemed were needed to ensure that there would be less casualties in the ninja teams….she had every intention of having a medic nin attached to the ninja teams to make sure that their survival rates were going to be much better.

In her free time, she was able to train Sakura properly and after she had recovered after the kidnapping that she had been subjected to by the agents of Solana, Sakura was now showing a greater zeal in her training….which was starting to equal Naruto's own drive to succeed in what he puts his mind on and she couldn't help but feel that it would truly be a good thing as Naruto's influence on Sakura was very much positive. She couldn't help but think that Sakura's potential as a medic nin would truly make the pink haired Kunoichi a force to be reckoned with when her training was complete…couple that with the possible training she could get from Naruto on how to use her reserve of Dragon Fire for healing purposes, then Sakura would become a great medic nin someday.

Jiraiya was currently making a nuisance of himself on the women in the village at the moment and was currently out on his collection work for his latest novel and also keeping an eye on Akatsuki's movements…Jiraiya was a great ninja and was among the few she trusted with important matters despite his attitude at times.

Shizune had fully recovered from the ordeal of being kidnapped and was back to doing her duties and was currently out on a mission with several other Jonin for the village at the moment. She had been worried for Shizune's sake as she considered Shizune as one of the people she trusted greatly and deeply as well, and something of a daughter as she had been taking care of Shizune as much as Shizune was taking care of her….as despite her gambling habits and general disregard for Shizune's suggestions….the woman was her voice of reason and restraint and she made it a point not make Shizune worry too much about her.

Anko was back to her usual round of duties and was currently working on the soon to come Chuunin Exams for next year and she was fully recovered from the ordeal that she had undergone after being kidnapped by Solana's agents. The Jonin was back to being her tomboyish and hyperactive self and Tsunade admitted that Anko was like an adult female version of Naruto though before getting Holy Talon and growing up….Anko had far greater grey matter than Naruto previously did at the time. Though there was no doubt she would want to thank Naruto is some fashion for saving her life.

Kurenai was also fully recovered from the ordeal that she had gone through and was now back to leading her team into battle and their missions. The red eyed Jonin was one of the best Jonin they had despite being relatively new to the rank of Jonin…unlike the other Jonin at the moment. Kurenai also was taking the time to relax after the incident but there was no doubt that she felt that she owed Naruto her safety and life at the moment.

Hinata was fully recovered and for that the Hokage was thankful….apparently her crush on Naruto and the words of advice and courage that he gave her during the Chuunin Exams gave her the self confidence that she needed and the drive that she once lacked to be able to train harder….after she had recovered from being kidnapped by Solana's agents, Hinata was able to train again and still was the same young woman that she was before….though the Hokage had no doubt in her mind that she would want to find a way to repay Naruto for saving her life.

The same could be said for Ino…the young woman was happy to be free of Solana's grip at the moment and she was getting back to taking missions with her team and managing the flower shop owned by her family clan at the moment. Her family had been very happy that she had been rescued by Naruto and she was going to be all right….however, there was no doubt that Naruto's rescue of her from the captivity that she suffered in the hands of Solana and her agents made her want to pay Naruto back for saving her.

Kin was likewise fully recovered at the moment and was working with Zabuza and Haku at this time and she was also eager to thank Naruto in any possible way she could. She owed her new life to Naruto and after he rescued her yet again from being violated in some fashion by Solana's agents, she was eager for the chance to pay him back.

The same was in Ayame as well, as the daughter of Teuchi was eager for the chance to thank Naruto for all that he had done in saving her and the others at the time of the kidnapping that occurred, she had fully recovered and was back to being her cheerful self at the moment and she couldn't help but wish she could repay Naruto in some fashion.

Tenten was likewise in the same boat as the others and she was eager to pay Naruto back for saving her life…

And the same could be said for Temari….the blonde Hokage was well aware that Temari had an affection for the blonde ninja who had done a great deed in freeing her little brother Gaara and saving their home village of Suna from the Reapers…and she knew for a fact that sooner or later…she would make her move on Naruto and who knew what would be the results of that happening when the other women found out about that.

Tsunade couldn't help but sigh at the situation at the moment and wondered how Naruto would react if he knew that kind of situation he was in when it came to the women he had helped to rescue from Solana's trap. The good news was that no one else knew about this rather unique situation at the moment. However, it would have been a lie if she said that she was not interested in the chance to surprise Naruto and…well….have some fun of her own….after all she did like him a lot more than normal.

But how were they going to resolve this without any fists being thrown at one another….Kurenai looked at Hinata as a surrogate daughter and Hinata saw Kurenai as a mother figure….and if they fought one another, then that relationship would affect their team work and cohesion in the long run…and there were other things as well….if Naruto had any idea the kind of mess he was in with the women in his life….then who knew how he would take it?

This was going to take a lot of work….but she surely couldn't do it alone….she had to called them all together and get some things straightened out before the women were going to be at each other's throats and things were going to get really messy….that and it would be bad for Naruto's well being…the blonde Genin was a gentle and compassionate person and the thought of the people he cared about fighting one another would no doubt be shocking to him.

With that in mind…Tsunade decided to set up some ground rules and plans…if the women would be able to see the merits of these plans and accept them to avoid causing chaos and more into their lives, the village, and to the man in question, then all the better for everyone…of course….now was not the time for them to start entertaining ideas of having kids….not yet anyway.

--------

Days later…

In Naruto's case, he was busy reading all the needed paperwork…and at this point and time…he couldn't help but understand why Jiraiya was not keen on being Hokage, there was so much paper-work at times it was maddening….even he wondered how Tsunade could hold on to her sanity and keep working. But he knew that all this paperwork was the key to making sure that many things ran smoothly…business transactions, deals, alliances, and more…

As far as he had been able to find out…the noble family he was sent to investigate were all right and had no anomalies in their records or anything that would suggest that they were untrustworthy…that and Holy Talon telling him that these people were sincere was enough for him to write the letter to allow them to establish themselves to the Daimyo of the Fire Country.

As soon as he was done….all he had to do was wait for the letter that held the Daimyo's signature and his mission was complete….man he could not wait to get back home!!!

--------

In one of the hot springs in Konoha…

"I wonder why Tsunade-sama called us here….do you have any idea Sakura?"

Sakura shook her head at Tenten's question, and saw that the same question was in the eyes of Hinata, Ino, Kin, Ayame, and Temari as well….she had no idea why Tsunade was asking her to join in this as well.

As the group of young Kunoichi arrived…they were surprised to find Kurenai, Shizune, and Anko there as well….and the same could be said of the adults as Kurenai spoke to her adopted daughter.

"Hianta? What are you doing here? I thought you were busy training today."

"I was….but I got a message from Hokage-sama to come here….w-why are you here Kurenai-sensei?"

"I was asked the same thing…as well as Anko, and Shizune"

Anko and Shizune nodded and Sakura turned to Shizune.

"Do you have any idea why Tsunade-sama called us all here Shizune-san?"

Shizune shook her head and gave a very apologetic look.

"I'm sorry Sakura-san but Tsunade-sama has not told even me what is going on…I guess we'll find out why she called us all here soon enough."

As they were there….Tsunade finally arrived and the blonde Hokage was happy that all of them were here at the moment and she spoke to them.

"All right…all of you are here, I want you all to relax for as long as you can….because what I am about to tell you all will be VERY difficult to swallow."

As the women took of their clothes and were now in towels and relaxing in the springs, the Hokage watched as the tense atmosphere began to relax, but she knew for a good fact that the relaxation was not going to last very long and things were going to get really serious…and interesting in a few minutes….in fact….though it slightly grated on her nerves…she was actually looking forward to this.

She had ordered sake for herself, Shizune and Anko, while red wine for Kurenai, and then some cool tea for the others from the servers in the hot spring hotel they were in…as well as some food that suited the tastes of her companions at the moment…she wanted them to be fully relaxed before she would drop what would be the most scandalous thing ANYONE of them had ever heard of in their lives.

As soon as she was sure that the atmosphere was relaxed and all the food and drink were taken away…she spoke to the women before her at the moment.

"Now you're all wondering why I called you all here, am I correct?"

As the women nodded, she decided to speak.

"This little meeting has something to do with a certain blonde Chuunin who everyone here at the moment…including me for that matter has the hots for at the moment."

It did not take long for the assembled Kunoichi to get the meaning of who that certain blonde Chuunin was and the results were fairly obvious as they all started blushing at the moment….reactions Tsunade knew to expect when it came to the blonde Chuunin in question as they all had different reasons. She continued from where she left off…

"Now I know that this is something that none of us are ready to talk about….but we have to be honest about this…Naruto has changed a great deal from the person we knew…add to the fact that we're all guilty of something…and that is seeing Naruto in the nude….am I right Anko, Shizune, Kurenai?"

All three women blushed bright red and Hinata couldn't help but look at her sensei with some considerable surprise as she had not expected this to occur. Tsunade saw that and spoke to both Hinata and Kurenai.

"Now you two….what happens is normal for women to go through so no need to get angry, and after all…both of you LIKED what you saw, or else you two would not have done it a second time."

Both women blushed bright red at that and Tsunade continued…

"Now we need to discuss these things since I have no doubts in my mind that sooner or later….things are going to come to a point that we are going to start thinking about taking the relationship we each have with Naruto to the next level…and we all know what that next level is at the moment. The big problem is that if we take it to the next level with Naruto-kun and start arguing about it….then it will cause friction between one another….do you understand?"

The women thought about that and had to admit that Tsunade was telling the truth about that….

Tsunade saw that they were getting the idea and continued.

"Add to the fact that Naruto-kun is a kind hearted and gentle young man, passionate, brave, honest to a fault, loyal to his friends and loved ones, and utterly clueless when it comes to dealing with women…. But that is what makes it all the more fun when dealing with such men…there's a lot you can teach them."

The women looked at the Hokage and couldn't help but be amazed at this more playful and open side top her personality….Tsunade knew that she was acting somewhat out of character…no doubt due to the sake at the moment and the fact that this was about Naruto….but she didn't mind at the moment as it helped her get ready for the soon to come bomb that she was going to blow up in the faces of the women before her.

"So….this is something we have to discuss….Naruto would be confused, sad, and angry if we start going after each other's throats at the thought of any of us getting intimate with him in more ways than one…though for the younger ones here….being out on a date with him is a good thing… However we must remember that Naruto would not like it if he is treated as a prize or something. After all he has gone through…he deserves happiness and love. And I know for a fact anyone here in this spring would try and give him that…but here's what I want to ask…."

Tsunade took a good gulp of the sake and knew that she was going to need the fortification for what she was going to say next.

"What would you say to the idea of sharing him?"

The other Kunoichi made only one reaction to Tsunade's suggestion.

"WHAT?!?!?!?!"

Tsunade was happy with the fact that she had taken a number of silence tags with her to the spring to make sure that the conversation was not heard by anyone at the moment….Kami only knew what would happen if that came out into Konoha.

--------

Naruto had just received the letter of approval from the Daimyo via ninja mail when he felt a MASSIVE sneeze coming and he barely had enough time to place the letter away before he gave a mighty sneeze and actually….

"ACHOOOOOOOO!!!!!"

Sneezed and used his reserve of Dragon Fire to shoot fire out his mouth and nose…startling the people who were in the house…thankfully Naruto was outside of the house when he got the letter and thus didn't burn down the house at all…he looked like a Dragon breathing fire from the mouth and nose…

Naruto shook himself and saw the burning tree outside and couldn't help but gasp.

(What the heck?!)

It was then that he could have sworn the Kyuubi was laughing at him and even Holy Talon was trying to stifle a chuckle at the moment…and the Kyuubi spoke.

(((Wow…that was some trick kit…somebody must be talking some really serious stuff about you at the moment….)))

(("I agree….I don't know what that was about but it seems to be very serious."))

(Maybe….I wonder what they are talking about that involves me?)

Naruto had NO idea….

--------

Back in the hot-spring…

Tsunade knew that this was to be expected….but she was not going to back down and take back what she started as she looked at the very startled band of ninja women before her at the moment…all of them were blushing bright red and it was taking extreme effort for her to not join them in their current expression…

Hinata was amazingly the first to speak….which was against her normally shy and timid nature…

"H-H-Hokage-sama….are…are you being serious?!"

"I am Hinata-san….this is not something that is normally done at the moment, but I wanted you all here to listen and decide for yourselves whether you agree or not to what I have in mind."

Sakura was flabbergasted that her master would be even suggesting such a thing?! But she would have to be a liar to say that there was not a single part of her mind that was entertaining that idea at the moment…but she was being objective here and she then spoke to her teacher.

"But Hokage-sama….such a thing is…well…unheard of!!!"

Temari was also at a loss for words in a moment or so….until she summoned her wits and spoke.

"It's not unheard of….there are instances that women do share a man….but that's not happened often….though I have to admit that it is….difficult to imagine."

Tsunade then spoke to the others.

"I know it is hard…but we do care about Naruto don't we? And let's not forget that Naruto is the kind of person who can really be the sweetest guy you would ever meet in this life….and here's a very serious truth…."

"We are ninja and when we take missions…there is a chance we might not come back from them. I know it is harsh….but that is a truth that none of us can run from….every mission we take when we are ninja will entail risks, and those said risks can be great and harsh, that is why we have to take what we can and hold it dear to us for the rest of our lives. And I'll be honest with you all….Naruto is a promising young man and there are very few like him in this world we live in…. "

The women became solemn at that and knew that there was truth in Tsunade's words to them about this matter. As ninja they had to be ready for anything and there was a chance that some of them might not make it back in time and so they had to be ready to take what they could and make it last for as long as they were able to do so. That was something that was true for them and since Tsunade had been alive for quite a while and had seen plenty over the years since she was alive, then she would know that what she said was very much true.

Tsunade however decided not to be a prophet of gloom all the while and spoke once more.

"Let's keep in mind however that we have to be sure we understand some things….first off…we can't just grab him every chance we get….we have to get his consent for this to work and even if this is probably a dream come true for most if not ALL men Naruto's age, he still has to be consenting…otherwise we'd end up merely using him…and if there is one thing we all can agree on….Naruto hates to be used like a tool by anyone. The second is that we have to not take things too far….and get carried away on this matter….we may be ninja but we are human after all and so is Naruto….let's not tire him out and make this hard for him….though that can actually make things very interesting for all of us."

The women blushed at that and knew that she was speaking the truth on these matters at the moment and they each began to think on how to try this out with Naruto….if he was willing…

Tsunade then began to talk about how this can work out but they needed to see if Naruto would be comfortable with it first and as time passed some things were brought to the table that the Kunoichi discussed concerning Naruto and when it was nearly late in the night, the Kunoichi all agreed on their course of action and the only thing on their minds was how Naruto would react to this.

--------

On the way to Konoha…

Naruto was finished with his work and heading home to Konoha when he once more felt the need to sneeze and he was caught off guard and sneezed out…unleashing yet another burst of fire into the air like a Dragon….

"ACHOOOOOOO!!!!!"

As soon as he cleared his nose he shouted into the sky…

"DAMN IT!!!! STOP TALKING ABOUT ME ALREADY!!!!!"

--------

A day or two later…

Naruto moved on a leisurely pace back to Konoha as he munched on some food bars and took his time to get to his home village, his mission was successful and his pay was waiting for him back in the village and he couldn't help but feel that maybe things would look better once he got home and got the time to train again and get some much needed rest….

As he moved along he spotted a single crow flying ahead and thought nothing of it….until the Kyuubi spoke to him.

(((Kit….we've got company…)))

Naruto stopped and was instantly alert and stopped in the middle of the road and looked about….

"I see you have improved Naruto-kun."

The crow landed before him and then transformed into someone he quickly recognized as well as the Kyuubi did as it growled in a deep and utterly feral fashion in Naruto's mind.

(((Uchiha!!!!! That accursed clan!!!!)))

--------

Naruto was surprised to see none other than Itachi Uchiha before him….he had a feeling that someone was tracking him and Holy Talon warned him of a familiar presence….however…he was not expecting Itachi of all people.

He drew Holy Talon out from the sheath and faced Itachi.

"What the heck are you doing here Itachi….come here to take me to your boss so you can have the Kyuubi?"

"No….I came here to talk…"

Naruto was wary….he recalled the last time he had an encounter with the Uchiha and it was NOT favorable to his mind in the very least.

"The last time you wanted to talk to me….you tried to kidnap me and take the Kyuubi out of my body, though how you were going to do that is something I don't want to know about. And I saw what you did to Sasuke in the hotel remember? What makes you think I'd be foolish enough to talk to you?"

Itachi looked at Naruto admitted that he had grown into a good ninja….befitting himself as the legacy of the Fourth Hokage and he was certainly someone to be respected for his abilities.

"Because I have met the only rival of your sword….I have met Death Fang."

"WHAT?!"

Naruto was shocked and it took w while before he gripped Holy Talon and was even more wary at the moment of Itachi, he had no doubt this was a trick of Itachi to have him lower his guard at the moment.

"I don't believe you…."

(("Master Naruto….he is not lying….I can sense residual Chaos Energy on Itachi at this moment and I can sense that he does want to talk, and he is alone, I do not sense Itachi's companion anywhere….Itachi is alone at the moment."))

(Are you sure?)

(("I am….besides…if he came here to capture you….he certainly has an odd way of doing it. We might as well find out what he wants to talk about and find out how he had found Death Fang."))

Naruto thought it over slowly to weigh his options, he knew that Holy Talon would not lie to him at this point and time and if Itachi did want to capture him, he would have done so already, plus the fact that that shark faced Mist Swordsman Kisame is not with him at the moment told him that there was something else going on here.

From what he understood of Akatsuki from Jiraiya in a previous discussion, most of their members traveled in pairs in order to do their missions and they rarely operated in missions alone and while Itachi was no doubt able to handle things on his own, he would have Kisame along as he had sensed that the two were effective as a team. The blonde Chuunin decided to test the waters as he lowered his guard and sheathed Holy Talon.

"All right….Holy Talon tells me you're not lying….so talk already."

Itachi nodded and showed his right arm and revealed the scars he got from trying to hold Death Fang's handle no less than five days ago. When he and Kisame had reported to the leader of Akatsuki, the one only known as Pain about the existence of the sword known as Death Fang, the leader had dispatched the two of them to seek out the sword to see if it could be of use for Akatsuki at the moment…and they left.

However, Itachi had other ideas concerning the sword and he and Kisame had been reassigned to seek out the sword in all the areas they could go to though they knew that it would be hard to find the sword's lair as there was no clue as to where it was at that point and time. However….on their last day of searching, they found it's lair deep in the borders of Bird, Wind, and Earth Country….deep within the mountains….it had been hard to locate the sword and when they had found it's lair…

Death Fang tested them.

"The sword that is Holy Talon's rival was beyond the boundaries of Earth, Bird, and Wind Country when we searched for it, we were ordered to put aside looking for you for the time being and focus on looking for this sword that would be the only rival of Holy Talon. We searched for days until we located it's lair…and it tested us greatly."

"And you failed…why is it that Death Fang did not accept you Itachi? You slaughtered your entire clan and tortured your own brother….those two facts alone would have been enough for that evil blade to take you….but it rejected you, why is that?"

Itachi was silent as he looked at his wounded arm….the pain he had was not fully removed….no doubt a punishment placed on him by Death Fang for attempting to take it from it's place and use it for his own purposes….he had been shocked at how easily the sword had ripped through his mental shields and exposed what he truly planned at that moment and time and how the evil sword mocked him for thinking that he was going to claim it….and the dire warning the sword placed on him.

--------

Flashback…

The battle with the Reapers had proven to be one of the most difficulty….not that they were more powerful than Itachi and Kisame….but they were so tenacious and since they were technically spirits with temporary physical bodies….they could not be easily defeated for long as the two Akatsuki members fought their way through the cave and even when they were able to evade the Reapers that attacked them….their troubles were far from over…

Death Fang had placed a considerable number of traps and surprises in it's lair to test the ones who had come there to get him at the moment. Itachi and Kisame found out quickly that Death Fang's lair was a treasure trove of death and dismemberment as they barely avoided massive diamond spikes erupting from either the roof, the walls or the floor or even all three places at once….making it hard for them to move about. The traps were also different from one another such as shadows that literally came to life and attacked the two of them which Kisame was able to cut down with Samehada…

There were also sphere of ice that could freeze flesh to blocks in a moment and several of Kisame and Itachi's Kage Bushin were easily turned into frozen blocks as well…

Other traps included massive stone claws that lashed out and tried to crush them in their bloody grips, it was Itachi's agility that saved him…while Kisame's use of Samehada saved him as well….though the sword was not meant for this kind of situation as these beings were not made from chakra. Yet more traps included exploding clouds of acid and toxins that turned rock and metal into pools of liquid sludge, others also included powerful pillars of flame that would reduce everything to ash at a heart beat….and there were even traps that unleashed such a horrid smell that it utterly affected their senses and nearly lured them to their deaths…

And even stone warriors would arise from the very walls of the caverns they moved in to engage them….Kisame looked about and gave a slight growl.

"There seems to be no end to them!!! This is getting very annoying Itachi!"

"I know….the sword must want only the strongest to be it's master."

The Reapers attacked with greater ferocity and Kisame couldn't help but feel a bit tested as the reapers were very tenacious and relished the chance to wound and kill the two of them and despite his sword skills, he couldn't help but admire the artful and deadly way the Reapers would move their Battle Scythes in both attack and defense and that made things for the Akatsuki duo even harder. Itachi tried to use his Magenkyo Sharingan to stun the incoming horde of Reapers….but to his horror….he finds out that since the Reapers are merely spirits given physical substance that was not the same as human bodies….

They were immune to the Genjutsu utilized by the Uchiha Clan and the Sharingan…forcing him to fight with physical force and combat jutsus than the Sharingan….he used the Amaterasu Flames to destroy a number of them but the Reapers cared little for loses and attacked… Kisame's sword strikes would have torn normal humans apart but the Reapers were not human at all and were blood thirsty as they continued to press the attack…they made it through and now found themselves in the heart of the lair of Death Fang….and to their surprise….after hours of dodging traps and more besides…there in the chamber were a contingent of Wraith Knights….armed with swords, axes and spears, all of which were made of bone…and Reapers were there as well…armed with their trade-mark Battle Scythes….

Amazingly….none of them warriors attacked and merely stood there….this made the two very wary and it was then that they heard a voice.

((("Impressive…I am impressed with the two of you to have made it this far….but now we shall see how well you do here. Come….show me what you can do!!!")))

The two got ready as the Wraith Knights and reapers attacked….Kisame and Itachi fought their hardest and even though Itachi was considered the greatest Uchiha prodigy…even he was tested to his limits as the Wraith Knights were unlike any foe he had fought in his life as they were already dead and he had to admit that unlike a certain Akatsuki duo…these Wraiths were not easily slain by even his fire techniques and the two of them had to be very careful…

((("Good….you two might prove worthy….but I wonder….how long will you last….show me how far are you willing to go for power!!!!!")))

"Itachi….get the sword!!!"

Itachi nodded and quickly moved past several Wraith Knights and reached Holy Talon's rival using the Bushin technique and he reached for the handle and gripped it…and in a moment, he wished he had not….

Death Fang's eye opened and it was the red eye of wrath as it glared at Itachi….

((("UNHAND ME FOOL!!!!!!")))

Arcs of pure energy were unleashed in that instant and quickly consumed Itachi's right arm and the pain he felt was unlike anything he had ever felt for the pain flooded not just his body….but his very mind and spirit.

"AAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!"

Itachi couldn't hold on anymore and released the blade and fell back in pain and the Reapers and Wraith Knights acted as they surrounded the two as Kisame rushed to his partner's side.

"Itachi!!!1"

Kisame readied the Samehada as the Reapers and Wraith Knights came closer….but seeing that his weapon, despite it's power was no match for these undead spirit warriors of Death Fang….things were not looking good in his mind…

Death Fang however spoke.

((("No my minions….leave them, they are not worth the effort of dirtying your blades.")))

Death Fang then directed it's full stare at Itachi and spoke to him with violent wrath.

((("You pathetic fool….powerful you may be….but you are not truly evil….I sense something in your mind…a love for a brother. I know your mind Itachi Uchiha….I have seen it…and all your lies and disguises mean nothing to me! You are powerful and yet you are dying….I have no use for a sentimental and dying fool as my master…I might cure you of your disease easily, but your still lingering love for your brother disgusts me.")))

The evil sword glowed even more malevolently and spoke harshly at Itachi.

((("Let me tell you something about power fool….power will change you, twist you, and make you different….and that is what my power will do to you…wielding power, the power of Chaos is to be one with the storm of destruction…and you….with that lingering love for your brother Sasuke are unworthy of wielding the storm!!! You wield it….to be one with it…you must cast aside EVERYTHING…and you are not ready for that Itachi Uchiha….")))

Itachi got up and Death Fang glared at him with some more final words.

((("I will let you live….but do not mistake my letting you leave with your lives as a gesture….of mercy…I hate that word with all of my being. Rather, you are unworthy of my power and as such…are of no use to me…and I will not waste my precious time and energy in killing mere trash like you.")))

((("You may have found my lair….but you shall not be so lucky next time….and if you dare to seek me out yet again….to shield your brother from me….then you shall be slain quickly….now, you and your companion…..BEGONE!!!!!")))

A massive cloud of red light surrounded Itachi and Kisame and Kisame tried in vain to fight their way through but the light surrounded them and faded away as Death Fang spoke.

((("This place is no longer a good place to be in….I need to be somewhere….nicer.")))

In a lake the red light appeared and down came Itachi and Kisame….uninjured and alive. They walked out of the river as Itachi sat down and felt the pain in his right hand begin to slowly fade away….his mission to find the sword was successful….but who knew what that evil blade would do now….and his real mission to sacrifice himself to claim the sword and keep it from claiming his brother….has failed utterly…

"Itachi….we need to go."

"I know…"

"Pain is not going to like this…"

--------

End of Flashback…

He looked away from his wounded right arm and then at Naruto.

"There's more to the Uchiha Clan Massacre than you or even Sasuke realize….there's a lot more than you can imagine Naruto…."

"So why don't you tell me? If there really is something more to the massacre that night, then maybe it would be better that the truth comes out. There is one thing that bothers me though… Why did you spare Sasuke? If you were truly evil, you would have slain Sasuke that night as well as you had killed everyone in your clan…why spare him?"

"It's complicated Naruto-kun…"

"If you did that to torture him and drive to hatred…I can say you've already done a great job at that Itachi, Death Fang would have loved that….but if it didn't pick you to be it's master….then that tells me that there is a much different reason of you sparing his life and it sensed that…what's your REAL reason Itachi for sparing Sasuke that night?"

Itachi could see that Naruto was not as dense as others thought….he had grown up after all…

(He is more perceptive now….that is good….he might need that someday…)

"I can see that lying to you would be a waste of time and effort Naruto-kun. I spared Sasuke because I want him to be stronger…and because….even though I was under command to….do what I did that night….I could never bring myself to kill Sasuke and thus I spared him….but I need him to be stronger than he is now…"

"Why?"

Itachi decided that now was not the right time to reveal what he had been working on for the past many years ever since he had slain his family. He knew that what he would say to Naruto about what was the truth behind that night would become something that would shake the foundations of the village of Konoha, namely since it involved a certain trio of Konoha Council members and a long history that was long before the time of Naruto and many others….it was something that brought back harsh memories to many…even him as well.

"That will have to be for another time Naruto-kun….someday I will reveal it all to you soon enough, but not right now. Suffice to say…what happened that night years ago was not what many think and it is older than they imagine. I only ask one thing from you…."

Itachi then spoke seriously for the very first time as he looked at Naruto and the words he spoke next were very clear on what he wanted from the blonde Chuunin and Dragon Champion.

"Do not let Sasuke claim that sword for any reason Naruto-kun…I ask you this….do NOT let Sasuke claim that evil sword."

With that, Itachi vanished in a flight of crows and that forced Naruto to cover his eyes and as he looked about, Itachi was gone….he was confused….Itachi not only did not capture him but was telling him that there was more going on about the Uchiha massacre, and even asking him….or rather, as odd and impossible as it sounded, implored him not to let Sasuke claim Death Fang.

(What the heck is going on here?!)

(("I do not know Master Naruto….but there was no lie in Itachi's claims….I am not sure about all this at the moment, but this will need to be looked into at the best available opportunity."))

(I guess….we had better head back to Konoha….after all that happened this day….I need to get myself a good meal and some decent sleep.)

As Naruto moved on towards his village, he had no idea what was awaiting him back in his home…

--------

In the Hokage Tower…

"Itachi was here?!"

Tsunade was shocked and wide-eyed at the news Naruto had given her just this day….when he arrived into her room to give the report, she had expected him to be happy that the mission was a success as he had sent the news in his previous letter, but the news that he brought was not entirely pleasant to hear and she knew that if any of this got out in Konoha….namely to a certain Uchiha survivor, then things in Konoha would get very ugly. Naruto merely told her that he had something extremely important to say to her at that moment and she got the hint.

She had personally cleared out everyone in the room except herself, Jiraiya, and Shizune and then Naruto told them what had happened between him and Itachi not only a few hours from the main direction of Konoha.

"Yeah….he didn't attack and Holy Talon sensed that he was telling the truth about what he said…."

Tsunade and Jiraiya looked at one another and realized the implications of the information Naruto had just brought them at the moment….the fact that Akatsuki were not only actively seeking the Jinchuuriki, but Death Fang as well was very troubling as the thought of ANY of the Akatsuki getting their hands on the dark sword was enough to make them very cautious and very much worried….no doubt they would have gathered a vast arsenal of jutsus and would be one of the hardest to beat enemies at the moment…and if any of them gained Death Fang….then this world would be in grave danger.

Jiraiya sighed and decided to move out once more…but not before he spoke to Naruto.

"You will need to get ready…because I will be training you myself in the near future."

Naruto nodded at that.

"I will Pervy Sage….I better get some time to myself before I head home."

As Naruto left the room…Tsunade knew that the time had come for them make their move on Naruto at the moment. He was no doubt going to be a while before he headed home to his place and since they were welcome to his home…then that should not be a problem as she then moved away form the office and discreetly visited several houses and as soon as she was done…she was joined by three other figures…

"Is everything set up?"

"Yep….got all the food from the shops set up and even got us the drinks for the night!!!"

"I hope you know what you are doing….despite the fact that he is physically older now….Naruto-kun is still too young to be drinking."

"Relax…. By ninja law, he's already considered an adult…besides that, considering what we are about to do to him….he's going to need all the fortification he can get!!!"

--------

Later…

"Man….I can't believe Ichiraku is closed!!!"

Naruto sighed as he walked back to his home and was not happy that he was not going to have a chance to have a dinner for the day. But he could do little as Teuchi had to close early as things were slowing down and he had arrived later in the day…he however did have a chance to catch up with the other ninja at the moment…

Kakashi was having a dinner with none other Kaelyn and the two seemed to be getting along with one another rather well at the moment and he couldn't help but smile at how close Kaelyn and Kakashi were becoming as the War Blade certainly was a handful at times due to her culture shock at the moment.

The same could be said for Asuma who was enjoying that company of Silver Star Mage Vlana who was learning as much as she could about Konoha's history….it was surprising to know that the ninja used a different form o magic unlike her own back on Dagern. The smoking Jonin had to admit that the silver haired and red eyed woman was good company at the moment and things were looking well for the two….Naruto had no doubt that they would be fine….

The other women from Dagern were also getting used to being there in the village of Konoha but he placed all those thoughts aside for the moment as he entered his home and hoped that there would be some left over food he could….

Naruto was surprised to suddenly smell something good in the house….and it was obviously food, good food at that as well as the smells were very good to his nose and he quickly placed Holy Talon aside and headed into the dining room and to his surprise….there were several hot bowls of ramen in the table as well some other food….but despite the fact the smell was tempting him greatly…

The sight of who was in his home was what got his attention…

Tsunade was there and instead of her normal garb…. She was wearing at the moment a deep black kimono with golden flame patterns there and with a very fashionable belt and sash on her waist and she had her hair out of her usual pair of tails and had it in a fashionable bun on her head with a pair of lacquered chopsticks in it as well…the blonde Hokage was wearing a light application of make-up and the fact that her silk kimono was hugging her frame like second skin at the moment where it did hug her….it made Naruto gasp and blush bright red when he recalled just how she looked naked….

It was not Tsunade alone however as Shizune also appeared….wearing a light pink kimono with whit e lotus blossoms in the design and she looked very shy and demure as well unlike the Jonin level ninja that she really was in truth at the moment…there was no denying the fact that Shizune was a very attractive woman especially since he had already seen her naked.

Before he could say anything in walked two OTHER women and he recognized right off the bat….

Kurenai arrived in a deep purple kimono with red flower designs and a elegant sash to her waist and with the long sleeves and her hair in her usual style…Kurenai was a goddess in her kimono of choice, and certainly was attractive even though she wore little makeup except the one she normally used to add emphasis to her eyes and lips….and after seeing her in the nude….Naruto had to agree with the fact she was considered a Goddess by many in the village.

Anko was dressed in her normal fashion….but she seemed to be in the mood for a very serious party….and since she was bare of her jacket….Naruto had no trouble seeing her figure in her normal outfit and wondered if Anko knew how close she was to being branded for the crime of indecent exposure….but having seen her in combat and buck naked….Naruto knew that she was not really a conventional thinker.

He finally got his mind in order and spoke.

"What are you all doing here?"

Tsunade smiled and replied.

"Think of this as a four way date and our way of saying thanks Naruto-kun, come on, sit down and let's have our dinner."

Naruto could only gulp as he sat down and had his lavish dinner in the company of the four Kunoichi as he tried his best to adjust to the situation, granted it was not the same as when he had been with them in the hot-spring a few weeks before….but for some reason, the blonde Chuunin had a feeling that something of great seriousness was going to happen at the moment and he tried his best to keep himself ready.

However, Tsunade and the others had planned out their moves very well and paid great attention to all the details and they had brought Naruto's favorite ramen dishes and this helped loosen him up….along with small amounts of the drink that Anko had brought along for the festivities, the drink didn't make Naruto too drunk but he was able to be more relaxed without being totally smashed which was something none of the women wanted.

As time passed, Naruto was now more comfortable around Tsunade, Kurenai, Shizune, and Anko and he talked about what his training was like and how he felt about the battles he had been in ever since getting Holy talon as his brother at arms. The four women got into the swing of things and began to play things out for as long as they were able and they knew that as soon as they were able to make the right moves….Tsunade decided to drop the bomb.

"Naruto-kun….do you like us?"

Naruto placed down the glass he had which had a small amount of the drink and thought about it and he replied.

"Yes…I'd have to be an idiot to say otherwise…"

"Really?"

"Yeah….I mean you're great ninja and you are good people…and well….I….after that incident in the hot spring…I, uh…"

Anko smirked and replied.

"You mean you had naughty fantasies of us?"

Naruto gulped and tried to say no….but considering how far he had gone, there was nothing he could gain by lying about that to the four women before him….and therefore he looked at them and blushed bright red and nodded…

That was enough to have the women also blushing….but they expected that after what they each had subjected Naruto to when they were in the spring….it amazed them that Naruto was able to have control of himself to not try and take advantage of them while they were in the springs….it showed that he had respect for women and even more so who were not his enemies. The fact that unlike most men who would have taken advantage of them in SOME fashion, Naruto managed to restrain himself admirably before he finally gave in….

Tsunade then smiled and replied.

"Don't be so embarrassed Naruto-kun….thinking those things are pretty normal for a young man your age….it would be weird or disturbing if you didn't have those fantasies."

"So….you're….not offended?"

The women laughed a bit and Shizune replied.

"Of course not! In fact….it's nice to know that we're in your dreams in a very good way."

The women's smiles were sending warning lights in Naruto's head….among other things as he heart rate began to climb and his temperature was going ever higher…it was amazing to him that he didn't reach the point his clothes would catch fire. He tried to remain calm, but this was bringing back VERY intense memories of what happened in the hot spring a few weeks before….but there was no way that was going to happen again….right?

Kurenai then looked at the other women and seeing them nod ever so slightly at her….she nodded back and whispered to Naruto ever so slowly…

"Naruto-kun….I have a question."

"Y-Yes?"

"In those fantasies of yours….was it one of us….or all of us?"

"Uh…..I….why….do you…."

That was the signal as all of them stood up and grabbed Naruto's hands and took him to his bed room and then made him sit down on the large bed that he had in his room. Before Naruto could get a grip on himself….the blonde saw the four women smile even more seductively and the three women reached for the knots that held the sashes of their kimono together and removed them…while Anko merely removed her clothes easily…

Naruto felt himself nose bleed out blood like a garden hose and his heart was moving like crazy…as well as feeling a certain part of his anatomy finally go at full power as Tsunade, Anko, Kurenai, and Shizune were now naked before him and the sight of the four naked women standing there made his body react normally and the four women saw his cock making a tent in his pants and they all licked their lips seductively and Tsunade replied.

"We talked it over Naruto-kun….and we're going to let you live out your fantasies."

"Tsunade?!"

The blonde Hokage nodded as she was before Naruto while Shizune was behind Naruto while Kurenai and Anko were now on either side of Naruto and he could barely say anything as Tsunade gave him a deep kiss while Kurenai who was on his right licked and nibbled her earlobe, while Anko did the same to his left earlobe…and Shizune was kissing and licking the back of his neck at the moment…and the feel of their naked bodies all around him was enough to finally make Naruto lose his self restraint and he began to return the kiss Tsunade was giving him…much to her delight and he moved his arms to touch Kurenai and Anko,….much to their own delight and arousal….while Shizune felt his muscles move and that aroused her greatly…

There was only one thought in Naruto's mind at the moment.

(If this is a dream….by Kami I don't want to wake up!!!!!)

--------

(If you wish to see the lemon in question…please refer to the soon to be added Dragon Champion lemon section of the story board.)

--------

The next day…

Naruto groaned a bit as he shook his head…he felt like he had been drained of all energy last night and he had a serious case of a headache at the moment…

(Man….what happened last night?! All I recall was being visited by Kurenai-sensei, Tsunade, Anko-san, and Shizune-neechan….and….)

Naruto's face blushed bright red as the memories of last night's party and… the following private celebrations were something that had burned a bloody hole in his brain and made his body react very quickly to the memories, as he turned he could himself surrounded by the women in question who were sleeping soundly and were very much naked….with only the sheets serving to hide their bodies…

Naruto felt his face heat up and he could have sworn he was hit by a lightning bolt of sensation running up and down his body, from the roots of his hair down to his toes…even more so as his memories of last night's….party came back.

He was so focused on those thoughts that he was not aware of the fact that all four female Kunoichi were wide awake and were now looking at him with very amused, but aroused eyes…it was only when Tsunade spoke that Naruto directed his attention towards her.

"Like what you see?'

Naruto gulped as he now found himself surrounded by the four mature women who were giving him utterly lustful predatory looks, and Anko spoke.

"So Naruto-chan….enjoyed last night?"

"Uhhhh…."

"Naruto-kun….that's not a very good answer you know."

Shizune said in a very teasing manner as she moved closer towards Naruto.

Kurenai then spoke as well….with a very warm smile on her face.

"I guess we should do it again so he can give us a proper answer."

Tsunade nodded as all four of them ganged up on Naruto once more.

"I agree…break-fast can wait for now….so Naruto-kun, ready for round 2?"

Naruto could only make a silent prayer to the Kami and to Lord Faldren that he would survive this….though there was no doubt it his mind that there was a part of him that was relishing this brand new experience!!!

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To be continued…

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Author's Notes:

Well, that wraps up this number, as you can see…the situation for Naruto mirrors the title of the chapter….there will be another part so expect things to get hot and steamy. The only difference for the Naruto Dragon Champion story is that I decided to place the lemons in a separate story so I can focus on the story and when that is done, I can then focus on the lemons….

I haven't started it yet so feel free to imagine how this situation plays out between Naruto, Tsunade, Shizune, Anko, and Kurenai….so you can use the event in the hot spring in the previous chapters as a teaser to what I have in mind.

Oh yes….since it is the season to be jolly I will be taking my own Christmas vacation in the coming days so expect me to be out for a while from the writing circuit when Christmas Day starts. Hey I need a vacation too and the free time will allow me to relax and enjoy life….i can't write ALL the time…

I am going to be working until then so I will try to do my best to update my stories whenever I can until the day of Christmas…when that day comes then I will be out taking my vacation and I will be back after the new year celebration….so I'll be back in full action after January 1.

See you there!


	32. Rewards Part 2

Naruto The Twin Swords

Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Naruto or anything from Jump….and no….I'm not an employee of theirs.

Chapter 25

Part 2

Rewards

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In Konoha….days later…

"All right students….can anyone name me the Village of the Land of Water?"

Naruto looked at the number of students who were before him at the moment and wondered how he got stuck in a teaching assignment for the day….the blonde Chuunin had been rather busy with a lot of serious matters and was eager for another mission, but discovered that he was currently being assigned as a temporary teacher in the Academy since Iruka had to join up with Shizune for some important field work, along with a small band of Chuunin from the Academy…

That placed him in a temporary job as teacher and he couldn't help but find that somewhat ironic that he used to be the most irresponsible student Iruka ever had and here he was now….he was the teacher and now he could understand how Iruka felt when dealing with rambunctious kids….at least Konohamaru, Moegi, and Udon were not giving him headaches at the moment as the three friends were in a different class room.

As the day wore on….he wondered how things were for the others in the village at the moment.

Later…

Naruto leaned back and groaned as he was on his chair in front of the desk that he was occupying at the moment in the Academy faculty room and he couldn't help but shake his head a bit as he moved back and went to his paper work….he had to file up reports and new lesson plans and fill in Iruka-sensei of the results of the classes he was handling at the moment.

"God…I feel like I got ran over in the head…"

The blonde Chuunin however pushed through and managed to finish his report…just as Shikamaru came in with a pack of food and placed it on his desk.

"Here….Sakura wanted me to give you this."

Naruto unwrapped the item and found a good deal of food in a box and he couldn't help but give a sigh of thanks for Sakura sending him something to eat.

"Thank you Sakura-chan…"

Naruto dug into the food that included sashimi, dumplings, sushi, and some tempura…he would have gone for ramen but he still had another class to teach at the moment and as he chomped down on the food, he turned to Shikamaru and spoke seriously.

"Still getting used to being a Chuunin?"

"Yeah, it can be a drag, but it's not too bad…"

"So how are you and Meer doing?"

Shikamaru looked at Naruto with a raised eye-brow at the moment.

"What do you mean by that?"

"You two seem to be working out good together for the past few days, so I was kind of curious….is there something going on between the two of you or have you two decided to go on a date or something?"

"What makes you think I'm interested in her anyway? As far as I recall….she tried to take my head off with that spear weapon of hers."

Naruto however grinned and replied back…

"If you aren't interested….why is it you look at her every chance you get Shikamaru, not to mention you seen to talk to her when you meet in Konoha?"

Shikamaru looked at Naruto with a curious eye and merely shrugged as he drank the bottle of juice he had with him at the moment….unlike Naruto at the moment, Shikamaru was assigned as team leader to another band of Chuunin though he worked still with his team on most if not all of their missions. Naruto however knew that Shikamaru and Meer were on good terms for the time being since Meer had been able to understand Shikamaru better now and while Meer was a Steel Lancer, she was also a very talented person and gifted with a good deal of intellect as well as physical abilities.

The blonde Dragon Champion knew that despite Shikamaru and Meer's previous meeting, the two seemed to be on a lot better terms and that was a good thing.

"That's my business Naruto…"

"I guess….so how is the assignment they gave you?'

"Just about right….I just got back from my assignment and hoping to take some time off….those missions are such a drag sometimes…oh yeah….what's the name of that silver haired lady with the red eyes?"

"Vlana….why do you ask?"

"I saw Asuma-sensei and her walking here to the Academy, I figured they would be passing through here….have you seen them about?"

Naruto shook his head and then gave a grin.

"Why are you asking….you think they have a thing going on?'

Shikamaru then gave a slight smile and nodded….that made Naruto grin as he saw that on occasion as well, the two seemed to be getting along well at the moment and Kurenai had developed a friendly rivalry with the Silver Star mage as the Genjutsu specialist would pit her skills in Genjutsu against Vlana's use of illusions and lights…and the two women were on very good terms with one another.

"Good for them I say."

"Yeah….So, I'll see you later….I've got a lot of work to do and I need to do it all now."

Naruto nodded and ate his food silently and as soon as he was done, he got back up and wondered just how things were going for the rest of the village at the moment…things had been pretty quiet and while he had no doubt Death Fang would not remain silent for long….there was not much he could do at the moment….he had deployed a number of Falcon Rangers to keep an eye on things and report back to him during long range patrols and reconnaissance beyond both Konoha and the Land of Fire.

Meanwhile….Shikamaru headed off to meet with the other Chuunin when he took a different turn when he spotted Meer training with her trademark weapon and the woman was moving very quickly and hitting her targets dead center with each swing and attack at the moment. As she continued her training….she was dressed in a simple sleeveless shirt, pants, and sandals but there was no denying that she was attractive at the moment and even Shikamaru was being affected by her.

He sighed as he watched until she finished and he walked over to her.

"You done?"

Meer sighed as she relaxe4d her breathing and spoke to answer Shikamaru's question.

"Pretty much….enjoyed the show?"

Shikamaru raised an eye brow as he found himself staring at her and before his eyes could wander to places that he knew he was not supposed to at the moment, he shook his head and left.

"Yeah….now I have to go…"

Meer gave a glare at Shikamaru….but she still grinned at him.

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Later…

Naruto had just finished his reports and headed for his home when he was greeted by Kurenai who was walking back to her home. The two greeted each other normally as they could manage at the moment.

"Good afternoon Kurenai-sensei."

"Good afternoon to you too Naruto-kun…how is it being a teacher?"

"Tiring….now I know how Iruka-sensei felt when he had to deal with my antics…."

Kurenai smiled warmly at that as she saw Naruto give a funny expression at the moment and she couldn't help but find it rather amusing in her own way, imagine Naruto being a teacher of all things? The red eyed Jonin however had to give Naruto credit….he had indeed grown up from the class clown that he used to be seen as….she heard that a number of students would love to have him as their sensei should he make Jonin…though that was up to the other Jonin like her to decide if he could be appointed as Jonin rank.

She placed that aside and spoke to Naruto once more.

"So when will be the end of your shift as a teacher Naruto-kun?"

"At least another three or five days….after that, I'm back at the mission roster as soon as Iruka-sensei comes back from his mission with Shizune-chan…"

Kurenai nodded and as soon as she was assured that no one else was looking….she moved forward and quickly gave Naruto a very torrid kiss on the lips….startling the blonde Chuunin and making him blush bright red at the sudden osculation. The Jonin back away after giving Naruto a very good kissing through….complete with tongue and she smiled once more and spoke.

"You're doing great Naruto-kun….it won't be long before you make Jonin….and I WILL be more than happy to see that happen. By the way….about what we did with you….I want to see you do that with me in private some time."

With that….Kurenai moved away but not before kissing Naruto more chastely this time while copping a feel on his chest and she left….making Naruto stand there for a moment in shock and surprise….though certainly not in disgust as he took his leave and was still sporting the red in his face and decided to head home for the time being…

As soon as he got home, he placed aside his books and went to the room and sat down on the bed and thought about what had happened a few days ago….he was in what most men would have considered heaven and it was something that he was still getting used to though he certainly was not complaining….after the early morning 'celebration' that he had been in with Kurenai, Anko, Tsunade, and Shizune, the four women had reheated the food left over and even made some new ones and they had a good meal before the four Kunoichi bid him farewell…

Had he not seen the mess his bed was in when he got back…he would have contributed the whole thing to an out of control fantasy fueled by drink.

As he got off the bed and headed for the fridge…he reached for Holy Talon which was on the special stand he had made for it and placed the sword on his back as he planned to train a bit longer before dinner, all he needed at the moment was a chance to have a snack…

(("How was class Master Naruto?"))

(Tiring….now I know how Iruka-sensei feels when I give him a hard time….though I can understand why he's always pushing me to be stronger….)

(("I see…by the way Master….are you still having memories of that incident?"))

(Uhhh….yeah, and don't laugh!)

(("I won't laugh at that, I said before that some of my previous masters were also perverted when it came to sex, and my female masters were rather enthusiastic and for good reason….Dragon Champions know the burdens they carry and they want to find happiness no matter how short or brief….but I have no doubt you will find grand happiness yourself Master."))

Naruto couldn't help but snicker at that as he grabbed his food and took the time to enjoy the meal he had before him at the moment and as soon as he was done…he went back outside and began to train once more…At the moment, his team were currently handling missions without him and he hoped that they were doing all right.

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The next day…

Naruto gave a slight yawn as he walked out of his bed room and was dressed in only his short pants, boxers, and sandals. It had been a very long day and he was still somewhat sleepy at the moment as he got out of bed….he had planned on going to get break-fast from the fridge, but considerable knocking had steered him away from the dining area and to his front door to figure out just who would be calling on him at this time of the day.

"All right….all right…."

As soon as he opened the door, he was greeted by none other than Sakura, Hinata, Ino, Temari and Kin…the five young women were about to great Naruto when their greetings died in their throats when they got to see Naruto was naked from the waist up and they were able to see his well muscled form and since his hair was not in the ponytail he wore….his hair was in very simple but undeniably catchy disarray…

"Huh….oh hi there, Sakura-chan, Hinata-san, Kin-san, Ino-san, Temari-san….what….?'

It was then that all five females did something that neither of them, with the exception of Hinata, were known for doing….they fainted.

WHAM!!!!"

Naruto was wide eyed and began to speak to them all.

"Hey!!! What's wrong?! Snap out of it!!!"

As soon as he was able to revive the unconscious girls, he was already dressed up….figuring that he should have dressed up before answering his door first instead of going straight for it. The women had brought him a good number wrapped food and to his amazement, none of them were directing bad glares at one another…he had thought that they would not like the fact they were each there with him at the moment.

The five women however were busy staring at Naruto at the moment, no doubt recalling what he looked like in his half naked state earlier and then recalling how they had seen him buck naked and that was enough for the temperature of each ninja to reach higher levels and it took all their combined willpower to not jump on Naruto at the moment and ravish him.

Naruto looked at them and spoke to them.

"Are you all right?"

The women snapped themselves out of their vivid imaginings and Sakura replied.

"We're fine….how is your time at the Academy Naruto-kun?"

Naruto placed down his chop-sticks and replied honestly.

"Let me put it this way Sakura-chan….now I know what Iruka-sensei goes through when he deals with us every day….including me."

The five Kunoichi couldn't help but laugh at that as he told them of how hard it was to be a replacements for Iruka and he hoped that the Chuunin would make it back soon so he could go back to doing missions and helping Konoha out for the time being…not that he disliked the idea of training the new generation of ninja and knowing that they would carry the future of the village on their backs someday like he was.

As they finished break-fast and Naruto headed off to the Academy for the next few days of his time as teacher of the Ninja Academy, he wondered just how the women from Dagern were handling their new lives here in Konoha….he only hoped that they would be able to adjust in his world as his was certainly very different from the world they were originally from and he hoped that if anything happened, then he would be able to smooth things over for them to avoid causing anything that could be considered as distracting to the people in Konoha.

As he arrived he was met by Shizune and Anko both of whom were serving as teachers for the time being with Shizune as a medical jutsu instructor in the school while Anko was an instructor. The three greeted each other normally at their meeting and they said good bye when they had to go to their separate rooms…but not before Shizune had a naughty thought and touched Naruto's back and rubbed at a certain spot that she knew was very sensitive to touch….which she found during the nightly and morning celebration she, Tsunade, Kurenai, and Anko had with Naruto. Anko also got into the act as she licked Naruto's face and reached for her lover's stomach and ran her hands on his abs and then to the waist band of his pants The good news for Naruto was naturally the fact that they all had birth control pills to prevent pregnancy at the moment. The two Jonin smiled and bid him farewell…making him try and recover from the contact.

Naruto couldn't help but sigh and wonder just how his life had taken quite the interesting turn as he placed Holy Talon on his hip and while there was supposed to be a rule against carrying weapons in the Academy; he was given an exception by Tsunade as the Holy Talon was his primary aide in battle and also parting it from him was not a good idea…As he entered the class room, he was greeted by the students and many of them began to talk and listen to his lecture for the day

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In a nearby training field…

Neji was currently watching Coryin training with her bow and with her summoned bear familiar Kojo and it was the first time the Hyuuga had been able to meet a bear as bears were not native to his world. The massive creature was serving as the heavy muscle of the female Ranger as she fired arrow after arrow on her targets and she was currently wearing her normal armor while carrying her sword nearby on her hip.

As he watched her, she seemed to take notice and after each firing of her arrows with deadly accuracy, befitting her training as Falcon Ranger. He had to admit that there was a very unique quality about her at the moment as she moved with each shot as she would quickly take out each arrow and fire them with amazing accuracy and precision. He recalled the times she would spar with him and she would test his defensive skills by using soft tipped arrows on him and he had to admit that like before….she was very good in her shots….

(I guess being a Ranger makes her an excellent shooter….though I know very little about her personally….maybe I should at least ask.)

As Coryin finished her training and hit all her targets dead center in the chest and head at considerable distances…equal to his team-mate Tenten, Neji walked over and spoke.

"You did very well Coryin."

The Falcon Ranger smiled at that and replied.

"Thank you Neji, it's been some time since I went on a mission myself so this is a good way to keep in shape."

"By the way….I was meaning to ask….what exactly is a Ranger?"

Coryin smiled and decided to tell Neji about the history of the Rangers.

"We were trained woodsmen and scouts of the land where we came from and as such we were skilled in ambush and long range reconnaissance…as well as marksmanship, though we were also trained in the art of swords and spears. Most of us would go into the wilderness to guard nature the same way as Druids do….though we had limited magical skills available to us in battle, as soon as battle was joined, we would attack at long range and in cover….but we do fight in the open battles as well as we are not weighed down by too much heavy armor. The reason we were named Falcon Rangers was the use of glowing energy forms of Falcons to distract our foes and also for attack as well."

"How long have you been a Falcon Ranger?"

"As soon as I was able to use my hands and walk….I always loved the outdoors and I don't always feel comfortable in cities….plus I was already good with bows so I decided to become a Falcon Ranger, I was handpicked by an elder Falcon Ranger and was trained there as well…there are female Falcon rangers apart from just me you know….so I was not an oddity among them as a woman."

"I see…do you have any family?"

Coryin shook her head sadly and replied.

"No….my father was lost in a boating accident and my mother…well, she died of a broken heart when I was younger…."

Neji realized that he was prodding too deeply into and apologized and the two decided to enjoy some silence and it was then that they decided to get some training in so Neji would be more able to defend himself from incoming attack from any angle….after all, like Naruto, Coryin could enchant her arrows with unique powers and abilities that could be very advantageous in battle and Neji was curious on how he would do countering those said techniques.

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In another part of Konoha…

Kiba and Akamaru were busy training at the moment and next to the two was Liara who was currently watching the two perform their mutual combat training. The young Druidess considered Kiba a good person and she had developed a good friendship with Akamaru as she found the young puppy to be very playful and nice.

Kiba was currently using his combined Henge attack with Akamaru and Liara looked on with admiration of the combined attack….as a Druidess, she could see that there was a great deal of strength and trust between Kiba and Akamaru and since she was attuned with Nature as a Druidess…she found that to be very interesting in a way…

Plus Kiba was wild and very interesting an individual…

"Enjoying the view?"

Liara turned to see Hana as the sister of Kiba sat next to the Druidess….the elder Inuzuka had to admit that being near a person who could transform into a wolf was something she had not been all that prepared for at the moment, but the Druidess was certainly a friendly sort and was easy to get along with as she was impressed with their canine familiars at the moment.

"Yes….I have to admit that your family's abilities with canines is impressive….and the bond between Kiba and Akamaru is interesting to see."

"Hmmm….what are things like in your world Liara?"

"It's interesting to say the least….my world is similar to yours…though things like television as you call it are unheard of….and some of the things here are totally alien to me."

"I guess….so how long have you been….a Druidess?"

"Long enough…I was trained as a Druidess when several Druids found me after a band of Chaos Raiders attacked my home…..I escaped and hid in the forest for days until the Druids found me and raised me as one of their own….I was still very young then and I was able to fit in nicely….in truth….i once tried to take Holy talon to avenge my family but there was already a chosen Dragon Champion at the time, but he was able to avenge my family and fellow villagers and that was good enough for me."

"What sort of abilities do you have as a Druidess?"

"Apart from shape-shifting….Druids like me can communicate with all natural life and understand animal languages from all creatures…as well as summon Nature to both defend ourselves and to fight as well when the need arises."

Hana nodded and she could see that Liara was an all right person….and despite the fact that she had not said it….she knew for a fact that Kiba somewhat liked the young Druidess. She decided to get up and head off for work as she was needed to take care of the many animal familiars that would no doubt be injured in the missions they were undertaking as she was the vet of the village.

"I have to get going….see you around."

"Bye…."

Liara turned back and saw that Kiba and Akamaru were done with their training and she smiled at them both as Kiba walked back and Akamaru was on top of his head once4 more at the moment. As soon as Kiba sat down and Akamaru was now sleeping, Liara took out a package and handed it to Kiba. He was curious as to what was in it and found four small rolls of bread in it.

"What's this?"

"It's called Spring Bread….try some Kiba."

Kiba sniffed one the bread and took a bite…expecting it to be ordinary bread with a fancy name….but to his surprise the bread had a nice, rich, earthy flavor that seemed to energize his senses and make him feel half full….plus the cream filling had a wonderfully sweet taste as well that further enhanced the bread and he ate the rest of it and was now feeling very full.

"Wow….this stuff tastes great! Who made this?"

"I did….I learned from my Druid teacher when I was young….we use it as a form of sustenance when we have long journeys in far away places…"

"Wow…you're world must be pretty big."

"It is….by the way….I have some sweet meat for Akamaru."

The puppy was able to see how the Spring Bread had given his master new strength and he was eager for the food as Liara took out another packet and the puppy saw several red strips of meat and he took a few good bites and found the meat to taste heavenly, the moistness was right there as well as the fat, the meat was tender and very tasty and very filling and the puppy took in as much as he could and as soon as he was fed, he gave a contented yelp and moved to lick Liara's hand….showing his appreciation to her as much as he also showed appreciation to Hinata when the Hyuuga heiress brought him the snacks she knew he liked.

Liara smiled warmly at Akamaru….allowing Kiba to see her smile….which for some reason made him feel kind of warm and fuzzy, as well as make him blush a bit.

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Asuma was currently training with his trench knives against Vlana who was using her specially made staff in combat….while she personally admitted that Silver Star Mages were not skilled in combat, she could hold her own if the need arose…and Asuma took it upon himself to train the silver haired woman in the art of close combat so she would not get into danger. Vlana was impressed with Asuma's abilities and decided to agree to his teaching of her.

As well as showing Vlana how to fight with her staff more effectively….Asuma also filled her in on the history of the village of Konoha so she would be familiar with the customs, traditions and the like in order to avoid any form of public scrutiny….the one thing that grated on Vlana's nerves was the fact that she could not wear her robes…

Asuma was somewhat confused until Vlana explained that Silver Star Mages wear special robes that actually give good protection from magical attacks as the cloth was enchanted and consecrated in order to help the Silver Star Mages in defense and in their spell casting as well.

With that in mind, Asuma made a promise to help her when her comrades were not around….which elicited a smile from the Silver Star Mage and that was that. And that was why at this moment, the two were currently training with one another.

Even if Vlana was not a ninja….the way she moved with her staff and the way she fought back as best she could have a very attractive quality and Asuma couldn't help but admire that at the moment as they traded attacks with one another for her to develop techniques on how to defend herself at the moment from anyone seeking to attack her….Asuma then realized the reason why they were not trained well in hand to hand combat….as Silver Star Mages were unable to cast and fight at the same time as that would be very difficult at the moment for anyone to do….just as it was a tactic to attack a ninja head on to prevent them from using certain ninjitsu.

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Lee was currently sparing with Valena who was proving to be a good partner for Lee at the moment and Gai had to admit that lee was certainly improving as the two traded punches and kicks with one another at the moment while they were training to fight one another in mock combat.

Lee managed to use Leaf Hurricane on Valena but the Fire Dancer took to the air with a neat flip and unleashed a flurry of spinning heal kicks at Lee which forced him to back away at that as Valena leaped forward with several spinning kicks at him and he had to block her attacks as she landed….lee unleashed several punches, which Valena moved expertly to avoid and she caught his arm and pulled close and unleashed a powerful elbow strike at Lee and he was hit and lee was forced back and he managed to block a following up kick and launched his own kick and hit Valena on the side of her ribs…

Valena grunted but moved away and smiled at Lee and spoke.

"Nicely done Lee…Gai-sensei taught you well…."

"Many thanks young Lady….the flames of youth burn bright with you both!!!!"

Gai did his nice guy pose….but instead of surprising or shocking Valena….she merely smiled and nodded in agreement and smiled then towards Lee…making the Genin smile back as they continued to face one another in combat. Gai had seen Valena's fighting style and had to admit that it was fluid and precise….while not sacrificing power and force….very rare indeed, almost a combination of Neji's Gentle Fist and Lee's own Strong Fist, making Valena a good test for Lee to fight….

Not to mention that lee had developed something of an affection for the emerald haired female elf, and to lee's surprise….Valena is giving back that affection, though Lee decided to take things slow as this was the very first time that he was being friendly with a woman who liked him back, and proved to be a skilled fighter in her own right in a style that mirrored his own at the moment.

As the two continued to trade blows, dodging and blocking one another's blows as well…the two developed a deeper understanding of one another's styles and Valena would even show Lee some moves that he could use to add to his repertoire of combat skills at the moment.

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Chouji was being friendly with Shandra and the two were busy discussing the things that Chouji naturally loved as a member of the clan Akamichi, and that was food and eating plenty of it….and while Shandra preferred to fight in battles, befitting her place as a Zealot, she was willing to trader stories with the Genin on how life was like in her world at the moment and even on what sort of things her people did in their free time when they were not fighting in many battles with the followers of Chaos.

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Kakashi on the other hand was still on his missions with Sasuke and Sakura….but this time…to fill in the gap of Naruto being absent due to his teaching duties in the Academy, Kaelyn fit in, though she had to forget wearing her traditional plate armor, but she would not give up wearing the chain-mail….and carrying her twin Longswords into battle, she was now wearing a Konoha flak jacket to hide her foreign status and had to wear a Konoha forehead protector which she wore like a scarf on her neck.

Despite not being a trained ninja….Kakashi had to admit that she was more than able to handle herself in a fight and she was certainly nice to look at the moment and more than a match for regular foes…plus her fighting style was both elegant and deadly as well. She also provided a valuable addition of combat ability despite lacking Genjutsu or Ninjutsu training. The other fact was the Jonin found her to be very attractive and she found him to be very attractive too….as well as being very skilled in combat.

Sakura and even Sasuke had to admit that the female War Blade was the reason Kakashi limited his reading of his favorite books, though to their shock….Kaelyn shared and interest with the same books Kakashi did as well, making her the very first female fan of Jiraiya's perverted book series….which would have made Jiraiya smile like the lecherous man and ninja sage that he was at the moment.

Though she admitted that she loved the books, she wished that Jiraiya would try and be a bit more caring for the woman's perspective….in her mind, if BOTH men and women took the act of sex more deeply and with greater clarity….then the book would be even better….she even suggested that Jiraiya look at things in a female perspective so he could have some real material to add to his works…

Kakashi had to admit the idea of him being attracted to a beautiful redhead female warrior who loved the same books he did was certainly a brand new experience for him at the moment and while it was new….it was certainly not something that he considered odd or wrong at the moment.

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While the men of Konoha were getting used to having the women from Dagern in their midst for the time being….Naruto was busy teaching in the Academy for the past few days and he was getting a much greater appreciation for the teaching profession and his reports to Tsunade reflected these things to her and she noted that and told him that despite not being exactly idea l teacher material at first glance….he was doing a very good job at the moment.

Unknown to Naruto…a certain band of female ninja were planning special event for him at the moment and as soon as he was free form his teaching duties….then they were going to have good deal of fun with him….not to mention that since he had risked his life to save them from the Succubus Maiden a few weeks before….this was going to be a very good way to pay him back. The women had talked about their plans for the whole thing and while one of them was painfully shy about the whole thing….she was willing to give it a try….but she asked to be the very first to set things up.

And to her amazement….the others agreed to the whole thing…which made this particular Kunoichi blush deeply at the moment as she thought about how she was going to get this plan into motion at the moment…of course….they took the time to plan on how to make sure that when they do the deed with Naruto…they accidentally didn't have children as they were not ready yet….and they were still not in the right age for that sort of thing….

And neither was Naruto, and they wanted him to enjoy life….maybe when things were more settled…

One of them then said that they should take the time to not go that far yet….there was enough time and all of them greeted…

Now all they needed to do was wait for the right time….and then they were going to have a grand time and give Naruto a grand time of his own as well…

--------

Naruto wondered all of a sudden why he felt a shiver of sensation flood up his spine…

"Naruto-sensei? Are you all right?"

Naruto turned and spoke with a slightly sheepish expression in front of his students.

"Nothing….just thought someone was talking about me again."

--------

Days later…

"Man….am I glad that's over and done with….now I have to hand this report to Tsunade-sama."

Naruto sighed as he got word that Iruka would be taking over his job once more and the blonde Chuunin couldn't be happier at the moment. This meant he could now go back to doing serious missions and doing his best to keep an eye on any more troubles Death Fang might send his way at the moment. Iruka had arrived the day before and he was eager to be back in the Academy and Naruto himself was eager to be back in the field…

As he updated his former sensei on the current rate of the students' learning rates, the Chuunin had to admit that for a former trouble maker and prankster….Naruto wouldn't make a half bad teacher himself one of these days….Naruto could only give an amused look and bid his former sensei farewell and headed off to see how the others were doing…

He ran into Konohamaru, Moegi, and Udon along the way and the three were not happy that his stint as teacher in the Academy was over, but they were happy that he had taught them as best he could and for that they were very pleased to have him as teacher.

As he arrived in the door leading to Tsunade's office room, he was greeted by Sakura who smiled at him as well.

"How are you Naruto-kun?"

"Pretty good….I just need to send these reports to Tsunade-sama….is she in?"

"Hai….go right ahead….she'd be happy to see you too."

Naruto thanked Sakura but a tiny fraction of his mind wondered why Sakura was smiling at him in a very mischievous way.

As soon as he was in the room, there was the Hokage looking over the latest reports from the ninja in the field and she looked very tired and he couldn't help but feel sad for Tsunade….she might have been returned to her younger self, but at the rate she was working….she could very well go back to being fifty again in the way the paper work seemed to pile up all around him her. Tsunade looked up and gave a tired smile to Naruto-kun.

"Oh Naruto-kun….how was your last day as a teacher in the Academy?"

"Pretty tiring, but very much all right…here's the report on how the students are doing."

Tsunade took the report and as she did so….Naruto could see just how tired the Hokage was at the moment and he decided to do something to at least help her relax….without resorting to the sake as doing so would have really caused some disturbances at the moment….and the last thing anyone needed to see was the blonde Hokage being drunk…

He reached behind her and slowly began to massage the shoulders of Tsunade who was surprised by Naruto's actions.

"Naruto-kun….what are…"

"Let me do this Tsunade-chan…"

Tsunade smiled….Naruto called her by that endearment a few days before….after that very heated romp she had with him in the company of Yuhi Kurenai, Mitarashi Anko, and Shizune….he had said endearments to them too, but the way he said each one….including hers was nice to their ears and she found it rather nice to hear that endearment.

"All right Naruto-kun…."

Tsunade felt the knots in her muscles begin to unwind as Naruto continued to massage her shoulders and it was very relaxing to her at the moment….she sighed a bit as she moved her neck and managed to get the kinks out of her bones at the moment and Naruto noted that and moved his actions to her neck and the feeling of tension was burning away from her body…

As soon as Naruto was about finished rubbing and massaging Tsunade's neck and shoulders, the blonde Hokage smiled and turned to Naruto and spoke.

"That was very nice of you Naruto-kun….I feel a bit more relaxed now…."

"No problem Tsunade-chan…"

"I think I should pay you back in some fashion….and I know just what that will be…"

Before Naruto could even say a single word….Tsunade got up and kissed him right in the lips and then grabbed his hands and placed it right on her breasts…making Naruto blush bright red at that moment as Tsunade moved to the wall and now pined Naruto on it with the two of them in deep osculation and she was moving his hands on her breasts and then moving them past her clothes until Naruto was touching her bare breasts at that moment… Tsunade moved away and began to kiss Naruto's face while her hands were on his and moving them to massage her breasts underneath her clothes at the moment….

"Mmmm….just like that Naruto-kun…just like that time in you're house…"

As much as Naruto was enjoying the contact at the moment…he was aware that the door was unlocked and they were near the windows….all it took was for one person to either walk in, or look at the windows and then things were going to get really hard to explain at the moment what was transpiring between the two of them….the scandal would have been very shocking and that was the last thing he and Tsunade needed at this point and time.

"Tsunade-chan….I….I think we should stop…."

"Oh really now…are you so sure about that Naruto-kun?"

Naruto tried desperately to get his thoughts back into working order but the feel of Tsunade's large breasts in his hands, coupled with the fact that her body was touching his at the moment was driving his mind to think of more primal things…and there was the fact that there were some very private rooms in the Hokage Tower that could be used by the two of them at the moment and at the way Tsunade was acting on him…

Naruto however managed to get his wits about him at the moment and spoke…

"Really….we shouldn't…I mean….not that I don't want to, but if we're caught then…"

Tsunade nodded a bit and had to agree with Naruto's words but she was still in the mood to make him blush bright red and therefore she continued to have his hands on her breasts a bit more and she gave him another torrid kiss before she parted from him and fixed her clothes up.

"All right….but I'll get you yet…"

The two talked about the last of the reports and as soon as that was over….Naruto headed for home…

Unaware of the fact that there was something going on in his house at the moment and as soon as he would arrive….another celebration would be well on his way.

--------

Naruto opened the door of his house and moved his neck to get rid of the kinks in his neck and was in the mood to finally get to having a good meal and some sleep before he would get the chance to go on a mission with his team at the moment. But as he entered his home and placed Holy Talon aside and took off his vest…he smelled something in his home that was very delicious at the moment and he made his way there to found out just what that smell was at the moment.

As soon as he got to his dining area….he was surprised to find himself looking at a very lavish dinner that included all of his favorite food times and a good deal of drink there as well….he was very curious as to who would have made such a spread like this while he was out of his house at the time…he however was soon to get the answer he was looking for when he heard a voice…

"W-W-Welcome home…N-Naruto-kun."

He turned and to his utter amazement….he found himself staring at none other than Hinata who was smiling at him and twiddling her fingers while blushing as well…

The Hyuuga heiress was dressed in a simple lavender colored kimono with white flower petals in the workings of the kimono with indigo thread in the formation of waves and interlacing work as well, and she had a simple sash there as well to complete the ensemble….making the shy and timid young woman look like a beauty…reminding Naruto of the time he had gone on a date with her a few months before. But there was something in the whole situation that was utterly different from the time they had gone on that date….he could understand why…but it was there.

"Hinata-san….did you make this…for me?"

"H-Hai….but not all of them are mine…"

"Eh? Then who made the rest?"

"I made a portion of it Naruto-kun….I hope you like it."

Naruto turned about to see none other than Ino Yamanaka walk into the room and she too was dressed elegantly as Hinata was was….she was wearing a light yellow Kimono with green thread flame patterns in the kimono and there was a simple green sash on her waist….she also had her hair well done and held it with a flower clip that she no doubt had owned for some time but did not use all that much at the moment….Ino was an attractive sort….but Naruto could see that in this dress…she looked very attractive.

"Really? Wow…"

"Ino's not the only one Naruto-kun."

Naruto was even more surprised as another figure appeared and it was none other than Sakura.

The pink haired Kunoichi was dressed in a sinful red kimono with pink star patterns in the kimono and a deep blue sash on her hips, plus the same lacquered chopsticks that she had in her hair at the moment. She was very demure and sexy at the very same time as her maturing body due to her inner reserve of Dragon Fire had made her grow at a slightly faster rate than normal humans at the moment.

"I did as well….though I'm not that good a cook."

Naruto then turned to see Kin walking towards him and she too was dressed up.

Kin wore a black kimono with silver thread in the patterns of small glowing spheres that added to her attractive nature as the black kimono, complete with white sash showed her slender and sexy form. Her hair was well combed at the moment and was made into a simple but well made braid and she too had lacquered chopsticks in her hair as well to complete the ensemble that she was wearing at the moment.

All in all…all four Kunoichi were stunning and at this moment, Naruto was trying his best to figure out just what to say to the four women. Until he finally got his brain back on operational status and he asked the question.

"What are you all doing here?"

Ino smiled and replied.

"What do you think this is….it's a dinner date….now come on, it's time to eat before the food gets cold."

As the five got into the spirit of things after Naruto placed Holy Talon on the stand that he normally had the sword on, he was able to enjoy the food that the four Kunoichi had made and it did his heart good that he had guests come over to his home at the moment as it had been some time since he had visitors in his simple but quaint home. As time passes…the four of them were able to relax and they each looked at one another in order to get assurance for what they were about to do…

They had taken the right medication and they were not fertile at the moment and this was what they wanted for a very long time and since they had this chance and now they were going to take it. As the conversations continued at the moment, Hinata was the first to make her move….after all, they agreed that she deserved to go ahead…having been in love with Naruto for the longest time among them and she deserved to be happy for this time.

"Naruto-kun…"

"Yes Hianta-san?"

"Do you think I'm a good person?"

"What do you mean? Of course you are a good person, why do you even need to ask that question?"

Hinata smiled and then to Naruto's surprise…she brought him to her bed room and she slowly removed his shirt and he was so shocked by Hinata's actions that he had little to no idea how to respond to this situation at the moment and before he could do anything…Hinata spoke shyly.

"Because I want to ask this…would you let me be with you?"

"Huh?"

Hinata then removed her kimono and spoke as she blushed still.

"I love you Naruto-kun….I-I-I have ever since I met you in the Academy."

Naruto was shocked and that was when Sakura, Ino, and Kin walked in and they too spoke as they undid their own kimonos at that moment with Sakura speaking first.

"I got to see how much you cared for me too Naruto-kun, and you saved my life several times….I also know that you've had a crush on me for years….and now I guess them time has come to let you enjoy this…"

Ino also spoke as well.

"You saved my life…and you've changed…had I known you'd be like this, I'd have chased you instead of Sasuke…I'm not that dense you know Naruto-kun…you've shown really good qualities and that is what I like the most."

Kin spoke as they all were now buck naked.

"I owe you my new life and my freedom Naruto-kun….what more is there for me not to love you?"

Sakura and the others then joined Hinata in removing the last vestiges of Naruto's clothing and now he was only clothed in his boxers….which naturally had a tent in them due to seeing all four women naked and what a sight that was at the moment….and he had to admit that if given a number of years….the four of them would be very attractive at the moment.

Naruto barely had enough time to gasp as Hinata….who was now buck naked walked over him and as soon as he lay down on the bed he had in his room, the blushing Hyuuga heiress kissed him and gently whispered in Naruto's ear.

I…I have dreamed of doing this….for so long…."

Naruto gulped as Sakura, Ino and Kin were nearby and were also buck naked as well and Sakura spoke slyly to Naruto.

"Let this happen Naruto-kun….let Hinata show you that she loves you….and let her live out her fantasies….and then you can have your turn with each of us as well. For tonight is our night…so enjoy it."

Naruto couldn't help it anymore as he nodded and with amazing swiftness, coupled with great gentleness, he moved and Hinata was now below him and he was on top of her and Hinata blushed brightly as she found herself looking at the utterly naked form of her long time crush and loved one….along with the feeling of a certain part of Naruto's anatomy that was very much aroused at the moment…which made her all the more hot and heavy…

Ino, Sakura, and Kin saw that and the three of them were licking their lips at the thought of getting their hands on Naruto's privates as Naruto gently bent down and kissed Hinata while touching her very much well formed breasts.

It was going to be ANOTHER very LONG and hot night….

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(If you wish to see the lemon….please refer to the soon to be constructed Dragon Champion Lemon section.)

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The next day…

Naruto groaned out loud as he opened his eyes and wondered why he felt like he had been run over by a wave of pure force last night. As he shook his head to clear out the cobwebs and his memories came back to his brain at that moment, he looked about…

(Man….I feel really tired….what happened?)

As soon as his memories came back to him, he blushed bright red as he remembered what he had done with Sakura, Hinata, Ino, and Kin…and the moment he looked about, he spotted them all sleeping on either side of him….and the fact that they were all buck naked made him nearly have a nose bleed right there and then as he recalled just what had happened that time.

Just as he was about to move…someone grabbed his hand and he heard the voice of none other than Hinata who was still acting all shy and demure despite the rather….wild ride she and Naruto had taken part in.

"N-Naruto-kun….where are you going?"

"Uh…"

Naruto couldn't help but follow Hinata's arm and he saw that she was still blushing bright red and she was not alone as Sakura…unashamed of the fact that she was also buck naked was also now holding his hand and she was giving him a very serious but sexy smirk.

"I have to agree with Hinata….where do you think you're going Naruto-kun?"

Ino was also on the move and was now behind Naruto and holding him from behind.

"You were not going to leave us hanging like that Naruto-kun?"

Kin was also looking at him with a very lustful eye and she spoke out as well.

"That would not be a good thing for you to do….that's not very good on your reputation you know."

The four women managed to drag Naruto to them a bit more and before Naruto could say anything….both Hinata and Sakura kissed him deeply on the lips at the same time…resulting and a torrid three way kiss and when both women parted from him, Ino took over and ran her hands on Naruto's muscled chest and kissed his chest all the way to the chin which she gently kisses as well…Not to be outdone….Kin herself kisses Naruto's back, on his spine all the way to his neck and nibbles on her lover's ears gently…

Naruto had no idea how he was going to react to this, but Sakura spoke slyly…

"Don't worry Naruto-kun….we've all taken the birth control medicine that Tsunade-sama gave us….and we're not fertile at the moment….so for today….T think we can all have our turns with you…."

"But…"

Hinata then spoke, still in her normal way.

"N-N-Naruto-kun….r-remember the time you said…I would be a good wife…well, I actually made extra food last night….we can re-heat it later if you like….but I-I want to do it again…"

Sakura and the others nodded….it seemed that Hinata was eager for another round and Sakura spoke to Naruto.

"Go ahead Naruto-kun….I'm okay with that…."

Naruto gulped as he reached out and drew Hinata closer….making the white eyed girl moan out loud as she was kissed by her former crush, now loved one passionately and ti took all of her willpower not to faint dead away at the deep osculation that was going on between the two of them at the moment.

That was enough of a signal for Sakura, Ino, and Kin to make their own moves on the blonde Chuunin as things got REALLY hot and steamy once more.

The Kyuubi was enjoying every moment of this and Holy Talon could only mentally sigh and say…

(("He's reminding me of Master Darrek again…oh well….they do like after all."))

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To be continued…

Well, that should be an interesting situation if I do say so myself and I hope that it will be worth your time and effort to read. I also hope to have the next chapters ready soon as we draw ever closer to the chapters which I feel most of you are eager to see…

Sasuke's defection and his leaving Konoha….but keep in mind what has been happening in Sasuke's state of mind at the moment and all that has happened ever since he faced his brother Itachi and his meeting with Death Fang back in the Siege of Suna…so you can bet that things are going to be interesting…and with Itachi asking Naruto not to allow Sasuke to take the sword, how will Naruto do that?

For now….Naruto deserves a chance to have a break from all the battles before this deciding situation, don't you think?

Apart from group lemons…we can also have singles along the way to make things even more spicy and just so you readers know….Naruto will NOT be the only one getting laid in this story that I am making at the moment…

So feel free to come up with ideas on who among the men in Konoha will get laid sooner or later before the main chapter that deals with Sasuke's defection from Konoha and Orochimaru's plans to have the Sharingan…and the fact that Akatsuki will be after Death Fang….you can bet all the money you have in your pockets right now that things are going to get REALLY hectic for everyone in the Naruto world!!!

However….in a soon to come chapter before all that…

We are going to have ourselves a hell of a fight between Death Fang and Naruto…as the evil sword summons a cabal of flowers to test Naruto as a leader of warriors and this will be Naruto's last test before he deals with Sasuke's defection

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Trailer:

Naruto looked over the valley before him….and the massive army of Chaos Followers before him and their Generals…

He turned and faced his own forces….a veritable wave of men and women…spirit warriors dedicated to the cause of the light….warrior spirits dedicated to stand against the powers of Chaos and Darkness. They were warriors who would follow him into the very maw of darkness and destruction….to stand defiant before all evil and to defend the fire of life…

The warriors had been baptized in the fires of combat….he could see it in their glowing eyes and they were ready to be under his command. He looked from left and right and saw the same fire and he knew that they were ready for the coming battle….this would finally test him as a warrior and general as he looked at the forces before him.

He was wearing full Orchaelium armor and as he took Holy Talon out from the sheath on his back, he spoke to his long time companion.

(Are you ready for this?)

(("As I will ever be….taking out the leaders is all that we need to do…let's do this!"))

Above the ridge….Tsunade, Jiraiya, Kakashi, Gai, Asuma, Iruka, Shizune, Kurenai and many ninja from Konoha could only watch as the two forces faced on another and they knew that this was a battle that none of them could make a difference at the moment….this was Naruto's fight….Sasuke himself couldn't help but wonder how this fight would end.

As he looked things over…he knew it was time and he faced the warriors before him and spoke in a commanding voice.

"Warriors of Dagern, allies of Justice!!!! Are you ready to smite down the servants of darkness?"

"YES!!!!!"

Naruto turned and waited as Darrek came on the scene and he got onboard the Earth Dragon and as soon as Darrek roared out his own battle cry…Naruto shouted.

"DRAW YOUR WEAPONS!!!! AND STRIKE THEM DOWN!!!!"

The warriors with Naruto drew their weapons and the light of the sun was reflected on every sword, spear, axe, halberd, lances, arrow as well as shields, and armor as Sword Adepts. Steel Lancers, Falcon Rangers, Zealots, Wild Forest Warriors, War Blades, Champions, and Fire Heart Archers got ready for battle as well as Dragon Clerics and Fire Dancers. Silver Star Mages, Druids, and Song Maidens also got their own powers ready for battle…

In that moment….the Dark Horde of Chaos also took out their weapons and the light was reflected in their own weapons as Reapers, Blood Lancers, Raiders, Berserkers, Chaos Wolf Riders, Steel Terrors, Dread Eye Archers, Dark Rangers, and Chaos Fighters got ready to rend flesh and tear apart bones. Chaos magic flowed in the air as Necromancer Templers, Blood Shadow Warlocks, and Dark Sirens were ready to lend their powers to battle…

The generals of Chaos got ready and in that moment….

Both sides charged at one another…Naruto in the lead as his Earth Dragon mount charged ahead…with the leaders of the Chaos horde readied their own weapons and charged.

The first Open battle between the followers of Chaotic Darkness and Holy Light in Naruto's world…

Had begun…and who will emerge the victor?

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I got inspired by the movies 300, Lord of the Rings, The Last Samurai, and Gladiator for this clip, namely in the massive battles that each hero in the movie gets to be part in, so expect things in this coming chapter to be bloody, hectic and down right nasty!!!!

Hope to have this up soon!! Merry Christmas by the way!


	33. Rewards Part 3

Naruto The Twin Swords

Disclaimer: I own nothing related to Naruto and that is it. So if there are anyone who has a lawsuit in mind to throw at men…then you are wasting both my time and yours.

Chapter 25

Part 3

Rewards

( ): Thoughts

((" ")): Holy Talon's voice…

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The next day…

Naruto watched as the workers were busy making the brand new Green House that he had requested of them and the foundations were half done already.

"All right….once the Green House is done; we can get things working out."

The new green house was requested by Telis and Liara as they wanted to contribute to their stay in Konoha and they already knew just how to contribute to the village's growth and survival. As the both of them were Druids and familiar with Nature Magic, they could grow plants that could help well with the village and also they could use their magic to defend Konoha in other ways. They had discussed with Naruto and he agreed with the idea….seeing the effectiveness of Nature magic first hand and he had some understanding of their powers.

Tsunade was convinced to loan them the workers who could be spared in making the green house, and while some of the Council were somewhat unhappy with the decision or were just trying to down vote Naruto's request for the green house, they found themselves out voted easily by the others….including Shino's father and Kiba's mother who were the heads of their respective Clans in Konoha.

Telis and Liara were proving to be good teachers as well to Naruto supplementing his knowledge with first hand experience and while their skills in combat were not up to standard with their other comrades, they were more than skilled to hold their own, that and their nature Magic, as well as their shape shifting powers made them even more capable…

Shino knew that for a fact when Telis took the form of a massive bear with spikes on the back of the front legs and shoulders and on the back of the neck….this form was what she called the Dire Bear form and it gave her considerable defensive and offensive abilities that her weapons could not provide her otherwise and that form was rather surprising to Shino as he had no idea she could actually take the form of such a creature.

Kiba was a lot more open minded about that, after all, he ran into Liara when she took the form of a wolf when they first met back then so he was a lot more open about the whole thing when she would take the form of a wolf when it suited her needs and wants.

Naruto was very surprised with the friendships between the two female Druids and his fellow ninja but he honestly had no plans in interfering with such situations at the moment as Telis and Liara were very much comfortable with the presence of Kiba, Akamaru, and Shino as well. The two Druids were also helping in perfecting his skills in using Nature Magic at the moment and the fact that they were able to use their magic to grow special herbs, plants and more was certainly a good thing.

The other women from Dagern were very much getting into being in Konoha for the past few months, Vlana took the time to take up being an instructor in the Ninja Academy and she was getting a number of fans already….many from the female persuasion….while the larger numbers were naturally from the male persuasion. Vlana's a skilled Silver Star Mage and was also a very smart and open minded scholar and since she had been with Asuma, she had developed a great deal of understanding of Konoha's history and legacy.

Meer herself was also busy as she would normally seen training on her free time training with her halberd and when she was not training, she was commonly seen accompanying Vlana to her classes and she would also be seen sparing with Shikamaru on more than one occasion when the Chuunin had the free time from his missions and duties for the day.

Kaelyn would support Kakashi whenever the time came for her to be free….as she and Shandra would be busy working as sword smiths….they apprenticed themselves to the Konoha weapon smiths and the weapon smiths were impressed and even Tenten's father was impressed by the sword knowledge that the two women had, along with their skills with blades.

Valken would also be seen showing Naruto how to fight with both shield and sword in a much better and refined fashion and she would also be with the weapon smiths and also show how to make armor like the ones she used and that also became quite a sight for many as she worked there in the forge.

Coryin and Valena were also taking the time to help out in the village more and more….Coryin joined the ninja on their recon duties and so did Valena and while they were not in duty, they would be seen training with their respective friends, Coryin with Neji and Valena with Lee.

All in all, the women of Dagern were doing their best to be part of the village and while it was touch and go at times, it was certainly paying off in his mind. It was then that he had a thought on doing something that he knew he should do.

As soon as the Green House foundations were nearly done, he bid the others farewell and made his way into the town and headed for the location he wanted to go….which was the Yamanaka Flower Shop….as soon as he opened the door, he was greeted by a certain blonde Kunoichi.

"Naruto-kun! What brings you here?'

"I need to buy some flowers Ino-san, for a gift."

The blonde Kunoichi looked at Naruto and was naturally curious as this was the first time he had ever entered her family's shop, but seeing that this was an important thing, she decided to help him. The two managed to get the flowers he needed and Ino was quick to see that these were the kinds of flowers that one gave to a tomb…

Ino had spent a lot of years within her family business and for this reason, she had grown up knowing how to tell a person's true occupation by the condition of their hands and also how to tell what sort of flowers were used for what occasion, and the idea of Naruto getting funeral flowers was something that worried her.

"Who are these for Naruto-kun?"

"The old man…"

Ino was a bit confused at first, but realized that Naruto was referring to the old Hokage, Konohamaru's grandfather. The old man was among the few people who Naruto initially trusted with his life and it made sense to her that the blonde Chuunin would want to visit the old man every now and then and this was no doubt the very first time he would be visiting the grave of the former Hokage.

"I see…."

"I have to get going Ino-san….how much for the flowers?"

"Normally I'd say about 50 ryo….but for you, I'm willing to make an exception to at least 35."

"Sounds fair, here, say hi to your mom and dad for me."

"Of course."

The blonde Chuunin took out his wallet and placed the bills there and then Ino leaned forward and smiled at Naruto in a very suggestive fashion.

"By the way Naruto-kun?"

"Yes?"

Naruto couldn't help but gasp as Ino quickly closed the distance and kissed him hard on the lips and as soon as the lip lock was done, Ino backed away and then smiled once more.

"If you decide to come by on….ah….later hours anytime soon, tell me….I can show you something you are going to like."

"Oh?"

"Ever heard of the term, laying down in a bed of roses? Then I can show you how to really enjoy a bed with roses….minus the thorns of course."

Naruto blushed and Ino grinned at that and licked his cheek.

"So….care to take my offer Naruto-kun?"

"Uhhh….maybe….some other time Ino-chan."

Ino was far from angry and kissed him and replied.

"Make sure to keep that promise Naruto-kun….now go….Hokage-sama would not be happy if you don't pay him a visit."

--------

Later…

Naruto stood in front of the cemetery and entered the place….looking for the grave of the former Hokage and the man he considered as a grandfather. As soon as he found it, he placed down the collection of flowers and couldn't help but sigh. He had never done this ever since Sarutobi died, but he figured that he should at least pay the place a visit every now and then to catch up with the old man and talk….he knew it would be odd, but it was what was considered respectful and polite as well. He then turned his head and stared at the Hokage Monument and spoke.

"It's been months since I came here…how are you doing old man?"

Naruto thought back on all the times he had spent with the former Hokage and couldn't help but feel sad about his death once more…but he perked up and sat down next to the gravestone and began to speak to it.

"A lot of things have changed old man…things that would have had you're old hackles rising in laughter or shock. I can't be sure where to start…"

Naruto sighed and looked at the tombstone and decided to start speaking.

"We've got a new Hokage, and it's your student Tsunade….fancy that huh? I would have loved to see your reaction to seeing her after all those years….not to mention the fact that due to a misused spell of mine to heal her wounds and that of Jiraiya's….they're back to being in their 20s…fancy that huh?"

Naruto looked about and couldn't help but hope that no one else was in the area who could overhear him….as soon as he had some confidence that no one else was listening to the soon to come conversation…he spoke.

"Things got REALLY interesting a few months ago…."

Naruto began to tell the former Hokage just what had happened in detail and he could only picture the old Hokage's face in his imagination at the moment as he told him of the battles he had been fighting in, the meeting between him and Tsunade and then the battle with him fighting alongside Tsunade, Jiraiya against Kabuto and Orochimaru, the discovery of the side effects of his spell, the battle with the Wraith Knight, his intense training in the ninja arts once more to even things up, his training under many masters, including Tsunade, his battles in Suna against Death Fang's Reaper Army alongside Gaara and his siblings, his promotion to Chuunin by Tsunade's order, and his battle with Solana…as well as getting his brand new home and also his other benefits befitting his promotion to Chuunin.

And finally….he whispered to the tombstone what had happened to him with a select number of Kunoichi in the more intimate, physical, and emotional sense. He couldn't help but blush as he explained it all in hushed details as to how he had been in bed at first with four of the most attractive and gorgeous women in Konoha starting with Kurenai, Tsunade, Anko, and Shizune….it still made him very much aroused when he thought of that, and he could only imagine the look of Sarutobi's face if the old man had he been still alive had found out that he had sex with not just the Genjutsu specialist of Konoha, the former student of Orochimaru, Tsunade's apprentice Shizune….but the current young again Tsunade as well.

He could only imagine the looks on the old man's face….and even more so when he told the tombstone about how he had landed into the same situation, but with the daughter of Inochi Yamanaka, the former Sound Kunoichi Kin, his team-mate and long time crush Sakura Haruno, and the young Hyuuga heiress who had a mountain sized crush on him for years who was none other than Hinata Hyuuga. He could only wonder how the old man would have reacted to hearing all that at the moment.

As soon as that was over and he double checked to make sure no one was eavesdropping, he felt a WHOLE lot better he finally let it out.

"And that's all that's happened old man….I never knew that all this could happen in a few months….I wish you were here to help me out, though I think you would have suffered from heavy blood lose due to me telling you about what happened…."

As soon as he was done telling all the things that had happened to the former and now deceased Hokage, he could only wonder on what else the future had in store for him at the moment as he stood up and bid his farewells to the former Hokage's tomb and then gave the Hokage Monument a simple but strong smile as he knew that there would be more things to do in this world that he had to do.

As he left the cemetery he decided to go and see how things were for the rest of his fellow ninja at the moment and also catch up with Kakashi-sensei and Iruka sensei to see how life was for them now that they had company of the female persuasion in their lives at this moment and time and also how his team-mate Sasuke was doing….he decided to check the Uchiha first to see just what was he up to.

--------

In the training yard…

"CHIDORI!!!!!!"

Sasuke ran up to the nearby target mannequins and his outstretched arm managed to cut down several more of the mannequins and as soon as he was done with the attack, he turned and saw the bisected remains of the targets and sighed as he flexed his hand and recalled that he would have to find a way to further increase the power of the Chidori in order to finally attack Itachi, as he moved to the next set, he reached for his neck and touched the area where his Cursed Seal was and thought to himself.

(This seal….Naruto said that Orochimaru placed this to tempt me with power…)

The thought of it sent a shiver of pain as the seal reacted to Sasuke's thoughts and the Uchiha couldn't help but flinch a bit, but he was getting used to it and wondered….how he could turn this to his advantage. He placed the hand away and gave a snort as he got ready to activate the Chidori once more but he sensed someone coming and quickly turned and threw a kunai in warning, aiming for the tree nearby.

He saw none other than Naruto as the blonde Chuunin caught the kunai in his hand at the handle and the blonde gave Sasuke a sour look.

"You really need to cool your head Sasuke….that is no way to greet someone."

Sasuke however merely gave a glare and spoke.

"What are you doing here?"

"Came to see how you were doing now that you've gotten the all clear to leave the hospital. What's eating you this time?"

"None of your business….I have training to do…"

"I already have an idea on why….I said I won't stop you if you're dead set on fighting that man….but don't lose yourself doing it….remember what I said Sasuke."

Sasuke gave a slight sneer.

"I haven't forgotten, oh wise Naruto."

Naruto raised an eye brow and replied to that statement.

"If that was meant to be sarcastic Sasuke, you're losing your touch. If you want…you and I can spar some time…"

Sasuke looked at Naruto evenly and then gave a smile.

"That sounds interesting….I'll hold you on that."

As Naruto left, he couldn't help but wonder what was going on in his team-mate's mind as he made his way out of the training, meanwhile Sasuke once more used his Chidori….a plan was already forming in his mind at the moment.

--------

Naruto walked back to the Ichiraku Ramen stand and was happy to see that the place was open and he could finally have a good lunch for the time being. As soon as he arrived, Ayame and Teuchi smiled and the blonde Chuunin smiled back in greeting as it had been some time since he had been able to eat in the company of the few people that he cared about when he was still not being treated well by the village.

Teuchi smiled and greeted him with his jovial laugh.

"Naruto-kun! It has been a while hasn't it?"

"Yeah Old Man, it's great to see you to and Ayame-san too….how is business so far?"

"Pretty good Naruto-kun, construction might be winding down but everyone still loves the food we make and I'm trying out some brand new recipes for ramen to add more flavor and flexibility to the menus here in the store….say, you want to try out some of the new work?"

Naruto gave a surprised look at that and couldn't help but feel somewhat giddy at the prospect, he always loved ramen and always wanted to taste the creations of Teuchi and Ayame.

"Would I ever? When do you want me to start testing the new recipes?"

"Tomorrow at lunch time, so be here bright and early okay Naruto-kun?"

"I will!!"

Naruto was very happy with the idea and was happy to get his lunch for a reduced price and he was more than happy to chow down at the numerous bowls of ramen that he was eating at the moment as he certainly wished to have a very decent meal today and the Ichiraku ramen certainly hit the spot….as soon as he was done for lunch, he decided to head out and go see Neji and Hinata for his ongoing combat training in Taijutsu once more.

As he arrived in the Hyuuga estate, he was greeted by Neji and Hinata and began to train in earnest and Hiashi was willing to watch and evaluate Naruto's current grasp of the Hyuuga Clan's combat style and it seemed that Naruto's time of training with both Neji and Hinata was proving to be highly effective in his training and his focus.

Neji unleashed his attacks as well as Hinata and Naruto was quick to retaliate with a much softer and less deadly form of the Boundless State and mixed it up with the Jyuken he learned from both Hinata and Neji and Goken Ryu which he learned from both Rock Lee and Gai. The combination of the three styles plus his traditional use of Kage Bushin proved that he was more than an able fighter to test even Neji and Hinata as both cousins had to fight in unison to defend and attack Naruto at the same time.

Naruto unleashed a number of Kage Bushin to engage Neji and Hinata as they used the Byakugan to even up the odds for their attacks and defensive moves And Naruto was quick to counter as he and his Kage Bushin were proving to be a challenge to both Neji and Hinata. Hiashi nodded as he observed Naruto fight against his daughter and nephew….Naruto did not have the Byakugan, but his ability to learn well and his other forms of training made him a good test for Neji and Hinata as Naruto's use of Kage Bushin was very good.

(Naruto-kun's ability to use Kage Bushin is good, even better than some of the Jonin I know of…if Naruto were to discover the hidden power of the Kage Bushin….then his power would arise to amazing heights.)

Hiashi, being a highly skilled ninja like all the heads of the Konoha noble clans, knew that the Kage Bushin were normally used for spying as any knowledge gained by the Kage Bushin would be passed on to the user. This made it excellent for such a purpose as it kept the real ninja safe from harm and also with the Kage Bushin dispersed, there was no need to go back and reveal the ninja's location to the enemy.

The other purpose was for training as well….this allowed ninja to learn techniques and jutsus in much shorter times that normal….however the fact that the technique divided the user's chakra to create the Kage Bushin was what was known as the jutsu' key weak point as the dividing of the chakra weakened the ninja severely and thus few ninja would ever use the Kage Bushin for that purpose as well as the fact that when the Kage Bushin vanished, they would transfer their exhaustion to the ninja, doubling the exhaustion the ninja felt many times over….another reason why no one would use the Kage Bushin in that fashion.

Hiashi however knew that Naruto….with his normal reserve of chakra could already create a larger number of Kage Bushin as he had heard about, and with the Kyuubi's chakra….there was no telling how many Kage Bushin the boy could create. This meant that if Naruto ever discovered how to use Kage Bushin to train, it would make him able to master jutsu that most ninja would take years if not decades to learn, he knew for a fact that not even the Third Hokage in his prime would use the Kage Bushin that way and Kakashi who was known as one of the village's best ninja would not use Kage Bushin in that fashion. No other Jonin who knew it would resort to using Kage Bushin for training either. If Naruto mastered and used Kage Bushin to it's highest level….

Then he would become a legend in his own right…and that made Hiashi smile. He was tempted to teach Naruto this fact, but decided that it was best for Kakashi to teach that to Naruto himself as it was Kakashi's duty as Jonin sensei to Naruto to teach him that special use for Kage Bushin

As the training began to wrap up, Hiashi, Neji and Hinata reviewed Naruto on how far he had gone using the Jyuken and in conjunction with his other techniques and they were happy with his progress, and even Hiashi admitted that even though Naruto did not have the Byakugan, he was already equal to the Hyuuga in terms of skill if not ability, and Naruto smiled as praise such as that coming from the head a noble clan of Konoha was unheard of.

As he left the Hyuuga compound, Hinata followed him and handed him a boxed dinner and she smiled warmly at him. Naruto smiled back and took the box.

"Thank you Hinata-chan, I really appreciate this."

Hinata blushed brightly as she walked over to Naruto and at that moment kissed him on the cheek and replied.

"You're w-welcome N-Naruto-kun."

Naruto teased Hinata a bit at that with a friendly manner.

"You still stutter, but that's all right."

Hinata smiled and then replied in kind.

"I am trying to…be more confident, have a wonderful night Naruto-kun…and thank you for being there for me."

Naruto smiled at the hidden message and walked off to his home…leaving Hinata to smile and sigh as she then thought back on the night she had spent with Naruto…

"You've got it bad sister."

Hinata smiled and twiddled her fingers before Hanabi who smiled impishly at her and the two walked back to their home and as Hinata bid her family good night…she lay back on her bed and smiled warmly as the cool air of the night came to her and she then thought back on what she and the others had done with Naruto a few nights before and how much that night meant to her as both a ninja and as a woman.

--------

The next day…

Naruto woke up and began to train his body and mind while using Holy Talon in a morning stretching and kenjutsu exercise run and as soon as the first rays of light came into the compound, he began to move in the prescribed fashion and moved slowly and gracefully at the moment as he moved with Holy Talon and unleashed artful strikes, slashes, thrusts, and more in combat. It was then that he used a number of Kage Bushin to even up the odds, the Kage Bushin were then armed with spears, swords, axes and the reflex bow and they attacked Naruto as Naruto began to train himself extensively in how to combat multiple foes at once and as the training continued he was busy talking with Holy Talon.

(How long do you think that Death Fang will remain idle?)

(("Death Fang will not remain idle for long, that much you can be certain of. Not to mention the fact that sooner or later, it will make it's move on the world. Death Fang will have something in mind to launch another attack to test you Master Naruto, the only thing one can do is plan and prepare when it happens."))

(How are your power reserves?)

(("Much better at the moment, we're recovering well enough and some mid level spells are now available for you to use and your own Dragon Fire reserves are growing as well."))

(That's good news…Holy Talon, can I ask you something?)

(("Yes?"))

( Have any Dragon Champions before me….had children, families?)

(("Yes, there have been many Champions who after their time have raised families and have been married….why are you asking that Master Naruto, have intentions of tying the knot someday?"))

Naruto blushed at that and couldn't help but see the faces of the women he had been intimate with a few weeks before and couldn't help but blush bright red at the thought of being married to them and shivered.

(Maybe….have there been….ahhh….)

(("I see….you want to know how MANY partners a Dragon Champion had when he or she married? Well, that depends on situation, culture, and circumstances, in simp0le terms, if the culture allowed more than one wife, or husband, then it was allowed, so basically it is up to the leaders of Konoha if you go for that."))

(Okay….but what happened to children who were born from those marriages?)

(("They inherited portions of power from the Dragon Fire in the veins of their parents who were Dragon Champions and were also able to be stronger, faster, and tougher than normal, at least to a degree, so whatever traits and abilities the Dragon Champion's partner or partners have in their already existing family line will be supplemented by the power of the Dragon Champion, though at a much lesser yet potent degree."))

(Cool.)

As Naruto finished his training, he relaxed and decided to dry himself up and went back into his home to wipe his face with a towel and as soon as he was done, he went to take a shower and as soon as he hit the shower he relaxed and enjoyed the feel of warm water easing off the aches in his body at the moment. And after a good long bath, he left the shower and headed to the room to change clothes and as soon as he was done, he moved out to get some food on the table….however, he was surprised to see someone had entered his home…

A certain pink haired team-mate…

"Sakura-chan!"

Sakura turned and smiled at Naruto and she pointed to the ramen and Naruto smiled warmly as he sat down on his chair and was eager to have break-fast.

"Good morning Naruto-kun, I figured I should drop by and help you out a bit by making breakfast."

Naruto smiled and ate the ramen and also the hot bread and fruit that Sakura had prepared at the moment. As soon as he had a full stomach, he turned and spoke to Sakura with a great deal of happiness.

"Thanks a lot Sakura-chan! By the way, how is your training with Tsunade?"

"Pretty good, Tsunade-sama thinks I will do well as a medic Nin soon and more. How about you Naruto-kun, how has your training been so far?"

"Pretty good so far, I've been busy with a number of things but I am doing very well so far, I guess things have changed a lot."

Sakura smiled and then hugged Naruto from behind and then kissed him hotly on the cheek and when Naruto looked at her she replied.

"A lot has changed….by the way Naruto-kun…."

"Yes?"

"I think we have some time today….care to spend some time with…"

The door was knocking and Sakura sighed as she had no other choice but to move her arms away from Naruto as she had every intention to make the morning VERY hot for Naruto, and it was annoying her that there was company knocking on the door. She made her way there and opened the door, and was surprised to see none other than Rock Lee , Valena and Gai.

"Gai-sensei, Lee-san, Valena-san….what are you doing here?"

Gai replied with his usual smile as Lee and Valena were inside and Lee marveled at the residence of his friend Naruto at the moment while Valena noted the presence of elven architecture in the construction with a hand by the dwarves as well.

"We came here to see how Naruto was doing for today, what brings you here Sakura-san?"

Sakura smiled and replied that she was here to see Naruto on his duties today. The Jonin smiled at that and at least an hour or two later, Naruto was sparring with Rock Lee and the two were getting along well as Sakura, Valena and Gai watched the two go at it right there and now. And Gai had to admit that Naruto had certainly improved over the months since he had begun to train harder in the ways of the ninja of Konoha.

As it was nearing lunch time, Naruto and the others left his humble home and he headed to the Ichiraku Ramen stand to keep his promise to test out the latest ramen recipes that Teuchi and Ayame were going to be making and as soon as he arrived he was treated to a wide array on new recipes and the food was proving to be very much worth the effort of the two chefs.

As Naruto was inhaling down on the new ramen, he was greeted by the arrival of none other than Iruka and Valken, the Sword Adept had grown quite skilled in the language of the village despite her previous difficulties with the language and after getting the Translation spell cast on her, she was now able to speak to Iruka and the two had become good friends as time passed between the two of them. Iruka was happy to have found Naruto and saw the growth in Naruto at the moment, befitting his new rank as Chuunin at the moment, he had no doubt that if he continued in his training with dedication, hard work, courage, and more, he would very well make an excellent ninja of Konoha in the years to come and that made Iruka proud.

"Iruka-sensei!!! Come on, this stuff is great! You have got to try these new ramen recipes that the Old Man and Ayame are making at the moment!"

"Sure, but who's going to pay for that, I have yet to receive my pay-check."

Teuchi however smiled at that and replied.

"No need to worry Iruka-san, you and Naruto have been my best customers for years and since Naruto-kun has volunteered to help us make sure that the recipes are good enough to serve to other customers, then this meal is for free….so grab a seat Iruka and chow down, this is now an all you can eat buffet special."

Iruka smiled and thanked the Kami that his wallet was now spared the pain of being drained dry of funds. The two of them were quick to take Teuchi' offer and and they were quick to eat as much of the new ramen recipes as they could manage at the moment and it was not long for Valken to join in and to her surprises, she found that the ramen was very good.

However as they were eating, they were stopped when Sasuke came on the scene fully dressed in the same clothes as he had worn when he was in the Chuunin Exams. He spoke curtly to Naruto and paid no attention to Iruka when he greeted the Uchiha.

"Hey….the Hokage's got a mission for us….hurry up to the Tower."

--------

In the Hokage Tower…

The assembled ninja were called in as Tsunade, Jiraiya and Shizune were there and some of the other teams, as soon as Kakashi and Team Seven were in the room, the meeting was underway, in the room were Haku, Zabuza, and Kin, the still incomplete but highly effective team were on a previous recon mission and had come back with valuable intel on the activities of Kin's former home and their forces.

"This meeting has to do with a recently discovered spike in activity from Sound Village and their forces of ninja….Zabuza's team were on a recon mission when they were able to spot a large convoy of ninja wearing the forehead protector of Sound Village, and it was in Bird Country or near the borders of it."

Naruto tensed a bit as he heard that and he thought back on the conversation with Itachi and Tsunade saw that and she too had a feeling that Orochimaru was up to his tricks once more and this time, the former Konoha Sannin had a special target to look for which was why he was sending his ninja to other countries…and she knew just what he might be looking for.

"This activity is odd and troubling as we have suspected that these ninja were dispatched to locate something that Orochimaru is interested in. Since Kin was a former Sound Ninja she was able to shed light on the individuals who were

Kin nodded and gave her report to the assembled ninja and to Tsunade and Jiraiya, she was a former Sound ninja and while she was not high ranking, the fact that she was part of the assassin team that was used to test Sasuke allowed her to know a lot more than she let on.

"Most of the Sound Ninja from what I saw were Jonin and high Chuunin rank, but there was one of them who could be a problem, the girl."

The other ninja were confused by that but Tsunade nodded for Kin to go on.

"Her name is Tayuya and she's one of the Sound Four, Orochimaru's elite body guard team, they may be similar to rank as Genin but they are not to be underestimated. Tayuya uses a flute in combat for casting Sound based Genjutsu."

"Like you?"

Kin shook her head at Shikamaru's question and continued.

"Not like me, Tayuya's the most foul mouthed of the bunch, but is also the most intelligent is a strategist, in fact I'd wager a bet she's your equal in intellect, not to mention she relies on long range combat as well. The other members of the Sound Four are Kidoumaru, Jirobo, Sakon and Udon. The last two are actually twin brothers who share the same body."

"Oh man, that is gross!"

Kiba said as he and Akamaru listened to that bit of information.

"That description of them is true but they are very skilled in combat as they can shield each other very well….I don't know the details but the two are possessing some sort of Kekkai Genkai which makes them the leader or leaders of the Sound Four. The team was once known as the Sound Five as they had another member named Kimimaro, who also had a Kekkai Genkai that has something to do with bones from what I've heard. I don't know why he was not in the group anymore, but before he was removed, he was one of the best in combat in the group and was more than able to face any ninja, even Orochimaru considered him as the finest fighter he had ever seen."

"What of the other Sound Four?"

"The next is Jirobo, he's the big and quiet kind at first glance, but he's an arrogant and sarcastic fighter who apparently can use a technique to drain chakra from others using some sort of jutsu that he knows of, out of the Sound Four, he is the strongest among them in raw physical power and he is always hungry, and eats food in large amounts and feeds on chakra as well."

Chouji listened well to this as he munched on a pack of his favorite beef snack.

"He sounds close to one of my clan with that appetite."

"The last one is Kidoumaru, the one with the six extra arms, he uses some sort of technique that allow him to manufacture silk like a normal spider would and he can summon spiders to fight for him, he can also make some sort golden silk thread that is as hard as steel and can use it for a variety of weapons and armor, including his favorite…a massive bow, I have no clue if that is a Kekkai Genkai, but it comes very close to one. He's a tactical fighter and loves to toy with his targets in combat….he might be arrogant, but he's a deadly sharpshooter."

"The four of them were with Orochimaru when he attacked Konoha in the invasion, in fact they were the ones who created the barrier that contained both Orochimaru and….the Third Hokage."

The ninja listened to Kin as she finished and they were thinking on how to deal with these foes then the time came, it was then that Kin mentioned something that got their attention, especially Sasuke.

"Another thing I do know is that they have the Cursed Seal as well, but they were different, I don't know the details but they were able to use the Cursed Seal to a degree that was far better than any other who had the seal and they could somehow use it to create a level two form."

"Are you sure?"

Kin looked at Sasuke who was heavily interested in the information and she nodded.

"Like I said….it's only what I have heard, but considering the fact they are Orochimaru's elite guards, then there is truth to it."

Sasuke thought this information over and remained silent for the moment as Tsunade took this all in and so did Jiraiya at the moment. Naruto was also planning things out in his mind while the other Genin were silent. Zabuza and Haku were also silent as they waited for Tsunade's decision.

"We need to know as much as we can of Orochimaru's operations for the time being….The Sound Village might be in Rice Country, but we don't know if Orochimaru has other bases under his command."

It was then that Zabuza spoke.

"Hokage-sama, I believe I know just who this Kimimaro is."

Tsunade looked at Zabuza and nodded for him to go ahead.

"When I was still a Missing Nin and when Haku and I were fleeing after I failed in my coup….I and Haku ran into the clan that Kimimaro belongs to….the Kaguya Clan."

Tsunade's eyes narrowed as she was familiar with that name, and so were Shizune, Kakashi and Jiraiya as the Toad Sage spoke.

"I thought the Kaguya were wiped out when they tried to storm the defenses of Kirigakure in the wars ten years before."

"They were, but what I've heard is that Kimimaro was the clan's ultimate weapon and sole survivor, his abilities were feared by even his own clan and he was kept in isolation and only called out from his prison to kill for his clan. I have no doubt that when they were wiped out; he was found by Orochimaru and trained to be a member of this Sound Four before."

"I see…"

Naruto and the others waited and Tsunade then spoke.

"Kakashi….take Team 7 and do some recon work to find out just what is Orochimaru's ninja doing this far out in Bird Country….try to remain off the sight of the people of Bird Country and stop whatever it is that Orochimaru's ninja are up to at the moment. Bring back any ninja for interrogation for Ibiki and the ANBU so we can have a better idea on what mischief Orochimaru is up to."

"Hai Hokage-sama."

"The rest out the Genin teams and their Jonin-sensei will move out to keep an eye on our borders while Kakashi's team will handle the mission duties assigned to them and will be supported by Gai's team as well…"

It was then that a knock was heard at the door and in walked none other than Kaelyn, Coryin, and Valena were there and the war Blade spoke.

"Hokage….my friends and I request permission to join the mission."

Tsunade thought it over and had to admit that the three Dagern women were highly talented fighters, Coryin's archery skills were in par or better to a level than Naruto's and she was skilled in the art of tracking and survival due to her training as a Falcon Ranger, while Kaelyn's combat skills were very good and she was very much a worthy addition to the team, an valena's skills were in par with Gai and Lee as well and since she seemed to be in good standing with both Gai and Lee…why not?

As the teams were assembled, Naruto once more summoned some Dragons to ride them to the destination. Kael and his kin were more than eager to do their duty to ferry Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, Kin, Haku, Kakashi, Zabuza, Kaelyn, Valena, Rock Lee, Gai, Neji, Tenten, And Coryin. The Dragons quickly took to the sky and they were flying once more in the air as Naruto whooped out in joy at the feel of being able to ride into the sky once more.

Kakashi couldn't help but look down and worry a bit….while the Jonin had no fear of heights, this was the highest he had ever gone and it was certainly a new and somewhat terrifying experience, he knew Naruto was already quite used to it and it showed as he took this ride with joy and anticipation. Sakura couldn't help but feel a bit of Naruto's cheer as she felt the air pass by her as well as seeing the clouds themselves.

Sasuke focused only on what was going on, though he was deep in thought on the information he had just learned from Kin concerning the Sound Four who were Orochimaru's elite body guards, and what they could really do with the Cursed Seal.

The others were getting used tot his and as they crossed the boundaries of the other nations, Naruto asked Kael to remain above the clouds to avoid detection and with the eyes of his Dragon allies being far greater than normal eyes, Naruto was able to see a large camp filled with Sound Ninja….and they were on the move….he ordered Kael to hover and also to the other Dragons in flight and he pointed to the ground below.

"There they are!!!!"

Kakashi nodded and spoke despite the wind.

"We need a number of them alive….namely those who are Jonin Level ninja….they know more than the Chuunin level…."

"What about this Tayuya character? If we encounter her, do we capture her?"

"If possible, yes, but if she is not in the camp…we have to make due with the Sound Jonin we capture."

With the plan in mind….Naruto gave the order for the Dragons to dive in. Kael nodded and roared out a battle cry which was mimicked by his fellow Sky Dragons and they dived downward as Naruto unleashed a new trick.

"FIREBALL RAIN!!!!!"

--------

The camp of the Sound Ninja was in a normal day of operation when it was suddenly shook by a massive and loud roar that filled the air and the Ninja had no idea what was going on. They had been sent by Orochimaru to locate a certain artifact that their master was deeply interested in at the moment. They looked to see a massive number of fireballs that slammed into their camp…scattering many of them and they were able to hide…

As soon as the dust settled, they looked and were stunned to see a trio of massive winged beasts that were roaring out what sounded like bestial cries of challenge to them and it was then that several ninja appeared from behind the creatures….all wearing Konoha forehead protectors!!!!

"WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!!!!!"

The Sound Ninja and their leaders had no idea what was going on and even more so on how these Konoha Ninja got there without them being alerted by their scouts and sentries….but now they had no choice as battle was joined in a matter of moments.

Kakashi watched as Kaelyn took on the three ninja from Sound with lethal precision with her two Longswords as she wore her chain-mail and her Konoha vest….it still was a sight to see her use her Dual Wielding style despite having spared with her on more than one occasion when they were back in Konoha. One Sound ninja tried to use his sword to face Kaelyn, but she was quick on her movements and with several quick attacks was able to easily disarm the man and introduced her swords into his chest and stomach with little to no trouble. Kaelyn however turned and shouted to Kakashi.

"GET DOWN!!!!"

Kakashi did so and saw a one of Kaelyn's Longswords flying in the air and impaling a pair of Sound Jonin who were about to attack him from behind and when he turned he was able to stop another attacker with his kunai and knocked the ninja off of him and took him out…both of them were now back to back as Naruto attacked the other ninja alongside Sasuke and Sakura while Kin used her Senbon to buy Haku and Zabuza time to attack as well.

"Haku!!! We need to capture some of these men alive!!!"

"Hai Zabuza-sama!!!"

Haku went to work and targeted the Jonin members of the Sound Ninja team and focused his attacks on them, and his deadly knowledge of acupuncture was effective in this battle as several of the Jonin were captured. He was supported in the attack and acquisition by Kin who had been perfecting her use of her Senbon and her Sound based Genjutsu to further disorient their targets….and also to protect the team from the rear.

"KONOHA SEMPU!!!!"

Several ninja were sent flying by both Gai and Rock Lee as they sent the Sound Ninja flying in various directions at that moment while Tenten fought with a number of the Sound Ninja with her summoned staff and was supported by Coryin and Valena.

"FIRE SPIRAL!!!!"

Valena leaped between a group of Sound Ninja….landed on her hands and then with her legs spread unleashed a deadly spinning motion kick with both feet to send more of the Sound ninja flying in order directions as he got to her feet, she blocked the attacking Sound Ninja armed with a sword with her hands grasping his sword arm and with some quick motions, knocked him out while taking his sword and jamming it into another attacker's chest….killing rhe ninja….much to Gai and Lee's approval.

"VALENA!!! YOU'RE FLAMES OF YOUTH BURN BRIGHTLY!!!!"

Gai cheered as he quickly defeats three more Sound Ninja and so does Lee while Neji was quick to use the Byakugan and the Jyuken to defeat several of his own attackers who came at him. Sasuke wasted no time himself and uses his shuriken and kunai to even up the odds as well as some of Lee's former maneuvers, and he was using the Sharingan while trying to keep the Cursed Seal away as he wanted to use it at a much better time at the moment.

Sakura brought to bare her chakra training under Tsunade and to the shock of the others…even Sasuke…she quickly pounds the ground and unleashes tremors in the ground that split it up and send several Sound Ninja flying….it seemed that Tsunade had imparted her superhuman strength training to Sakura due to her excellent chakra control, the sight of that shocks even the Sound Ninja as they were frozen for a brief moment.

Naruto however was happy at the sight.

"Wow!!! Sakura-chan!!! That was COOL!!!!"

(By the Kami….she's got the same strength as Tsunade-sama…)

Kakashi thought as he looked on as Sakura punched out a number of Sound ninja trying to gang up on her….his earlier thought s were still dead on….Sakura had gained Tsunade's legendary superhuman strength, though it was still a fraction….if she could fully master it….it would be shocking.

(Since when did Sakura get THAT strong?!)

Sasuke was flabbergasted….Sakura was never THAT strong before….

"My….if she had that strength back in wave Country, she would have been a sight to see…."

"How true indeed Zabuza-sama."

"Whoa….Pink Hair's been working out!"

"She has the same power as Tsunade-hime!!! All right!"

"Nice move Sakura-chan!!!"

The fight didn't last very long as the Sound Ninja who were not captured were wiped out and when the battle was over….Naruto and the others hauled the ones they captured to their waiting Dragon mounts and they quickly took off to Konoha to drop off the catches of the day.

In the bushes….a certain Sound Four member cursed as she watched the Dragons take flight…Tayuya had gone to take a drink and quick bath when she heard the commotion and headed back to the camp and find out what was going on….she had stayed away from the main battle and was surprised to see Konoha ninja this far away from the village…she would have fought them, but she saw the Jonin and witnessing those situations told her to not attack lest she be captured.

She spotted the one her Master wanted and had to admit that he was nice looking….though the blonde with the sword was tempting indeed….maybe once Orochimaru-sama was finished with his plans, she could have that blonde one as a pet….he would be VERY tasty.

For now however…she would have to head back to Orochimaru-sama to give the bad news…and that was the thing she was NOT looking forward to.

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Later that night…

Naruto smiled as he walked back home….the mission proved to be very successful and another attempt by Orochimaru to do his evil had been foiled and his ninja were either captured or killed, the ones captured were going to be interrogated for information and while he had no doubt that they would not know too much, they would at least make it easier to handle Orochimaru's forces. He had a feeling that the Snake Summoning Sannin was up to something major….why would he hold off getting Sasuke when the time was right? That was a very interesting question.

And he could bet that the snake Sannin would be in a very pissed off mood yet again and he was looking forward to that. The look of fury in the Sannin's face would have been worth seeing and he would have loved to face Orochimaru in single combat and crush him like a grape. For now however, he had to return home and get some much deserved sleep and a good meal. Kin had also smiled at him when they dropped off the Sound Ninja to Ibiki and before she left…she kissed him and whispered to him that if he wanted, he could drop by his old home for some…private time and she even sound proofed the place. Naruto promised to think about that as he left to report to Tsunade alongside Kakashi and Gai.

Much to his surprise however, he entered his home to suddenly see none other than Ayame moving in his home and carrying some hot food with her at the moment.

The daughter of Teuchi smiled at the blonde Chuunin and greeted him as she was not dressed in her normal clothes and was wearing a simple shirt and pants with her sandals as well as her apron.

"How are you Naruto-kun?"

"Ayame-san…what are you doing here?"

"I came here to cook something for you to eat for tonight, namely some of the ramen recipes that you liked so much. By the way, you have some guests."

Naruto was confused at first until he recognized the others who were in his home at the moment.

Temari wore a simple but functional kimono top and a pair of short pants with a sash and bow at the back with her trade-mark iron battle fan on her back as well as her normally seen Suna forehead protector. The Sand Kunoichi was busy looking over Naruto's home with a smile at the architecture and looking about and it was then that she faced Naruto and smiled at him.

"Hello there Naruto-kun, nice to see that you've made it home in one piece."

"Temari-san….what are you doing here?"

The blonde Kunoichi and sister to both Gaara and Kankurou smiled and replied to Naruto's inquiry.

"I came here for a diplomatic mission and had some free time on my hands so I figured I'd pay you a visit for tonight."

"And she's not the only one either!"

Naruto turned and there was none other than Tenten in her usual dress and she seemed to have some sort of plan in her mind as she walked over and greeted Naruto as well. Tenten had this whole thing planned in her mind and Temari was along for the ride to give her something of a competition and they had a very interesting game for Naruto to take part it.

As the night wore on and Naruto was with Ayame, Tenten and Temari were having a fun time with Naruto and the talk of the previous mission that had gone well and as time passed well into the night… it was then that Tenten decided to bring out a deck of cards into the game and they were all in the living room at the moment and were enjoying some cool tea for drinks when she presented those cards into the game.

"Hey…why don't we have a special game tonight?"

Temari raised her eyebrows and grinned while Ayame seemed to consider it and she then nodded. Naruto himself was confused and replied.

"What game is that?"

Tenten grinned and replied.

"Poker."

"Gambling? I have plenty of ryo though this is something I have never…."

"No silly….we're not going to gamble for money….we're just going to have a few hands for some rounds tonight for the sake of fun….but for the loser, there is a special rule."

Naruto was getting very curious at this as he could tell the sly looks that the three women were suddenly directing at him, this game had a much different purpose apart from entertainment, and he wanted to know just what that purpose was.

"What sort of rule?"

Tenten smiled and dropped the bomb.

"The loser has to take off an article of clothing."

Naruto was surprised at that and he made his surprise clear.

"You want to play STRIP Poker?!"

"Yeah…we're the only ones here anyway…come on Naruto….just for this night….you might like it."

Naruto thought it over and then gave a sly smile.

"All right I'm game….but I warn you….I am not going to lose easily!"

And sure enough….he was right, Temari was a good card player, and so was Tenten, and Ayame was not half bad….but Naruto's luck in gambling was winning all over….and he only lost twice and only took off his forehead protector and his jacket…while Temari, Tenten, and Ayame were losing all the while in the game…as well in the clothing department as they were quickly reduced to their birthday suits…and Naruto was enjoying the sight of Temari, Tenten, and Ayame naked….Ayame had a good figure despite not being a ninja…no doubt due to hauling ingredients, dishes and more, as well as cooking all the time in a hot kitchen.

As soon as the game was over….Naruto blushed as he felt his body react at the sight of the three naked women before him and spoke.

"I win…."

Temari smiled at that and replied.

"True….but now we have another game…."

"What-What do you mean another game?"

"This game is good Naruto-kun, and the rules are easy…we need to see just who among us can make you VERY happy tonight. Time to play Naruto-kun."

As Temari, Tenten, and Ayame closed in on Naruto who was still dressed and they were in their birthday suits and smiling at him with lustful intent….

It became obvious to Naruto that the greatest pleasure he was about to get out of the game they had been playing earlier…

Was NOT the THRILL of victory…

But the LUST of defeat…

And as the second game came into play….Naruto thanked the heavens for the luck he was having…it seemed that his luck in gambling was FAR greater than anyone's and boy was he reaping the benefits!!!!

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The next day…

Naruto woke up and felt like he had been run over by a wall of chakra from last night. He looked about to see just what had happened to him last night as his memories began to filter back into his head. He couldn't help but blush once more and turned his head to see none other than Ayame, Temari, and Tenten who were lying there and here he was buck naked once more….he couldn't help but find the sight of Temari with her hair out of her usual tails to be VERY attractive and when he looked there was Tenten on the other side and Ayame on the other.

Naruto could only shake his head to try and clear out the cobwebs in his mind at the moment and as he did so, he was unaware that all three of the women were wide awake at the moment and it was only when he felt a warm and wet tongue lapping his cheek did he realize that the women were beside him just only hours before were now wide awake and they were in the mood to go at it once more with him.

Temari gave Naruto a very warm and seductive smile and replied.

"Good morning Naruto-kun….that was a very fun filled night we had….you were SO good, I almost lost count on how many times you made me…."

Temari blushed, which was uncharacteristic of the tough talking and serious Wind user from Suna and it made Naruto grin a bit at the sight as Temari then smiled at Naruto and without any hesitation, he received a torrid kiss from the blonde Kunoichi and when that was over, Tenten made her move and touched Naruto's chest with her finger.

"The same for me as well Naruto-kun….you certainly know how to make a woman happy, but who among us made you happy?"

Ayame was already awake and with her smile, Naruto knew that she was eager to hear the answer he was going to give them at the moment.

"Yeah, I want to know too, was it me, Temari-san, or Tenten-san?"

Naruto's tongue was tied and he tried to speak until Tenten spoke.

'I guess that means that we're all tied….then that means we go for another round, ready to play with us again Naruto-kun?"

Naruto would not answer that question as all three of them tackled him and he could only pray that eh would survive Round 2.

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To be continued…

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Author's notes:

Hi there, happy to be back from all the time spent taking a break from writing and I am back on the horse.

I hope that you all have enjoyed this chapter arc as Naruto finally gets rewarded for all his hard work and effort, in MORE ways than one. Anyway….we are moving on the remaining chapters before we get down to the chapter of Sasuke and Naruto going at it on one on one combat, and we are going to see the results of all Naruto's hard work and training and you can bet this will make Sasuke even more angry as Naruto has indeed surpassed him in many ways. In the next chapter….we're going to have a familiar movie character make her appearance and if you do not know who she is, then her name was mentioned when Naruto becomes a Chuunin…

What is she doing in Konoha? Why is she there? All that will be answered in due time…and as for the question on if she'll be in a lemon with Naruto in the lemon section….then the answer is yes….though this will be something of a single piece.

Now I can bet a LOT of you guys have been dying to see how the men of Konoha will find out about Naruto's uh….escapades…well then, I have a special surprise for you.

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Trailer:

Jiraiya was smiling like mad as he spoke to Naruto who was looking back in abject horror as he realized that his slip of the tongue had revealed the secret that he had sworn to keep.

The Sannin couldn't help but feel utterly amused and awed by what he had just heard….who knew that Naruto had become THIS good in pleasing the ladies? And now that he knew, he was going to milk out ALL the juicy details, this would make the novel series even MORE popular.

"Naruto, tell me EVERY JUICY detail!!! This will be PERFECT for my next line of novels!!!!"

Naruto recovered and glared at the Sannin…

"NO WAY!!!! I am NOT going to tell you a thing you perverted old man!!!!"

"Why not? Don't you want your exploits to be known in the whole ninja world? Every male would KILL to read about them!"

"That's the whole point you pervert!!! They'd kill me if they ever find out about what happened!!! Do you have any idea how things would be here in Konoha if the people find out?! Or in Suna?! I'd have every male ninja within a hundred meters baying for my blood!!!!"

"Or they could be curious how you were able to last that long with that many females in one room….any young man who loves women would KILL to be in your shoes! Besides that, I am an accomplished writer after all, I can always change the names and situations so no one would be the wiser."

Naruto looked at Jiraiya and couldn't help but feel that the Perverted Sannin was not kidding at the moment and he had no choice….Jiraiya was more than able to do just that but he was not going to let this slide without giving the Pervy Sage a warning.

"Fine….I'll tell you everything….but if you so much as breath a word of this to anyone in the whole world and here in Konoha….I will beat the holy hell out of you before the men do the same to me…and then Tsunade will kill the both of us afterwards."

Jiraiya smiled and agreed….he wanted Naruto to live after all and hearing the boy's exploits was going to be worth every second of it.

Days later…

True to Jiraiya's predictions, the new volume of Icha Icha was selling off the shelves faster than it could even make it there…there were so many orders for more books that printing companies had nearly run out of paper and rave reviews were being given to his books by many readers and he was raking in the funds and that made him smile…

And he agreed to give Naruto a share of the proceeds as the boy deserved it after all and he knew that things were looking up for him and he couldn't help but smile at the Hokage Monument and speak.

"If only you and Kushina were around to see this…this would have been worth every second."

As for Naruto….he couldn't help but shake his head when he saw a number of Chuunin reading the very same books while he was reading a report….his enhanced hearing told him that they were envious of the hero in the novel and how they wished they were in it. He swore that if it was ever revealed he was the new character in Jiraiya's novels…he'd be dead.

It was then that he got a message from Jiraiya…and when he read it…he groaned anew.

(It's being turned into a MOVIE?!?! Who's the woman willing to even star in it?!)

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Enjoy!!!


	34. The Art of Acting Part 1

Naruto The Twin Swords

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto and all related media.

Chapter 26

The Art of Acting

( ): Thoughts

((" ")): Holy Talon's voice

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'_The art of the stage is as old as the first days of all mortal races, they had long sought entertainment in the best and worst of time. This has helped to keep their spirits up time and time again.'_

Teachings of a Dragon Sage…

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In Konoha…

The sound of clashing swords was heard in the training yard as Naruto was currently sparing with none other than himself, or in this case, a Kage Bushin who was armed with a pair of katanas while he was armed with the same weapons and the blonde Chuunin was currently working on his dual wield combat style. The flowing blades were moving back and forth as both fighters were giving all that he got at the moment.

Naruto and his Kage Bushin were not alone however as Konohamaru and his friends were watching as well at the moment. The young grandson of Sarutobi and Asuma's nephew was in awe at how Naruto could move and fight at the moment, Sasuke might be cool, but in the young boy's eyes, the Uchiha had nothing on his idol as Naruto attacked with his swords.

Naruto ducked a combined swing and then lashed out to either side to block a two sided attack from the Kage Bushin and he leaped back as the Kage Bushin landed a kick and then the Kage Bushin rolled forward and introduced both swords to impale Naruto with one hit but Naruto quickly flipped over the attack and turns to attack on his own with a leaping and spinning motion and attacks with one sword which was blocked by a double sword block in the X shaped formation, however the Kage Bushin was hit hard as Naruto released that sword and leaped overhead and then reverses the katana in his grip and impales the Kage Bushin from behind as he landed.

As Naruto felt the Kage Bushin poof away, he sighed as Konohamaru cheered his boos on and Naruto couldn't help but chuckle a bit as he picked up his discarded katana and sheathed both the swords into their scabbards and Konohamaru spoke.

"Man Boss Naruto, you were incredible!!!!"

Naruto grinned and replied.

"All the hard work pays off in the end Konohamaru, so how was your training with Ebisu-sensei?"

"Pretty good, I'm going to be a Genin soon so I hope I can be as cool and as good as you Boss!"

"I'm still learning Konohamaru, so keep in mind that learning is a growing process, keep on training and learn the right skills to protect and help people you care about and cherish, as well as Konoha okay?"

"You got it!!!"

It was then that Moegi had an idea.

"Naruto-san, can you teach us how to fight with swords the way you do?"

"Yeah! That would be so cool to learn Kenjutsu from you Boss!!!!"

Naruto looked at the three youngsters and wondered if he should, he was a Chuunin and he was already licensed to teach some subjects in the Academy and Kenjutsu was an acceptable subject to teach and he thought it over for the time being and spoke.

"I'll have to see with the Hokage if that is all right since I normally don't teach kenjutsu, if she says okay then all right."

Konohamaru was eager and hoped to be able to fight with swords in the same way Naruto did, seeing Naruto move and fight the way he did was something he took great pride in and he could bet that even the ANBU could learn a thing or two with Naruto at the helm at the moment and so were Moegi and Udon as well. As the three bid farewell to Naruto, he relaxed and took out a small Spring Bread roll and ate it as he looked at the calm river in the training field and then looked at a particular lake in which he landed in when Kakashi used the scary jutsu. The blonde winched a bit at the memory of it once more.

(Damn, it's been nearly a year since that incident, but I still can see it as clear as day.)

(("What incident would that be Master Naruto?"))

Naruto informed Holy Talon of the incident that happened to him when he was introduced to Sasuke, Kakashi, and Sakura for the first time when they were still starting out as freshly graduated Genin and as he told him about the battle and the incident that he recalled easily as he looked at the lake, his thoughts on how Holy Talon's reaction were proven true as the sword laughed.

(Hey! Don't laugh! That was so embarrassing and so painful!!!)

The sword continued to laugh as the image of Naruto being sent rocketing towards the water due to Kakashi's antics with that supposed ultimate jutsu was utterly amusing to it. As soon as it was done, the sword stopped laughing and Naruto sighed at the memory of the whole incident.

(("He actually did that?!"))

(Oh yeah, so don't you dare bring it up again!)

(("All right Master Naruto, I promise, I think we should got back to your training with the tree."))

Naruto nodded and traveled back to the location where the tree he was growing with Dragon Fire and was his test of how to properly control his growing reserve of Dragon Fire. He had been told by Holy Talon that its power reserves were growing back to full power and in a few more months it would be ready for much higher level spells and attacks as well as summoning. That made Naruto feel a lot more comfortable at the moment as he made his way back into the village.

As he did so, he was greeted by the arrival of Zabuza, Haku, and Kin, the blonde was able to greet them well and managed to get a number of details on their latest recon mission and as the two men headed off to the Hokage Tower to report their findings, Kin decided to spend some time with Naruto and he could see that she had grown quite skilled with her Senbon and had also developed some brand new jutsu and combat skills ever since she had joined the village of Konoha.

Kin was also happy to have some time alone with Naruto and she then kissed him deeply once they were alone and whispered that she was eagerly looking forward for some alone time with him like before, making Naruto blush as he kissed her back and she left to join Zabuza and Haku on the rest of their work.

As he made his way to the village, he saw that most of the construction work would be finished soon and he decided to stop by the village gate to get the latest report on the traffic that was coming through at the moment and he would then deliver the report to Tsunade as per his duties when not on a mission with his Team or with a number of select ninja. As he got the report, he was greeted by none other than Kurenai and Anko as the two were having their usual run of shopping for food and supplies for the day.

The two Jonin were happy to see that Naruto was in good health and they were eager to hear what he intended to do in the coming days, They walked with Naruto and that made several older men and even some Chuunin glare a bit as two of the hottest Kunoichi were being escorted by the blonde Chuunin and it was grating on Naruto's nerves at times when he was being eyed like a target board by all the other men in Konoha, however he also didn't mind as Kurenai and Anko were all right people in his mind and in more ways than one.

As soon as they were out of sight, the two Jonin made their move and kissed Naruto at the same time on either cheek and in such a very hot and heavy way that Naruto was happy that no one in Konoha could see him at the moment as he knew that the very second he was caught with the two hot women in a kiss like that, every single male ninja would be baying for his blood at the moment. Kurenai and Anko then whispered some things into his ear and made him blush bright red at the moment.

As he moved on, he was greeted by Sakura, Ino, Tenten, and Hinata who were busy taking their own breaks at the moment and relaxing at the nearby park bench. The four Kunoichi smiled warmly at Naruto and gave him very hungry looks that made him blush bright red at the way they were all looking at him at the moment. The blonde walked over to greet them and he spent some time with them, chatting and the like, and they were happy that he took the time to hang out with them for the time being. As he got ready to leave after an hour of discussion, they kiss him separately and leave.

As he got to the Hokage Tower, he was greeted by Temari who was in a very good mood as she had been able to get word that her village of Suna had been able to fully recover from the Reaper attacks and the relationship between Konoha and Suna had improved drastically. The blonde Genin smiled at Naruto and greeted him and they had a little small talk here and there about what was happening and how things were, but as soon as no one was watching them at the moment, Temari made her move and gave Naruto a torrid kiss on the lips and told him that she was eagerly looking forward to another night with him at his house.

Naruto blushed as Temari left the area and he arrived in Tsunade's office as the young again Hokage was busy working on some new documents and paper-work and from the looks of things, she was able to handle the coming work load at the moment and Shizune was busy handing her the latest reports.

He gave his report for the day and he asked if there were any new missions for him to take, but the Hokage said no as there seemed to be no requests at the moment and he would have regular work as well as patrol duty for the day and he would be able to take a break for the next two days as it was an official day of rest for the ninja and there had been no reports of activity from either Orochimaru or Akatsuki, even Death Fang seemed quiet.

Naruto then spoke about the request Konohamaru had and since Naruto was proving to be an able swordsman, Tsunade nodded in agreement with the idea and allowed Naruto to teach the students the art of kenjutsu, and his own style of sword combat when the time was available and when he was assigned to work in the Academy in his free time as well.

As Naruto nodded and got ready to do his work Tsunade and Shizune made their move and kissed him right on the cheek and lips, and Tsunade thanked him for all his hard work and both she and Shizune had a very interesting plan to help him relax and work out his stress in a VERY good way before he went back to work. Naruto couldn't help but blush.

Naruto counted himself lucky at the moment that no one else knew what was going on at the moment.

However, unknown to everyone in this little group…a certain someone was eager to look in and gather as much data as he could at the moment.

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In a nearby meeting hall in the Hokage Tower…

There were a number of people gathered together and there seemed to be a great deal of planning going on at the moment and it seemed that they were all discussing things of a very interesting nature.

"So is it agreed?"

"Yes, but this is highly unusual…."

"Are you kidding, this is totally unheard of!!!"

"Yeah, but think of all the fun this will entail."

"I know, still, let's hope no one will find out about this."

The people were gathered to see just how they would be able to plan a special celebration party for a certain blonde ninja. The planning appeared to be very hush hush, and there were also ideas that were passed back and forth at the moment, and as soon as the discussions were finished, the apparent leader of the planning session turned to the watch and spoke to the others.

"All right then, since we have at least three hours before Naruto gets back, I suggest we all hurry and set this all up."

"Right!"

"Good, now we are going to make this a night Naruto-kun is NEVER going to forget as long as he lives."

The others nodded and they were eager to finally make Naruto remember this special night for himself before they would take their turns with him in the more private setting as soon as time would allow them to do just that at the best possible time.

Naruto had no idea what was about to happen to him at this time frame. But there was no doubt in a normal person's mind had he or she became aware of the soon to come events

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In front of Naruto's home that night…

The blonde ninja sighed as he made his way back to his home, he had delivered the reports to the Hokage Tower and was not entirely happy that since Tsunade and Shizune had done their work early and were off to rest this day and tomorrow, he would have to be the one to do most of the report, which was why he was not able to have a decent dinner for the day and as such, he was tired and very much hungry, but like before, the Ichiraku ramen stand was closed for the night and he would have to hope that he would be able to cook his food and despite the fact that he was now a lot more mature than he was months before, he couldn't help but complain.

(Man, I wish I had more time to finish that report.)

(("I guess you have to realize that being a ninja is a hard commitment and you have to give everything that you are and what you can do to be a real ninja

Naruto had no idea what was going on at the moment in his house, he could have sworn there were lights in his home while he was walking back and it was then that her heard some hushed voices, for a second, he thought that there were robbers in his house, but dismissed the idea, the special wards and runes that he had carved into the building would never allow anyone with evil intentions into the place without alerting him to it.

(What the devil is going on here?)

As soon as he got into the door, he got his answer, and the blonde's jaw dropped as he saw just who were in his house at the moment.

Tsunade was dressed in her black kimono and the blonde Hokage smiled at the surprised blonde Chuunin and she spoke to him in a very happy tone.

"How are you doing Naruto-kun, I was beginning to worry that you were not going to make it in time here on your own house, I take it that you haven't been able to have dinner just yet?"

Naruto however had a feeling that there was something going on and after the episode with Tsunade and Shizune in the Hokage Tower, he had a feeling that the two of them were going to make him undergo what they had done with him a number of weeks before and he was feeling his body react at the memories that. He managed to get his thoughts on the right track however and the blonde ninja spoke to the blonde Hokage.

"What are you doing here Tsunade-chan?"

Tsunade gave a mock hurt expression.

"Why? You don't like it if I am around Naruto-kun?"

"I didn't mean it that way Tsunade-chan, it's just surprising that you're here, but I am happy that you are here tonight."

Tsunade smiled warmly at that and spoke.

"You're still very kind hearted Naruto-kun, I am happy that no matter what has happened to you, that was never taken out of you for any reason, I don't want you to become emotionless and worse. But enough of that, I think it's time that you've had dinner and company as well."

"Company?"

"You didn't think I would be the only one here in your house right?'

Naruto was quick to find out that Tsunade's words were very much true as he entered the living room and found himself looking at ten other women and to really throw the arrow right in the target was the fact that they were the women he had been intimate with for the past few weeks and the fact that all of them were in his home at this moment made him very nervous at the moment and it was only the fact that they seemed to be very much in calm and relaxed states that made things easier for him as he had expected them to be having some level of tension

He had no idea that things were going to get even more hot that he had last thought, at the moment, he was able to have a very lavish dinner as ramen and other dishes were there for the eating and the girls seemed to be in the very best of moods at the moment and despite the fact that he was still curious he let it be for the time being.

Holy Talon however had sensed something in the air and had a feeling that things for the young Chuunin were going to be very interesting, and since the people were all people that were not evil in any way, it would not react as Naruto had placed the sword on the stand that was made for it. Holy talon had a feeling that what was about to happen would be somewhat similar to what had happened before and the sword decided to focus more on the need to recover his reserve of Dragon Fire, Naruto was developing his own well enough and would be able to cast spells on his own as well as enhance his own reserves of chakra.

(("This is going to be a LONG night."))

As the night wore on Tsunade nodded to the others and Kurenai walked over to Naruto and sat down next to him and spoke into his ear with a very seductive air.

"So Naruto-kun, how has your week been?"

Naruto looked at Kurenai and wondered just what was going on at the moment, Kurenai was hitting on him and while he could understand it and enjoy it somewhat as he was in his home and there was Tsunade, Anko, and Shizune, but the fact that Temari, Sakura, Ino, Temari, Tenten, Ayame, and Hinata were there and the blonde was afraid Hinata would notice, he cherished his time with Hinata and Kurenai respectively but the thought of the two fighting one another because of him was something he was not in the mood for, knowing how close Hinata and Kurenai were.

He was not aware of the fact that Kurenai and Hinata had been in deep discussion about their situation and Naruto was about to treated to something that no normal man would have ever said no to even if his life.

"Pretty good for the time being, though having no missions to do can be annoying at times."

Kurenai smiled at that and she looked at the others and Anko was the next to speak as she sat next to Naruto and then without any reservations or hesitations, she licks Naruto's ear and as soon as she was done with that move, she spoke seductively.

"Well then, I guess we can reward you."

"Huh?"

Tsunade then spoke to the other Kunoichi who were ready and willing, now that they knew that they had Naruto right where they wanted him.

"All right, let's get this party to the real finale!"

"Huih?!"

Naruto had only enough time to say that single phrase when he was escorted by the older women into his bed room and was followed by the others and as soon as he was in the room, he felt like his room had turned into something else entirely as there were eleven women in his room, and it was even more unique in terms of situation that he had been intimate with them previously.

However, before he could ask, Sakura moved forward and spoke.

"Don't worry Naruto-kun, this was planned by all of us, we talked about this and we decided that since you've done this already with a number of us, we decided to let you try all at once."

"I…"

"And don't worry, before all this, we took birth control pills and with my medical training and that of Tsunade-sama' skill with medical jutsu, we'll be fine."

Naruto barely had enough time to argue when he was being undressed at that moment and he barely resisted, and as soon as he was buck naked….the women were all on the move and they were now bare of their kimonos.

And that was a sight most men would have died to see, eleven hot women, all naked in their own room.

------

Naruto was shocked as he saw the eleven women utterly naked right before him and he couldn't help but move his head back and forth as Tsunade, Anko, Kurenai, Hinata, Sakura, Temari, Tenten, Shizune, Kin, Ayame, and Ino were now bare of their kimonos and showed that they had followed the traditional way to wear these types of kimonos and that was without any form of undergarments, the women had planned this whole affair VERY carefully and it was actually Hinata who had suggested the idea at the time….making many of the women surprised at the boldness of the formerly shy and hesitant Hyuuga heiress….Anko however was in full agreement of the idea and thus here they were.

The blonde Chuunin opened his mouth and felt his mouth get wet at the sight of all eleven women buck naked before him as he recalled their naked forms when they were with him at that time before and the sight of all of them now utterly naked before him had very obvious results as his heart and breathing rates climbed quickly and he felt a very deep fire in his belly and his cock was now at full attention.

And that was seen easily by Anko and she smiled.

"My, very eager aren't' we Naruto-kun?"

Tsunade smiled and the blonde Hokage then signaled at the others and it was now that the real party was going to begin, but before that, she spoke to Naruto who was now frozen like a statue at the sight of her and her companions utterly naked.

"I want you to show us how much you have improved Naruto-kun, the lavish dinner we just should give you more than enough energy to handle what is about to happen to you and the same goes for us as well."

Naruto had only enough time to gasp as he was forced to lie down on his bed at the moment as the elven women were about ready to give him the ultimate fantasy of all men at this moment and time and he could only hope that he was going to be able to survive this night, the last three times he was with the women he was very close to had been difficult enough, but this night would prove to be the ultimate tester of his limits.

--------

(The lemon part shall be found at the Lemon Story board of Naruto Dragon Champion so expect things to get VERY hot and steamy as this will be a big time first for me.)

--------

The second day…

Naruto yawned as he got out of bed and the very second he smelled the lingering remains of what he had done the night before, he shook his head and spoke to himself.

(Thank the Kami I survived that!)

However as he got out of his bedroom and managed to get some of the still left over food that was very fresh and certainly delicious, he had no idea that a certain someone was planning a number of things for him what were in hindsight going to make him very uncomfortable soon enough.

As Naruto finally managed to get dressed and into his Orchaelium armor and get ready to eat, he heard a knock on the door and sure enough, he spotted none other than Jiraiya himself and he was very curious as to what was the Pervy sage doing here in his house all things, unaware that Jiraiya had been staking out his home and while Jiraiya knew that this was going to be a bit risky, he was going to chance it.

"Hey Pervy Sage, what brings you here?"

"Just figured I'd check on you….my, you look like you got run into a meat grinder, had a busy day?"

Naruto scratched his head and replied as best he could.

"You….might say that."

"Ahhh, anyway, apart from paying you a visit, I've got some new information for you at the moment, concerning Orochimaru."

That got Naruto's attention quickly and he was all business at that moment.

"What have you heard and why are you telling this to me?"

Jiraiya smiled and replied.

"You've been a deep biting thorn in Orochimaru's side ever since you got Holy Talon and fought against Sound, not to mention that little mission you and the others pulled on their recon and retrieval team in Bird Country. I heard Orochimaru was royally angry and had all the survivors you didn't capture killed off."

Naruto growled at the thought, he disliked the idea of leaders killing off their own men, but knowing Orochimaru's cruelty and sadistic tendencies as well as he egomania, it was to be expected that he would treat his own subordinates that way, with the exception of Kabuto.

"What is he up to now?'

"He's expressed interest in locating Death Fang, at least that was the way it sounded. It turned out that Kabuto and the Sound Four had been in Suna and saw the sword, which explains the movement of the Sound Ninja in the area you and the others were in at the time. Orochimaru was hoping to get the sword and use it to further his power base, as well as capturing Sasuke."

Naruto nodded as he understood what was going on, he however took a good amount of satisfaction in the fact that he had once more given Orochimaru a setback and hearing that the Snake summoning Sannin was in a royally pissed off mood was very pleasing to him at the moment

--------

In the base…

"AAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!"

Orochimaru glared darkly as he cleaned his hands at the latest kill he had as he was busy dealing with the news brought to him by Tayuya about the defeat of the retrieval team due to Naruto and the Konoha ninjas, it infuriated him so much that he had begun to lose his temper and killed those who had gained his fury, though many of them were innocent of the failure, along with any other subjects that he had lost interest in at the moment.

He vented out the last of his frustration just as Kabuto walked into the room.

"Oh boy, another mess to clean up I see…"

"He was annoying me and deserved it."

"I suppose, I have received reports that our other Jonin and Chuunin are currently gathering all the available data and the secondary team we sent under Tayuya's command once more have located a site that proved promising as there were signs of a major battle, and there were traces of the use of Amaterasu in the area."

Orochimaru was surprised by this and gave a smile.

"So….it seems that Itachi-kun is also seeking the sword, how ironic that we're both looking for the very same thing, though I have no doubts in my mind that Itachi-kun has far different motives in getting the sword."

His smile however vanished at that moment and he glared at the candle light and spoke evenly.

"Regardless, we cannot allow Akatsuki to take command of Death Fang, I will not allow it and I think it is time I did something to distract them."

Kabuto's eyes widened a bit at Orochimaru's suggestion as this was not part of their plans at the moment that they had, their plans were changed to getting Death Fang to further Orochimaru's power base so they could be able to finally achieve their goals. However the recent setbacks had proven to be costly in manpower, resources, and more…and even with the Sound Four or even Kimimaro, they did not have the full power to attack Akatsuki directly. Akatsuki was too powerful to take on alone, even if they didn't have the resources of Sound, even more so since while being only ten members strong, they were too risky to fight with all the Sound ninja forces and even the Sound Four would be no match for them.

"You can't mean to attack Akatsuki this early Orochimaru-sama! I know the need to stop them from getting the sword you seek, but even with all the gathered forces and the Sound Four with their Cursed Seals, they would stand no chance of a direct encounter with Akatsuki."

Orochimaru was silent as he knew that Kabuto had a point, even if he were to unleash all the elite ninja he had in his village at the moment, and even his elite fighters such as Tayuya, Kimimaro, Sakon and Udon, Kidoumaru, and Jirobi, they all would have a very hard time in defeating the full might of Akatsuki in combat and the only chance he had to accomplish his goals was to get Sasuke and his Sharingan, but with so many defenses in Konoha at the moment, the chance to get Sasuke would have to be in a mission that the Uchiha youth was in at the moment.

"I know that Kabuto, but we must make sure that Akatsuki will not be able to get their hands on Death Fang, such power will be mine, if I cannot have Naruto-kun's sword to have as my own, then the evil version will be more than adequate, however I must make a move to command Sasuke to side with me, his mental state would no doubt be at a knife's edge, Naruto-kun has proven to be quite a ninja and a Dragon Champion, no doubt Sasuke-kun is feeling very jealous, we must wait until his own jealousy and his desire to kill Itachi will finally push Sasuke to the direction that I know is the best for him."

It was then that a Jonin bowed before the two.

"Orochimaru-sama, I have some interesting news."

"It had better be good, lest you will die here and now."

"There seems to be signs an old associate of your is making his move once more, it could prove to be very helpful in your own plans as he seems to be hell bent on fighting you for reasons I cannot understand at the moment. He might prove to be the right distraction you need to finally grab Konoha's attention."

The Snake Sannin thought it over and wondered just who of his old associates did he turn down and when he read the full details, he grinned and turned to Kabuto and spoke.

"It seems we have the right bait."

--------

In Naruto's home…

Jiraiya was looking at the house and smiled greatly at the design, he had not entered or stayed too long in the house as he had a lot of things to go apart from his research, and as soon as he got the full picture, he turned his attention to Naruto who at the moment was busy eating some food and he knew that he was pushing the lines of what he was allowed to do when it involved his potential student, but he was more than willing to walk through fire and hell to get new material for his stories.

He had been observing Naruto for the better half of the week and he had noted some fairly interesting behavior at the moment. He had seen several women acting all mushy and, erotic with the blonde Chuunin and that naturally got his attention right off the bat and he had a feeling that he was sitting on a potential gold mine of details for his novels.

However, he was not angry or jealous as he considered this important for not just himself as an author and a self proclaimed pervert, but also for Naruto and he was sure that the blonde ninja would do well on his own at the moment.

He placed those thoughts out of his mind at the moment as he focused on the special chemical that he had managed to slip into the food Naruto had at the moment. He knew that Naruto was not yet familiar with what he was about to do, but he was hoping that Holy Talon would not notice the truth serum that he had slipped in, he had made sure that the does was subtle to not alert Naruto and yet potent enough to get control of Naruto's mind at the moment.

As Naruto ate his food, Jiraiya knew that he only had at least a few minutes, at least five or eight minutes to make his move before the serum faded from Naruto's body, Holy Talon sensed the serum in Naruto's body and was very curious as to what were Jiraiya's motives for doing what he was about to do, and since there was no hidden malice and ill intent in the ninja's actions at the moment, the sword let it slide for the time being.

As soon as the blonde Chuunin was done eating, Jiraiya could see the serum take effect, it was non lethal and not toxic so the blonde was in the clear and the Kyuubi was very much observing the whole thing at the moment.

"By the way Naruto, how are things for you?"

"Tiring, but okay, it's worth it even with the paper-work."

"I see….so how is your love life?"

Jiraiya had to hurry, from the looks of things the drug was going to wear off as Naruto's Dragon Fire enhanced body was fighting it despite the potent effects. He knew the next question was the deciding factor of his move and he had to make his move now.

Naruto replied tot hat question as well while the truth serum was still active.

"Pretty much okay."

"By the way, you seem to be very much liked by a lot of Kunoichi here in Konoha, I saw you being very affectionate with a number of them, Yuhi Kurenai, Mitarashi Anko, Shizune, Tsunade, to name a few and even Sakura Haruno, Hinata Hyuuga, Tenten, Ino Yamanaka, Ayame and even the sister of Gaara, Temari, you are very popular right now with them. How far have you gone?"

The drug was wearing off and Naruto began to recover to look at Jiraiya, but the drug's effects lasted a lot longer and finally…

"I have already made love to them, more than one and last night we had one where I was with them all in the bed….hey!!! What the hell just happened?! What was I saying?!"

Jiraiya knew the drug had finally been beaten by Naruto's body and replied.

"You just told me that you had sex with all eleven of the women I had just mentioned, plus I have been keeping track of you for the past few days, and you just mentioned you had an orgy with them not once, not twice, and not even three times, but FOUR times."

Jiraiya was smiling like mad as he spoke those words to Naruto, who was looking back in abject horror as he realized that his slip of the tongue had revealed the secret that he had sworn to keep.

"How the hell did?!"

"I slipped s truth serum into your food, and it worked though your body burned that out quickly."

The Sannin couldn't help but feel utterly amused and awed by what he had just heard….who knew that Naruto had become THIS good in pleasing the ladies? And now that he knew, he was going to milk out ALL the juicy details, this would make the novel series even MORE popular.

"Naruto, tell me EVERY JUICY detail!!! This will be PERFECT for my next line of novels!!!!"

Naruto recovered and glared at the Sannin…

"NO WAY!!!! I am NOT going to tell you a thing you perverted old man!!!!"

"Why not? Don't you want your exploits to be known in the whole ninja world? Every male would KILL to read about them!"

"That's the whole point you crazy pervert!!! They'd kill me if they ever find out about what happened!!! Do you have any idea how things would be here in Konoha if the people find out?! Or in Suna?! I'd have every male ninja within a hundred meters baying for my blood!!!!"

"Or they could be curious how you were able to last that long with that many females in one room….any young man who loves women would KILL to be in your shoes! Besides that, I am an accomplished writer after all, I can always change the names and situations so no one would be the wiser."

Naruto looked at Jiraiya and couldn't help but feel that the Perverted Sannin was not kidding at the moment and he had no choice….Jiraiya was more than able to do just that but he was not going to let this slide without giving the Pervy Sage a warning.

"Fine….I'll tell you everything….but if you so much as breath a word of this to anyone in the whole world and here in Konoha….I will beat the holy hell out of you before the men do the same to me…and then Tsunade will kill the both of us afterwards."

Jiraiya smiled and agreed….he wanted Naruto to live after all and hearing the boy's exploits was going to be worth every second of it.

Naruto knew he was going to regret this….

--------

Days later…

Naruto couldn't help but shake his head in absolute exasperation as he walked through Konoha and saw the number of single men and even some married men grabbing the latest copies of the Icha Icha novel series which was now titled as Multitude and sure enough, the books were selling like they were made from pure gold at the moment.

(The Pervy Sage was right.)

True to Jiraiya's predictions, the new volume of Icha Icha was selling off the shelves faster than it could even make it there…there were so many orders for more books that printing companies had nearly run out of paper and rave reviews were being given to his books by many readers and he was raking in the funds and that made him smile…

The Pervy Sage was utterly happy with the results of his risky move as it proved immensely rewarding to him

And he agreed to give Naruto a share of the proceeds as the boy deserved it after all and he knew that things were looking up for him and he couldn't help but smile at the Hokage Monument and speak.

"If only you and Kushina were around to see this…this would have been worth every second."

As for Naruto….he couldn't help but shake his head when he saw a number of Chuunin reading the very same books while he was reading a report….his enhanced hearing told him that they were envious of the hero in the novel and how they wished they were in it. He swore that if it was ever revealed he was the new character in Jiraiya's novels…he'd be dead.

He got the shock of his life when he spotted none other than Kakashi and Kaelyn reading the books and he could have sworn that the perverted Jonin sensei of his was actually blushing at the reading. For that reason, he felt something akin to a triple combination of shock, pride, and wariness. He knew that his Jonin sensei was sharp and if he found out that he was the one in question in the novel of the Pervy Sage, he would have had it, he hoped he could walk past this and ignore it.

Fate and Karma however had other ideas…

"Hey Naruto-san, come here for a minute."

(Damn, just my bloody luck.)

The blonde mentally sighed and steeled himself as he walked over towards the Jonin who was reading the book and looked right at him and smiled, or he did smile, he could never tell with that mask Kakashi had on all the time.

"What is it Kakashi-sensei?"

"Have you managed to see Jiraiya-sama recently?"

"Not really, why do you want to know that Kakashi-sensei?"

"I wanted to know just where he got his inspiration for this latest novel, it is such a masterpiece. Have you read one yet?"

"Uh, no, I don't have the time and all."

Kakashi shook his head and gave Naruto a spare copy of the book he had with him at the moment and he also gave him some advice.

Naruto tried his absolute best to keep himself from laughing as Kakashi gave him the advice that his Jonin sensei felt he needed to hear at the moment as Kakashi wanted him to be able to interact with the opposite sex. If Kakashi had any idea on how far Naruto had actually gone in that regard with women, who knew what his reaction would have been. He would have never heard the end of the whole thing and that would have really got him into trouble.

As soon as that was over, he decided to take a peek and see just what the Pervy Sage had put in and a few minutes later, he was trying his best to not laugh his head off. The Pervy Sage kept his word and had changed his name to keep him from being found out, along with the women in the story and since none of the women who he cared about and had been with for the past few weeks were not coming out to kill him he was in the clear, but he had to admit that he now understood how the Pervy Sage managed to get so many zeros in his bank account.

(Damn, I guess he is a good writer, oh well, might as well keep this one as a souvenir and way out of sight from the others.)

With that, he pocketed the book away and headed off to train once more in the compound of his home and to get some practice in with the art of making weapons, he had already gone into constructing his own Composite Bow and was done with the details of the weapon, it used special parts to further push the arrow to greater speed and he had tested the shots on normal ANBU armor and it pierced the armor like it was nothing more than cardboard.

As he was busy training with his new weapon and placed it into his now present magic bag, he was greeted by a few ANBU, who were very much in their full attire.

"Naruto-san?"

The blonde Chuunin wondered why he had gotten a visit from a band of ANBU for some reason and he was very curious as to the reason.

"Yes? Is there something the Hokage needs from me?"

"Yes, the Hokage has a mission for you to take, but for use, our Captain has requested that we come here to offer a proposal."

"A proposal?"

One of the ANBU, who apparently was a woman judging by the position of the ANBU tattoo spoke.

"Yes, we saw the weapons you handed to some of the ninja and Kakashi-sempai has shown us the sword you have made for him and even the information of the kinds of battles you have been seen fighting in. Thus our current Captain has asked us to propose a deal. It is that we will need special weapons and armor in dealing with the kinds of threats that you face should they ever come here to harm Konoha and it's people, we will need to see those weapons in action of course as well as the gear, and in return, we will pay for them, our Captain has discussed this also with Tsunade-sama and she agrees with it, but we have to ask this of you personally as you are the only one who has the knowledge on how to make them."

Naruto thought it over and realized that this would go further in protecting Konoha when the need comes and he wanted to protect his home and the people in the village as best he could and this would be a good chance to do just that.

"All right, I'll make some test weapons for you, as well as armor, now if you'll excuse me, I'll be getting ready to report to the Tower."

"Thank you Naruto-san."

As the ANBU left, Naruto decided to get dressed, he took out s set of Orchaelium chain-mail, as well as greaves, shoulder guards, and forearm guards, and he then took out a suit of hardened leather armor that was specially coated with hardening oils to make it much tougher than normal armor. As soon as he was done, he took his vest and moved out with Holy Talon behind him. He already knew that as soon as they got the summons, the others of his team would be there so there was no need to go to their homes and say hu.

--------

In the Hokage Tower…

Tsunade read the report and the mission request, just as Naruto went into the office with Holy Talon behind him at the moment and his vest on, as well as Holy Talon, the blonde Hokage gave Naruto a tender smile to which he responded back with his own smile and as soon as the door opened again to reveal Shizune, Kakashi, Sasuke, and Sakura it was back to all business.

"What's the mission today Hokage-sama?"

Kakashi asked as the whole of Team 7 were ready for duty, after all the silent times that they had at the moment with little to no activity form the enemy, they were all itching for a mission to take on and to know that this was requiring that they worked together once more meant that this mission could very well surprise them all at the moment.

Tsunade nodded and handed them a report.

"We've recently received some information about an important VIP requiring escort at the moment for a special project, the client personally requested your team to be the escort force Kakashi and you will be meeting them in a nearby town at least three days north of Konoha."

Naruto then spoke since as Chuunin, he had some level of authority to ask questions about the mission that they were about to undertake soon.

"It sounds as if the client knows us Tsunade, so who is the VIP?"

The blonde Hokage couldn't help but wonder on how Naruto would react to the answer on just who was the one who had requested the services of the team that he was still very much part of at the moment and she decided to find out but she was not going to blatantly announce to Naruto just who was the person he was going to escort with his team for the mission they were going to be in very soon.

"This VIP happens to be someone you know very Naruto-kun, considering the fact that she was the one who was in that picture you had, in which she kissed you on the cheek while you were recovering from the battle with her uncle."

Naruto was confused but only briefly as he realized just who was it that Tsunade was actually referring to at the moment.

"We're escorting Koyuki-hime?!"

Sasuke, Sakura, and Kakashi were also surprised by the discovery that they were once more escorting the leader of Snow/Spring Country, they had recalled how Koyuki was like when they had been her escorts, in way, the princess had a small amount of Naruto's attitude, but after the mission in which both Naruto and Sasuke had fought together to defeat her uncle Doto, she had become a very recognized and much loved leader of her country and had made Snow/Spring Country a leading power in terms of technology in the whole of the ninja world.

"Yes, she's staring in a film that apparently is partly based on some of Jiraiya's works, to what extent, I have no clue, but it appears to be similar to the new book that idiot has made. Either way, that is not my concern at the moment. I have been hearing rumors of a plot against the Princess and it might have something to do with her being the ruler of her home, if these rumors are true, then protect her as best you can, if they are not, then continue in the normal assignment."

With that completed, Naruto and the rest of Team 7 got ready to move out on their objectives but as soon as he was out of sight, Naruto gave an explosive sigh.

(Man, I am lucky Tsunade didn't figure out just how Jiraiya got the material for the book she mentioned…she'd scream bloody murder if she did.)

Naruto shivered at how Tsunade would look if she found out just what was the true origin of the book that Jiraiya had come up with, Jiraiya was lucky that despite his goofiness and perversion, he was an accomplished writer and was a lot more intelligent and perceptive than others realized at first glance.

For the time being however, Naruto put those thoughts aside and headed off to his home to pack some needed essential supplies and gear.

--------

On the next day…

Naruto and the rest of the team were now on the way to the town where the filming crew was resting in at the moment and from the looks of things, the place was going to be very hectic at the moment as there were a lot of people at the moment. They had been given a copy of the script and Kakashi was eager to see this, much to Sasuke's slight annoyance, and Sakura's worry, and naturally to Naruto's utter embarrassment, though he was able to hide the real reason why he was embarrassed.

As they arrived at the town, the guards there directed them to the large hotel that the cast and crew were staying in, along with all the other characters at the moment. And as soon as they entered the door, they were greeted by the director who had been the one with them in Snow/Spring Country all those months before.

"Hey there! Glad to see that you've made it, Yukie's waiting for you at the main dining hall,s he knew you were coming and had a place for you all to eat."

Naruto smiled warmly at that and headed there now to grab a meal, it had been a while since he had anything in his stomach since the trip to the town and as soon as they entered the dining hall, there was Yukie smiling at them in a simple ensemble of a short kimono top and a pair of long pants with skirts on the front and back as well.

"Koyuki-hime!"

The princess and ruler of Snow/Spring Country smiled at them and was very happy to see their faces once more after so long. She was still as attractive as ever and Kakashi was very happy with the fact that she had stared in the movie that he had bought tickets for back in Konoha. The group sat down and had a very good meal and they were also given some time to relax and enjoy the break before everyone got back into the run of doing the movie as this was lunch break.

Koyuki still showed a bit of her older personality when in Naruto's presence as she yawned a bit and explained that the movie would prove to be a good one to test her acting skills and she had left the Country she ruled in very good hands and to those she trusted greatly.

As the day passed, Naruto and the others were given good rooms to stay in for the time being, and as soon as things were properly settled, they went to sleep with Naruto using some sentry wards to guard the hotel rooms while they slept.

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The next day…

At the movie set….Naruto couldn't help but feel a bit confused at the lead actor who was supposed to take his 'secret' role in the film that Yukie was starring in.

(That dude doesn't look the least bit like me.)

The assumption was right to the point, the guy was about his height and weight, but he was too muscle bound, and the face was not right at all, his whisker marks, the symbol of his status as the container of the Kyuubi on this guy was wrong somehow and the blonde ninja couldn't help but feel a bit confused as to how he was being played by this guy of all people. Not to mention he seemed to be conceited and somewhat self absorbed. He was there to be close to Koyuki while the others were to patrol the facilities to make sure that they were all safe and secure, as well as not hiding any traps of suspicious people.

"Something wrong Naruto-kun?"

Naruto turned to see Koyuki smiling at him, and he blushed back, he had always been a big fan of the actress, before and after the long adventure they had in her home country and it made him smile a bit at the thought of being with her again as he still had the picture of him being kissed on the cheek while recovering by the beautiful princess.

"Not really, I was just thinking about a lot of things right now Koyuki-hime."

Though she still used her screen name, she didn't mind in the least that Naruto used her real name as she liked him a great deal ever since they had met, Koyuki admitted that she found him to be very attractive and wondered at times if he ever had a girl-friend or even a wife waiting for him back in Konoha, to which Naruto would blush and say no…making her all the more curious about her protector.

"I see, well, I'm happy that you are here, so how are things in Konoha.

"We had some rough spots to go through but all in all, it was all right/."

Naruto then told Koyuki about everything that had happened after he had been with her and the crew with his time in Snow Country and she couldn't help but be amazed by all the stories she had heard and seeing that Naruto was very serious about them all, she could see that these were not mere stories but truth as well and she smiled at the thought, she had personally recommended Naruto as one of the best ninja she had seen and even said that he would make an excellent Hokage someday.

"I was one of those who recommended you as one of the best ninja I have ever met."

"Really?"

"Yes, and I believe that was among the things that helped you be a Chuunin, I was very happy that you have been brought one more step closer to your dream of be Hokage."

"Really? Thank you Koyuki-hime!!!"

Yukie smiled happily at the show of gratitude and happiness in Naruto's face and as soon as the two were informed that the second half of the film was going to start in the country side and they bid each other farewell as Naruto moved with the crowd and Koyuki and the other actors and actresses were now in their positions to do their actions in the movie at the moment while Naruto observed with the film crew.

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Unknown to the people there…someone with a very different purpose had joined them, an assassin who was ordered to strike at Koyuki, and was armed with weapons that would prove to be the downfall of the princess…he had snuck in and knocked out one of the actors and took the costume and as soon as the movie was underway, blended in with the rest of the crowd in order to accomplish the mission outlined to him.

The assassin however was not able to predict that Kakashi had been on patrol and had checked the room along with Sakura and Sasuke who were checking out the area with the Jonin and they were able to find the actor who quickly informed them that an assassin was after the princess, and to further add to the situation was the fact that Naruto was in the area where he would strike.

As soon as Kakashi and the others realized that there was a credible threat to Koyuki, they headed to the filming site, they knew Naruto was there already, but there was the chance the spy might have company with him to back him up.

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The scene was to have Yukie and her fellow actors who were her guardsmen to be ambushed by a number of archers and swordsmen intent on killing Yukie to stop her from accomplishing her goals in the film, and in that scene, she would be attacked by another hidden band of archers, and unknown to the people there, the assassin was among them, he was armed with a pure steel arrow and that was coated with the very deadly amount of poison that would kill through a five minute time-line, he knew that the arrows wielded by the others were armed with semi sharp points to cut the hidden blood packets that were hidden in a vest worn by the princess/actress.

His arrow would cut through the vest easily and with the fake blood hiding her real blood spilling the death would be hard to determine, a very easy kill.

As soon as the film started, things were set right into motion…

The assassin smiled as he fired the arrow, he had every intention to kill the princess quickly and get paid for his work, however as he released the arrow, Naruto was able to spot it and saw that through the unique glint of steel with light, that the arrow was not a fake one that the other actors had used, but a steel one, his training as a Falcon Ranger and making his own arrows had taught him how to tell real ones from fakes and he quickly moved through the crowd and into the set, he had been watching the film when Holy talon sensed the assassin and told him that there was an evil intent in the room focused on the princess, and the very second he saw the arrow leave the bow, he knew just who had taken the shot at Koyuki..

His actions had naturally attracted the attention of the crew and the actors and Koyuki as well, normally Koyuki would not be happy, but seeing the concentration, determination, and focus on Naruto 's face and eyes told her quickly that something was wrong and his words were proving that to be true.

"LOOK OUT!!!"

The assassin swore as he saw this and tried to respond, but it was then that Kakashi and the others arrived on the scene as well as the movie's security staff. With them was the actor who he had stolen the costume from and the actor he should have killed shouted.

"There's an assassin after the Princess!!!"

However the assassin's action of looking away and allowed Naruto the time he needed to reach Koyuki and shield her with his own body as the actor who was playing his role was supposed to do but that guy was currently thinking of other things the very second he heard the words assassin.

Naruto managed to catch the deadly arrow in mid flight as it was a fair distance from Yukie and spun as he held the middle of the shaft and while spinning around, he reached the arrow's end and quickly notched it into his new Composite Bow and as soon as he completed the turn he aimed and fired the arrow right back at the assassin. The man had no time to react as the arrow struck him right in the neck.

The film production crew gasped out loudly and Yukie was shocked by this sudden turn of events as Naruto looked at the man as he keeled over and died on the spot as the arrow had cleanly gone through his neck. Naruto wasted no time and shielded Yukie while taking out another arrow from his quiver and was ready to fire, while he spoke a quick command to Yukie.

"Stay behind me!"

The place was in an uproar as Sasuke and Sakura checked out the one Naruto had just killed, Kakashi himself was with them and as soon as the situation began to die down the group converged towards the dead assassin. Yukie had grown used to seeing death but even after all she had seen, she still felt sick at the sight of a dead person.

"Who was this guy?"

Naruto looked at the man who had stolen a costume and had blended with the actors who were playing the part of archers, had it not been for the training he had as a Falcon Ranger and his increased ability as a ninja, there was no doubt in his mind the assassin would have killed Yukie, but why kill her of all people, who would be willing to kill a universally loved actress.

"Judging by the way he acted, I'd say he was an assassin, but what really confuses me is why was he after you, who would hire an assassin to go after you anyway?"

"I don't know…"

Sasuke however took out an envelope from the man's pocket and inside was a wad of ryo and a note as well as a picture of Yukie as she was in her duties as a princess. They opened the note and there was a message.

'Princess Yukie has been a major thorn in my attempts to get all the needed materials and technology I desire, I have tried to get as much as I could, but her laws in regulating the trade of technology from her country have set me back for months. If it hadn't been for those ninja from Konoha, then she would have been no problem as her uncle was a far more agreeable person.'

'In regards to this situation, I want her dealt with permanently, kill her in this movie set and make sure that it looks like an accident. Once she is out of the way, my agents will get all the detailed information about the chakra enhancing armor of her Country's ninja forces, as well as other valuable technology…with that and more under my command as well as my unique research, my army will be more than ready to finally take the world of the ninja by storm and even Orochimaru's use of the Cursed Seals will be tested. Ensure that she is dead from the very first shot, fail and your punishment shall be dire.'

'C.'

This letter bode ill for Naruto and the rest of his team, it seemed that someone had plans to deal with Yukie once more. Later, the body was taken away and they found the actor who had been tied up and left. It was then that the director of the movie set replied that in the excitement, they had actually captured Naruto on film when he had saved Yukie from the assassin's arrow and since there was no way they could edit the shot in time, they would have to keep it, though how they were going to explain why he was there in place of the main actor was something that had to be dealt with, however the director and the producer said that the shot of Naruto doing that was so good in film and action that they were planning to not have it cut out. And to really drive it home, the one who would be playing the central part as Koyuki' protector in the movie had quit due to the events that had happened.

This placed a considerable strain on the resources and time table of the film crew as they didn't have the time to replace the actor and they were due to move on in production, despite the fact there was now a threat to their star actress' life at the moment.

It was then that Kakashi had a novel idea on how to defend Koyuki as well as give the film crew a replacement for the actor who decided to take his leave of the film, however, he would have to convince not just the director and producers, but also the person in question, he had no doubt that Koyuki would approve greatly of this as she trusted this person very much and after what he had done only hours before, the person was more than perfect for the role that Kakashi had in mind.

--------

Later…

"You want me to do what?!"

Naruto was utterly shocked by the Jonin's suggestion as Kakashi, Sasuke, and Sakura looked on at the situation, both the Genin were also surprised by the suggestion and so was Naruto most of all, and for good reason as what he had been asked to do by Kakashi-sensei was totally unheard of at the moment, beside the ninja group were naturally Princess Yukie, the producer, and the director of the movie that Yukie was part of at the moment.

"I want you to take the place of the actor, isn't that so hard to understand Naruto?"

"But why?! I'm a ninja, not an actor! I don't know the very first thing about acting!!!!"

Sakura and Sasuke couldn't help themselves as they chuckled at how uncomfortable the blonde Ninja looked at the moment as he was still dressed in his hardened leather and Orchaelium chain-mail armor, forehead protector, and of course his vest and Holy Talon behind him in the sheath that he stored the sword in at the moment. Kakashi knew that this was highly unusual and very much against the ninja code, but it was in the script at the moment and seeing that Naruto had actually gotten himself into the movie in a very good way, there was no other choice, if he didn't take the role of the main actor, then it would be a waste of a good film, and he disliked that since the story was based on the book that he liked a lot and having it ruined would leave a foul taste in his mouth.

Besides, Naruto was in a good position already, he could defend Yukie while he and the others would be able to track down just who this C character was at the moment. Since Naruto's actions were totally unexpected and they found that the assassin had acted alone, there was a chance that the man would send out others and they couldn't have this movie turn into a blood bath, they had enough of that in Snow/Spring Country already months before. With Naruto being part of the acting staff, he could be able to blend in better, though it meant that he would have to undergo some changes.

"I know that Naruto, but we have little time at the moment and since you are in the picture now, then you can serve Yukie better by being close to her at all times, the assassin was alone and no doubt the one who hired him will send others once he learns that the one he sent before had failed, they might try another approach to killing the Princess so you have to protect her at all costs."

Naruto knew that Kakashi was right in that regard, but it still made him very uneasy with the idea that he would have to be an actor as he knew next to nothing about acting at the moment and he was totally unsure how good he would be as an actor.

"I know my duty as a ninja Kakashi-sensei, but I don't know how to act realistically enough to even pass as an actor."

"Don't tell me you can't follow a script for a movie dobe."

Sasuke said with a slight smirk, unaware of the fact that both Kakashi and Sakura were not very happy with the way he was baiting Naruto at the moment. Sakura still had her admiration for Sasuke but she wished that Sasuke could at least cool his jets and work with them all including Naruto, they were a team after all. Kakashi did not like the way Sasuke had needled Naruto, there was a lot of tension between the two and he worried that this was getting be disruptive when the need for team-work was needed.

However, Naruto showed his maturity and kept his cool and replied diplomatically.

"Have you ever seen me act in a play before Sasuke?"

"No."

"Then you know how I feel."

"Relax Naruto, there's going to be someone here in the staff of actors who is going to teach you on how to act before the camera."

"Oh? Who would that be?"

The door opened and in walked Koyuki with a warm smile and she was dressed in a simple but elegant and classy ensemble of clothes that were suitable for her line of work. The actress and ruler of the Snow/Spring Country turned to Naruto and replied to Naruto's question towards his Jonin sensei, she had talked it over with Kakashi before and when he told her of his plan to have Naruto join the cast as her on screen body guard AND body guard in real life, she was eager to actually see this through.

"That would be me Naruto-kun,. I will be teaching you how to act before the camera, I've already talked it over with the directors and the producers, and they are in full agreement with the idea."

"They are?! But I don't know how to act, I might become a burden for you Koyuki-hime."

Koyuki smiled at that and knew that Naruto was very sincere with his words and meant every one of them at the moment and it made her smiled as she walked over to the blonde ninja and replied.

"You are no burden Naruto-kun, I happen to think you'd make a wonderful actor as well as a body guard for me in this movie so you have no need to think that you will have a hard time, besides, I will be teaching you just how to blend in properly. Who knows, you might even take a liking to acting Naruto-kun."

Naruto shook his head and wondered if he could actually do this, he was happy to see Yukie again and also to be able to help her and keep her safe, but another part of him hoped that eh would not make a mockery of himself with her and before the camera, she was a well loved actress as well as a ruler of a nation and Tsunade's lessons in social graces reminded him that if he wanted to make a good impression of himself towards other people, namely those in power, he had to be the best he could be.

"All right, I'll do it, I might not like it too much, but for Koyuki-hime, I'll do it."

Yukie smiled and hugged Naruto, unaware that she was getting a slight glare from Sakura and an amused expression from Kakashi.

(From ninja body guard to actor….what's next, movie star?)

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To be continued…

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Author's notes:

Well now, not a bad way to start off the story arc with another lemon that is soon to come in the lemon story board of Naruto Dragon Champion right?

Now someone suggested I do something most men would kill to be in, a double figure with several women at the same time, and while I admit freely that I would love to be in that situation, that would prove to be one hell of a test for me and it will be tiring, hard, and more, but you know what, It's for the readers so I think that I will take this challenge. I don't personally know if anyone has actually attempted to make a double figure lemon for one guy, but there's always time for something new and this is as new as one can get.

This story arc introduces Princess Koyuki and in this arc, we have a chance to see just how the first Naruto movie ended in my story, and since Naruto has undergone a lot of drastic changes since acquiring Holy Talon and facing all these threats, you can bet that his interactions with Yukie will be very much different from the movie and he might be enough to surprise even Yukie as well.

In this story arc, someone wants Yukie out of the way so he could acquire a good portion of Snow/Spring Country's advanced technology and it seems he wants to compete with Orochimaru in many ways, just who is this guy and what does he plan to do with the technology of Snow/Spring Country?

We'll find out soon enough!

Oh, and for you male readers, I have a special treat as the movie IS about an Icha Icha novel…

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Trailer:

Naruto gasped at the thought as he was told by the director what was the next scene about. He knew that sooner or later he would have to do it, but he was not expecting it to happen only a week after the assassination attempt on Yukie's life.

"I have to do it now?"

"I think so Naruto-san, you, have you done this before or not yet?"

Naruto blushed a bit and replied.

"Well….yeah, I have."

"Good, I was worried that you would be offended or unwilling, at least this scene is going to be worth it, and you already know how to do this scene."

(If you only knew…)

"But still, is it really needed?"

"Yep, it is the end of the very first climactic battle, you're recovering from your wounds and you are alone with the princess and you two talk and then…well you get the idea."

"But what about Koyuki-hime? This is very serious you know!!!"

"I know, but she's an actress and she knew it was going to happen, but you know, she would love to do it with you and you only, I might not know all the details, but I think Koyuki has a thing for you."

"She does?"

"Oh yes, otherwise we would have done things differently as she is very serious about her validity as an actress and as a ruler."

"But to do it….in front of a camera, I mean, this is something I'm not used to at the moment."

"Don't worry, it will be done differently than the rest of the movie, and it is in the script. Plus you have a few days before it happens so talk to Koyuki-san if you have anything you want to iron out."

Naruto nodded and as he left the cabin of the director, he looked at Koyuki who was relaxing before a fire in her side and he gulped as he saw how attractive the princess was and wondered what she really thought of what they were going to do in the coming film.

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Figured it out yet fellows? Well, either way, I promise you all are going to like it when it appears in the next chapter I'll be making soon enough.

As for Akatsuki, they too will be active soon enough.


	35. The Art of Acting Part 2

Naruto The Twin Swords

Disclaimer: I do not own a single thing related to Naruto

Chapter 26

Part 2

The Art of Acting

( ): Thoughts

((" ")): Holy Talon's voice

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'_The avenues of learning are filled with many pathways and thus, a true warrior must learn to pick the right paths to learning.'_

Words of a scholar of Dagern…

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In a well lit and furbished trailer…

Naruto was currently reading the script of the movie as he was being helped by Koyuki who was busy cleaning her face of the make up as the filming crew had taken a time off to get the actors and actresses the chance to rest and recover for the day. This was the time Naruto had in order to catch up with the script and be able to get into the situation.

Koyuki turned as soon as her makeup was out of the way and she walked over to Naruto and spoke to him in a very relaxed way.

"How is the script looking so far Naruto-kun?"

"Not too bad, I am still trying to wrap my mind around the idea of being an actor. Not that I don't like it that much, it's just….I don't want to make a fool out of myself in the camera."

"I understand the feeling, after I, well, after I left Snow Country with Kakashi-san years before I was a bit conscious about being an actress, but it helped me face the pain of seeing my home in flames and my father dying….so I can understand some of the nervousness there."

Naruto smiled a bit at the support and he couldn't help but notice how much Koyuki had changed and he couldn't help but think on how nice she looked even though she was not wearing any makeup on her face at the moment, she knew that many of the women he knew didn't always wear makeup and still looked very attractive and Koyuki looked very attractive to him. Not only on the outside, but inside as well as she smiled and laughed more.

Koyuki saw Naruto's keen look at her and she smiled a bit and spoke.

"You like what you see Naruto-kun?"

Naruto realized that he was looking at her intensely and recalling that she was still royalty and someone he had to guard, he blushed a bit and replied.

"Sorry about that, it's just..."

"What is it? You don't need to hide it from me of all people Naruto-kun, besides that, there's only you and me here in my trailer after all, and I promise you that I won't laugh."

Naruto scratched his head and decided to be truthful about his thoughts before Koyuki.

"It's because you've become, well, a lot more attractive to the eye and even more so now that you've become the ruler of your country, it's kind of hard to imagine how you used to be before all the events that brought you back there."

Koyuki smiled a bit at that and she had to admit that Naruto was right about that, she had changed from what and who she once was all those months before.

"True….remember how we first met?"

Naruto thought back on the time he and the others were watching the movie and to his disappointment, he was unable to finish the movie. He had been a fan ever since seeing the movies of Koyuki or rather Yukie Fujikaze as she was known back then. He was surprised to actually see her he had gone off to track down Koyuki when she tried to escape from the rest of the press, back then he had little to no idea as to why she would want to flee from the movie she was making and he had to pursue her through a town and spotted several other ninja after her. He would have taken them out but it was then that Holy Talon had told him that the people chasing her were only intent on capturing her and not harm her in any fashion.

After pursuing her, he had to try and talk to her to find out just what was the deal here. Koyuki remembered that scene well.

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Flashback…

She had been resting on the river, allowing the horse to drink it's fill and it was then that she heard Naruto's voice for the very first time.

"Are you all right Fuun-hime?'

She turned and was surprised to see a young man who wore some sort of armor on his body that resembled metal chains and links with curved metal plate, and a vest that was something a ninja would wear, he looked to be a young man and had silver in his blonde hair and to her surprise, even if she didn't show it, he had the same silver rims on his eyes. Naruto had spoken to her about a lot of things, and back then she was still emotionally scarred and tried to ignore them and she was still very much full of her inner turmoil back then.

He followed her and all the way through a nearby town as well.

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End of Flashback…

"You had to watch me lose my temper in front of some kids and then I got to deal with you chasing me all throughout the town, and of course, I was in a bar drinking when you lost, you must have been very unhappy since you were my greatest fan back then."

Naruto knew that to be true, he was very disappointed but back then, Holy Talon had sensed something in Koyuki's mind that truly troubled her and something about going to Snow Country seemed to not sit well with her at the time and that was why Naruto did not react badly all that much.

"I guess I was disappointed, but that was before I knew the whole story….you've changed a lot since then."

Koyuki nodded at that.

"I guess I have, seeing so much and being reminded of all that happened, and finally seeing my father's dreams come true with the generators."

Koyuki smiled at the memory and Naruto could see it was a true and sincere smile, not like the ones he had seen before. It was not easy to make her genuinely smile no matter how many times he had to do at the time. He then thought about what had happened, he had managed to understand what would have happened had he not stopped that arrow in time when it had been fired at Koyuki. He thought of it less for the time being and focused the past meetings with Koyuki.

"I even recall the time you managed to trick me and got half a day's worth of wood on me in that moment."

Koyuki was a bit confused and then recalled the time she had indeed tricked Naruto and headed off to the bar for a drink. But even though she was drunk she had to admit the young man did not give up that easily as he tracked her down.

"How did you manage to survive that anyway Naruto-kun?"

"Simple, the armor I wore helped a good deal."

"I thought as much, you were always hard to get rid off, but you were honest and that's not something I saw every day when I acted with others. I remembered you and your team fighting with Nadare and his team before."

Naruto nodded at the memory as well. Fighting the Snow ninja had been quite a surprise for him at the time, but he had to protect Koyuki with all he had at the time. That big bruiser of a ninja was his first foe and he had a hell of a time fighting him at first since this nut had a weapon that he had no idea about. He also recalled the battles afterwards and how harsh things had become and he recalled the anger he had towards Koyuki for her attitude at the time. He recalled how angry he was when she had made some comments about the fight being worthless.

Koyuki thought about that as well and touched her cheek as she remembered that incident.

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Flashback…

Naruto had enough and despite knowing that she was a real princess and the one he had to protect, he was tired of listening to her words of it being worthless and they should give it all up and stop dreaming useless dreams, this reminded him of the times Neji had spoken and how Tsunade was before she took the position of Hokage.

Kakashi, Sakura, Sasuke, the director , his assistant, and Sandayu Asama, as well as Koyuki herself was shocked as Naruto rose up and took out Holy Talon and jammed the blade through the table and he glared right at her.

"Stop spouting that crap about it being useless and they should just give up!!!!"

"It's the truth."

"That's far from it! Sandayu-san is already risking everything to try and get you back to save your country, the very land your father cared for, and you expect him to just give up his hopes after ten years?!"

"Dreams mean nothing in reality."

Naruto had it and before anyone would stop him, he moved and slapped Koyuki in the face and that surprised her as she struck back, however Naruto did not even flinch as she struck him on the cheek. He then spoke evenly.

"Dreams are what give people goals and the will to keep fighting no matter the odds, if you think that you can give up, then you are wrong. When you give up on your dreams, then everything you have ever gained with your own hands, everything you have ever fought, bled, and sweated for, all of it will mean nothing. And I refuse to let good dreams die!"

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Koyuki then spoke to Naruto.

"You know, I still feel the sting of that slap you gave me all those months ago."

"Oh….I, uh…I'm sorry about that."

Naruto gave a very much ashamed look, now that he thought about it, slapping Koyuki wasn't really called for back then and doing so would have been considered a very serious insult to royalty, how bad would things had been if people found out he slapped a princess. Tsunade would have been pissed at him and more. He just did it in the heat of the moment.

"Don't be, you had a right to be angry. I recall the time you managed to save me and that time you outran that train, I was shocked even then, I thought that armor you wore would have weighed you down."

Naruto grinned at that and replied.

"Orchaelium armor is as light as cloth you know Koyuki-hime. No matter if I wear at least a foot thick of it I can move as if I weight like a feather."

Koyuki smiled as well, she recalled the time Naruto had gone out looking for her and they had even outran the train that had come after them, she thought it was no longer possible to outrun a train even more so with the gear Naruto had on but he surprised her yet again and had outrun the train. She also thought of the power Naruto had that day, Sandayu and his forces were about to attack Doto and it would have been all for nothing, she felt that they would not survive the coming fight, but Naruto proved her wrong.

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Flashback…

Naruto was quick to sense that something terrible was going to happen as Sandayu and the other rebel forces began to close in on the train that Doto was riding on and Holy talon was quick on the situation as well.

(("They are heading into an ambush!!! We have to hurry!"))

(Right!)

Koyuki watched as Naruto ran to the train and then the sides opened to reveal volley guns that would unleash hundred of kunai in mere moments, these were the most powerful weapons in the arsenal of her uncle who she had seen on the train and this was going to be the end of the rebellion. Naruto however was not deterred and spoke in a very arcane tongue, catching her, Doto, and Nadare off guard and he jammed Holy Talon into the ground and shouted the spell.

"DRAGON SKIN SPHERE!!!!!"

As soon as Doto gave the order to unleash the weapons, the shield came online and Naruto turned around and shouted to the people behind him.

"Stay there!!!!"

The storms of kunai that were unleashed would have torn into the advancing forces led by Sandayu and killed all of them, but to the shocked eyes of everyone, even the director who was with them at the moment, the glowing hexagonal shield Naruto erected deflected all the kunai from the weapons, much to Koyuki's amazement and that of Sandayu and his fellow rebels. Doto was very much in rage as no matter how many kunai that his weapons unleashed, they were being deflected back easily by the young Genin's shield.

Koyuki was surprised by this and spoke to herself.

"How is he able to do that?"

Naruto then made the same moves and summoned his allies.

"WARRIORS OF DAGERN!!! RISE AND FIGHT FOR ME!!!!"

The rebels were awed by the sight as hundreds of orbs made of pure light came from the sword that Naruto held in hand and the orbs of light were now taking shape of men and women wielding a massive number of weapons and armor. The beings were silent and had deep glowing eyes of pure power and they way they were moving was in a crisp military fashion. The soldiers were quick to move quickly as those who were armed with shields of various designs took formation to block the possible attacks, while those armed with swords, spears and more were ready and supported by the ones armed with bow and arrows.

Naruto smiled as the Steel lancers, Sword Adepts, War Blades, Dragon Clerics, Zealots, Fire Heart Archers, Falcon Rangers, and Wild Forest Warriors were ready to strike as soon as the shield went down, and with them taking to the front, his forces would be able to handle the counter attack and allow Sandayu and his own forces to close the gap and attack Doto and his minions. As soon as the spell went down the soldiers were moving in crisp formation while Naruto turned to Sandayu and spoke.

"Stay behind the main assault force, just in case."

Sandayu nodded and told his forces to follow the soldiers summoned by Naruto and he led the soon to come attack, it was also when Sasuke, Sakura and Kakashi made their moves. Sakura tossed a kunai with an explosive tag and the weapon destroyed a fuel tank on a section of the train while Sasuke's explosive sent a massive wave of snow, ice and stone crashing down and it seemed that Doto would finally be caught as the man went back into his train and Nadare followed as well. The train tried to escape but half of it was sheered off while the other half got away.

Sandayu and his followers tried to pursue the train but were halted by both Naruto and Kakashi with the Jonin giving the order.

"No! Following them would be too dangerous, they might set up an ambush for you."

Sandayu nodded and sheathed his sword in disappointment, had they been able to capture Doto here and now, they would have gotten rid of the tyrant and finally placed the princess in her rightful home and throne. But the sight of Naruto's power and that of his fellow Konoha ninja inspired him and he turned to Naruto.

"You were amazing Naruto-kun, and so was Kakashi-san, Sakura-san, and Sasuke-san, with your help, we might still overthrow Doto himself! We know where his stronghold is and we can reach it in a few days. As soon as we gather other forces, we can retake the land from him!"

"Are you insane? Do you really think that Doto won't be ready for another attack from you, you attack him now, he'll kill you all, your deaths will be for nothing, you are crazy to even think that you can win."

The others turned to Koyuki who looked at them as if they had been made mad. She was not going to risk this mess getting larger, but Sandayu was serious as he walked over to her and took out a short tanto and spoke.

"Maybe we are, but as long as we knew you lived Koyuki-hime, we have never given up our hopes and our dreams that with you back to lead us as you rightly should, we could make Snow Country beautiful once more, for all of our people and of you. Doto's abuses and crimes have to end and we have the chance to end it here and now. We all here have waited ten years and we have never stopped preparing for this moment. You are our princess then when you were young and you still are now. And now that we have this chance to return this land to the peaceful and prosperous land that it rightfully should be. We will fight for you and hope that once the land is under your ruler ship once more, your heart can heal again."

Koyuki looked at the tanto and then her crystal and spoke as she turned her back.

"You're insane, I can't be a princess, I am an actress now, nothing more. My heart cannot be brought back for Snow Country's sake, it died ten years ago."

Naruto however was not deterred and reached to her and grabbed her hand, she turned and was angry at him and he spoke.

"Do you really think that? If your heart is truly dead then why is it you still have that crystal?"

"What?"

"If your heart died ten years, then you should have tossed that thing and be done with it all, why keep it huh?!"

"It's none of your business if I keep it or not!"

"It's not actually, but I know for a fact that if one's heart is truly dead, then why does one hold onto something that reminds them of the past? Because no matter what they say, they can't let go of the past and hold it close to them at all times. That's why your heart is not dead, if it was, then why hold onto the past?"

Koyuki glared at Naruto and Naruto glared right back at her, not willing to back down.

"Why don't you just leave me alone?"

"I might not like you Koyuki, but I am going to protect you because I made a promise to do so, and I don't care on where you go, if you're in danger on the other side of this country, I'll find you anyway, besides, your smell will always guide me to where you are."

Koyuki looked at Naruto and saw that he meant those words and was about to respond…

--------

End of Flashback…

Koyuki thought about that event very well, she had seen Naruto's power and his ability and she felt that it indeed would have been enough to tip the scales in the favor of the rebels as well as Sandayu but she still would not believe it was possible to defeat Doto, his uncle was too smart to be taken again by surprise and she still doubted that Naruto's power would be enough. His words also struck a part of her deeply and she was about to say to him to stop spewing nonsense when all of a sudden a dirigible came at them all and out of the ship came on of Nadare's minions and it was the one who fired the extending arm and it grabbed her while Senbon were launched with ice bombs on them.

Naruto and the others saw that and the blonde Genin ordered his summoned warriors to block the attack and they did so, shielding all the people below, despite their losses, Naruto was not very worried as his summoned allies could be revived well enough when needed, Sandayu shouted that they cannot lose the princess now after all they had gone through and the retainer of Koyuki gathered all those of his followers to plan an assault on the compound that Doto would no doubt be heading for..

Naruto had not given up and summoned Kael to the sky and flew to the zeppelin, startling her and everyone else inside, even her normally calm and cool headed uncle Doto was taken aback by the sight of the flying dragon and the blonde riding the creature as if they were very much one being. As soon as he was close enough, Naruto had used one of his kunai with a rope to ride on the zeppelin as he left Kael to rescue her on foot.

Naruto fought is way to the bridge and killed a number of other Snow ninja with frightening ease and Nadare and his cohorts were hard pressed in stopping him. It was when Doto threatened to kill her before his eyes as he was in the bridge ready to fight that Naruto halted his assault without batting an eyelash and he placed aside his sword.

The blonde Genin was quickly restrained by the other surviving ninja and Doto ordered Naruto's chakra to be restrained by one of their devices to limit his chakra, Doto even expressed interest in getting Naruto's sword to use in their own plans. Naruto however warned them that his sword would accept no other master but him, and if anyone of them who is the same as Doto would be burned alive by the sword's naturally imbued defensive enchantments.

Doto and his ninja followers laughed at the thought of the sword being that powerful but the laughter died when one of the underling ninja tried to take the sword from Naruto's back, but the very second the ninja touched the sword, a massive inferno of pure silver and golden flame that quickly incinerated the screaming man and they knew that the only chance they had was to restrain him and make sure he did not use his sword.

The two of them were taken to the fortress where he had been imprisoned and was chained to both the roof and the ceiling, he however played along for the time being in order to get themselves into an area of escape, he knew that his spells would not be that effective if he was chained and used his newly learned training plus a cutting tool to cut his way free. The chains were too thick but he refused to give up.

The two talked about dreams and when she said it was better to give up and disappear so one didn't have to feel pain. Naruto retorted and told him about how close he had fallen to them same feelings she did, but unlike her, he had never given up his dreams and when his friends and loved ones had dreams of their own, he would fight with every fiber of his being to make their dreams come true. His chakra restrainer managed to shock him despite Koyuki insistence for him to stop. However, Naruto bit back the pain and relied on another power if his chakra was still sealed by the restraining device…Dragon Fire.

He finally broke free and managed to free his legs by converting the metal into nothing but pure gas and then he was told by Holy talon that several guards were coming and there was an attack hitting the compound and the Dragon Sword told it's master that it seemed his team and Sandayu were already assaulting the fortress. The guards saw Naruto and they took down the seal on his prison bars and he quickly made short work of the guards and freed Koyuki.

She couldn't help but gave a slightly amused look at Naruto's actions as they were reunited with Kakashi, Sakura, Sasuke and Sandayu. She led them to Doto's throne room and with her true key in her hand, gave it to her uncle, making it seem that she was betraying them, much to the shock of Sandayu, Kakashi, Sakura, and Sasuke. But Naruto and Holy Talon were not fooled as the sword sensed Koyuki's true reason to handing her uncle the amulet. She planned to get closer and then she would kill Doto.

However, the sword sensed that Doto was prepared and shouted a warning to Naruto and told him that the man was wearing some form of armor similar to the ones worn by his lackeys, but the armor he had on was a lot different than the ones worn by Nadare and his fellow Snow Ninja. Naruto tried to speak out but his actions were too late as her attempts to kill her uncle failed as his armor blocked the blow and she was being strangled by Doto, but she was not giving up and tried to end it, saying that Naruto was right, her heart was not dead and she was not cold hearted, and she was aware that she would die if she did this, but at least she would die fighting for the dreams of her father.

They fell off the high area and both Naruto and Sandayu tried to reach her when she moved and was alive, but both were hit by one of Doto's attacks, sending them flying and she saw the armor that her uncle had worn that had stopped her tanto.

Koyuki thought about the last time she had been with her uncle and what the true Kazahana treasure really was.

--------

Flashback…

Sandayu and Naruto got up, with the elderly warrior coughing out blood in anger and rage at what he had seen while Naruto was likewise angry as they both glared at Doto as he had Koyuki in his grasp.

"You bastard!!!"

"Get your filthy traitorous hands off Koyuki-hime!"

Doto glared at Sandayu and Naruto as both the samurai warrior and the ninja and Dragon Champion were already up and getting ready to fight once more. He was not going to be beaten easily, he had worked too long and had struggled to hard to let these annoying bugs stop him from using the Kazahana treasure to be the key to defeating the Five Shinobi Nations once and for all. Once the weapon was his, then his army of technologically superior ninja would defeat all before them.

"Your threats mean nothing to me. I will take the Princess and the key and soon, my dream will come to full circle and no matter how many of you there are, I will triumph!"

Kakashi, Sakura, and Sasuke, as well as several of Sandayu's fellow warriors who arrived were suddenly hearing the sounds of the fortress' structure giving way and that told them quickly that the entire fortress was about to come down on top of them. That was the signal for Doto and his ninja to leave.

Naruto was not letting this happen twice as he took out a kunai and with a rope attached to it managed to hitch a ride once more as he followed Doto and Koyuki to the place where the hidden treasure was supposed to be.

Sandayu shouted to them all the evacuate and head to the next location where the treasure was, he was not going to lose this chance to save his princess and bring true peace to Snow Country once more. Naruto was unable to follow as Doto cut the line and he fell, but he got up and was ready to summon Kael to take to the sky but the director showed up with a small band of his crew and they were well on their way. It was also when Sandayu had caught up with them one horseback and both of them moved to save Koyuki while Kakashi, Sakura, and Sasuke dealt with the other ninja.

They arrived in time to see Doto rant about the generators actually unleashing warmth through the valley, Sandayu and Naruto moved in, and the samurai made his way to protect her while Naruto dealt with Doto. The two of them fought as Doto tried to use his own skill in Ice Jutsu and using his own armor to boost his attacks, Naruto was not easily defeated and then the chakra restrainer began to break and Doto attacked Naruto directly, much to her shock and worry, but Sandayu assured her that as long as she had faith in Naruto he would not be beaten easily.

She felt that need to give her faith and it was rewarded as Naruto broke the chakra restrainer and managed to slice apart her uncle's attempts at a counter attack and was able to stab Doto right in the stomach, his sword easily ripping through the armor like it was tin foil. Doto screamed that it was not over as he unleashed more chakra and managed to knock Naruto away but not before Naruto damaged the crystal powering it. The blast also injured Sandayu who blocked her from the blast, but the proud samurai would not give up as he still defended her.

Doto swore not to be defeated like this and this would not be the end. Naruto however got up despite the damage and shouted that this is the real ending of this story and created his Rasengan and then as the light of dawn came on the generators, they created the same seven colored light in the Rasengan as in the movies, startling Koyuki, Sandayu, and the director as well as the other warriors and Naruto's comrades. Naruto took it further and summoned his other power and the swirling light of seven colors took the form of Dragons and Doto could only shout and try attack Naruto, but he missed and Naruto hit him hard, shouting out the attack.

"SEVEN DRAGON RASENGAN!!!!"

The blast sent Doto flying and smashing into one of the mirrors and the result was amazing as the entire valley was covered in rainbow light and then to the amazement of everyone and herself most of all. The valley turned from snow covered land to a land covered with healthy green grass, beautiful flower fields, pristine lakes, streams, and rivers, gorgeous mountain peaks and a deep warmth that flowed all over the place.

It was like her father said, it was…Spring…

Sandayu was amazed and he felt tears flow down his eyes.

"We did it….we've freed our land, and the dream of Sousetsu-sama is realized!!!!"

Koyuki then saw an image of herself with her father when she was still young, learning once more that she had vowed to be a princess of who was kind, just, compassionate, and brave. She remembered her words to her father and seeing her father giving her the crystal key, entrusting his dream and her own dream of Spring to her. And for the first time in ten years she cried, but no longer were the tears those of sadness and pain, but of happiness and joy. She laughed as she recalled her plans to be an actress as well…and now she realized that one her dreams had finally come true and that of her father's as well. And now she could accomplish the other dream, to be the princess she had dreamed to be as a little girl girl…and she laughed happily, overjoyed at how good it felt.

The director was overwhelmed by it all and asked if they had entered an alternate world.

Naruto likewise sat down and said that this was the right ending and the best one yet.

--------

End of Flashback…

The battle ended and Koyuki was later crowned as leader of Snow Country and as the festival was underway in a beautiful sunlit courtyard, she was dressed in the official robes of her position of her office. She looked in the crowds and saw the members of Sandayu's allies who survived the assault and they were utterly happy to see her taking her place as rightful ruler, and she smiled at them as they cheered her on. She then looked to her left and there was Sandayu who was still dressed in samurai armor and he was fully healed from his wounds and like his fellow warriors, wore a warm and happy smile, making her smile back.

It made her happy to know that no matter how things were before, and despite her past behavior, Sandayu would never abandon her and she had every intention to have him as her advisor and confidant. She looked to see Naruto, Sasuke, Kakashi, and Sakura also in high spirits and she looked at everything in her home, no longer covered by snow, but by the beauty of life and sunlight, the very spring her father had told her of so long ago as a little girl.

And when she looked to the lower right….for a brief moment, she gasped and saw her father smiling at her, showing his happiness, and pride that she was home and after a moment, the image faded and she smiled as she held the crystal in her hand, vowing silently to carry on her father's work.

The movie that was made by the director proved to be a smash hit and record sales were seen, and to the amazement of all her fans, 'Yukie' became even better as an actress and was now a much more beloved person on and off the camera months after it's release. It was an amazing thing to the mind of all, even more so for the princess in question.

Koyuki then looked at Naruto who was back to reading the script and this allowed her to study him in peace. He was certainly attractive even though he was very young and she had to admit that back then even when she was still scarred he was good looking. She had met many handsome men in her time, but they didn't make her heart warm up. Naruto however not only challenged her in her past self but revived her heart and helped her become the person she had dreamed of being. He made the dreams of Sandayu, her father, and herself come true and she felt she owed him a lot, and it was the reason she sent a letter of recommendation to have him promoted to a higher rank and it made her happy that he had gotten that promotion.

As soon as he read the script Naruto and Koyuki did their lines and while Naruto did make mistakes, she accepted that as something that was present and did her best to help him. Naruto loved that and did his best to be a good actor for the movie while being a body guard for Koyuki, however it still bothered him on who would harm Koyuki. Doto was taken into custody by Sandayu and his men and placed in prison after he had been saved from death to stand trial. With the capture of all his allies and contacts, there was not much chance that the former ruler of Snow Country will have any allies. That meant that the person who sent the assassin would have been someone her uncle had worked with before.

Naruto then spoke to Koyuki about what he had learned about the assassin that went after her.

"Koyuki-hime, we need to talk about what's been happening back there in Snow Country, it might have something to do with the attempt on your life."

Koyuki nodded and told Naruto as much as she could at the time on how things had turned out in Snow Country.

"After you and your team left we began to rebuild the country and also Kazahana Castle. Afterwards, we began to try and begin trade relations with other countries and parties as well. It went well for as long as I was there, however, there had been reports of people trying to acquire the same chakra enhancing armor that was used by Nadare and his ninja group. I had no idea as to what that was about and I had Sandayu-san begin to send the ninja who were loyal to my father and to me to try and find out just who would be interested in buying that armor, since it was during the time of Doto."

"At the time, we needed to rebuild so we sent some of those armor units to make the ryo needed, though being an actress helped so I allowed it to still happen. It was only when Sandayu-san told me that a number of the prospective buyers of the chakra armor were arms dealers and people of ill repute that I forbade the sale of the armor. I didn't want those things to ever be used in conflicts ever again in the same way Doto had used them to conquer Snow Country. The measures I made helped, and I requested Sandayu-san to help make sure that no one would get their hands on the armor when I went here to shoot this new movie, one group however was determined to get their hands on it and more even when I was in power."

"Who?"

"I don't know, they however were not just after the standard versions of the armor, but the one Doto had developed at the time when he was still in power, the very same armor you and Sasuke-kun destroyed to beat him back in the valley. I had no idea why they wanted that armor but I was not keen to let it happen no matter the odds….Do you think they are the ones who sent that assassin after me?"

Naruto nodded.

"It would make sense, but did you and Sandayu-san find out anything about who these people were?"

Koyuki shook her head at that.

"No, they were able to escape easily and they had been able to evade the ninja scouts and spies we sent, the only thing we knew for sure was that their head was a former associate of someone named Orochimaru."

Naruto's eyes narrowed at the mention or Orochimaru's name and that was enough to tell him that this C character might have ties to the snake summoning bastard. This was something he knew he would have to tell Kakashi when the time was right, as he and Koyuki decided to focus on his part in the movie. Naruto had a feeling that sooner or later, the enemy were going to make their move and try once more to kill Koyuki, that much the blonde Chuunin knew for a fact.

Though just who these people are was something he had yet to determine.

--------

In a hidden location…

"He has failed."

The speaker was a female who wore a dark black robe and she was there before a large desk in which a tall slender, but powerfully built man was sitting sown and reading a number of high end documents and as soon as the man placed them down, he seemed to consider the news and spoke.

"Are you sure of this?"

"Very much, I got the news no less than a day or so ago. It seems the Princess has got some real body guards than those hired idiots."

"I see, then we'll just have to find another way in dealing with the Princess, and I think it's time we try to make sure the situation is made very clear to everyone that I will not be stopped, even by some new band of soldiers. Do we have anything one these new guards?"

"Yes, they appear to be Konoha ninja, and it seems to be the very same band that protected Koyuki when she went to Snow Country before, this could prove to be a challenge indeed as one of them was the same blonde Genin that apparently was the one who had dealt the blow that brought Doto down to the ground."

The man was seemingly surprised and amused at the very same time.

"Really, interesting discovery indeed, this could be something of interest, tell me more."

"The other is Sasuke Uchiha, the last of the Uchiha Clan."

"Uchiha….the last of the Clan eh? He's the reason my former associate broke away from our partnership, all because of that boy with that Sharingan Kekkai Genkai of his. Well then, I want to see if this Kekkai Genkai is really all it's cracked up to be. Go ahead, deal with this mess in your own fashion."

"With pleasure."

As the woman left, another hidden figure appeared, carrying a massive pair of devices on his back. He then spoke to the one the woman had recently spoken to.

"You want her to do that mission with the ninja we have?"

"Yes, I think it's time she had her turn, or do you disagree?"

"Heh, not in the least, let her have some fun, this time we'll see just what sort of ninja this team from Konoha are."

--------

Kakashi had thought it over as he looked at Naruto working with the crew and seeing him working with Koyuki. The Jonin knew that the blonde Chuunin had grown greatly over the months and had become something of a great ninja in the making. That and his accomplishments told the Jonin a lot and he decided that now was the right time for him to keep a promise to Naruto to teach him some important lessons as well as show him something that could prove very helpful in the soon to come battles ahead for him.

With that in mind, he decided to begin the training. As soon as the crew took a long break and shooting was to be put off to celebrate a special occasion, the Jonin made his move and walked over to Naruto and spoke to him.

"Naruto-kun, time to begin your training."

"Huh? What do you mean by that Kakashi-sensei?"

"Remember that time I promised to train you? Well, the time is now."

--------

In a nearby field, a short distance from the filming area…

Kakashi looked at the forest before them and knew that his time to keep his end of the promise he made to Naruto had come, and he turned to the eager Chuunin and spoke to him.

"Now Naruto, before I teach you, I need to review you on something important."

"What would that be?"

"The five elemental chakras, since you've gone back to school and have gotten some good marks in your classes, I can bet you and Iruka-san have touched on this?"

Naruto recalled his classes and nodded.

"Yeah, Iruka-sensei told me that there are five elemental chakras, the first is Fire, Wind, Lightning, Earth and Water."

"Good, what else did he tell you?"

Naruto thought over the lessons and replied.

"He said that they are positioned the way they are on the table as they have strengths and weaknesses in relation to each other. Fire defeats Wind, Wind in turn defeats Lightning, Lightning then defeats Earth, Earth then defeats Water, and water defeats Fire."

"Very good, now then the reason I brought this up is that I have heard you've learned the Rasengan from Jiraiya-sama, care to show me the technique?"

Naruto nodded and used his Kage Bushin No Jutsu to make his counter part and soon began to make a Rasengan, which Kakashi watched closely as he studied Naruto's way of doing the technique. He had to admit it was unorthodox to say the least as the Jonin knew that both Jiraiya and the Yondaime had done the technique with only one hand. However, he knew from Ebisu that with the chakra of the Kyuubi in his body, Naruto's chakra control would be spotty at best and he had to admit that Naruto's way of doing it was very effective to counteract his weakness in chakra control.

(He still has his creativity, that's a good thing to master.)

"Here it is Kakashi-sensei?"

Naruto displayed the Rasengan and was about to strike a tree when Kakashi stopped him.

"That's enough Naruto, you've mastered the basics well. Now I'll teach you what I promised to you months before."

"Really?"

"Yes, before we do so, I want to explain some things about the elemental chakra. As you have learned back in the Academy there are five basic elemental chakras. Every ninja who is born as a particular affinity to a certain element and thus is well suited to using this chakra. Take Sasuke for example, since the Uchiha Clan are naturally gifted Fire Chakra users and thus are more adept at using Fire based Jutsu than other ninja and their Fire based Jutsus are much more effective due to the affinity of their chakra to Fire, this naturally works well with the Sharingan they possess."

"Okay, but how can Sasuke use the Chidori, I mean I've seen the technique and I figured out after seeing it that it uses Lightning and therefore is best suited for those who have chakra tied to Lightning, so how come he can use it?"

"That is because ninja at a certain level such as Jonin or those with Kekkai Genkai can use more than one elemental chakra, In my case, while I can use all five elemental chakras well with my Sharingan, my true Elemental chakra type is Lightning. When one can use more than one element and fuse them together to create new jutsu, it is called a Kekkai Genkai. Take Haku for example."

"Haku-san?"

Kakashi nodded.

"Haku is able to create Ice Element, by fusing Water and Wind Element, this is his clan's Kekkai Genkai. Sasuke has yet to use both Fire and Lightning in unison so he will use either separately at the moment, but for the moment, I think we need to focus on you and you can ask me about the other Clans and their Kekkai Genkai at a much better time. So for today, I want you to discover YOUR elemental chakra type."

Kakashi then reached into his pocket and took out some paper pieces, Naruto studied them and was confused at what these slips of paper were. They seemed ordinary but Holy Talon sensed something about them and spoke to his master.

(("The paper does not feel ordinary, I sense a considerable amount of chakra in them."))

(Are you sure?)

(("Positive, this could prove interesting Master Naruto, I suggest we listen well to this."))

"What is that for Kakashi-sensei?"

"This paper is made from a special section of trees in Konoha that have been fed chakra for quite some time, and thus the paper reacts very differently when exposed to the chakra of ninjas. For the ninjas who are using the Fire Element, the paper is burned, for the ninja who are tied to the Elemental chakra type of Lighting, the paper crumples into itself, for the ninja who are Wind Chakra users, the paper is split in half, for ninja who use Water elemental chakra the paper will be soaked, and for ninja who use Earth based chakra, the paper will break apart. Take one and then use your chakra on it."

Naruto nodded and took the piece of paper and then focused his chakra and both he and Kakashi watched the paper….to see it split in half before their eyes.

"Cool!!!"

"I see, that means you are a Wind Elemental chakra type Naruto-kun that gives you an advantage in terms of raw offensive power. This is one reason why you cannot use the Chidori, the Chidori requires that your elemental affinity be Lightning and the most important is the fact that the Chidori requires the user to have the Sharingan."

"I guess, but why the Sharingan?"

"There are two flaws with the Chidori, the first is that it is extremely draining of chakra and is limited in use, due to the fact that it requires one to convert one's chakra into an element, for me, I can only use it four times before I'm out of chakra, even more so if I use the Sharingan. The reason for that is that since I am not a full blooded Uchiha, the Sharingan I have drains even more chakra from me, unlike Sasuke who is a Uchiha and thus his body is able to handle the strain. However, he can only use it at least two times when I taught him the technique, though he has improved since then. Using the Chidori too many times will drain all of the user's stamina and that means they…"

"They die right?"

Naruto's serious tone told Kakashi that Naruto's re-education in the ninja arts made him very aware of the dangers of exhausting one's chakra to the breaking point and he nodded. This was a very serious matter for both of them after all.

"Yes, the other flaw is the fact that in order to be accurate, the Chidori requires me to attack at a straight line, this allows other ninja to counter my attack when they can see it and that leaves me vulnerable, which is why I have the Sharingan to offset that weak point. Those two things were the reason that I did not teach the Chidori to you."

"I see that now, but I have a good technique of my own with the Rasengan."

"True, and I will say that the Rasengan is powerful. The Rasengan has the advantage as it does not require the user to change the chakra to an elemental form and is therefore less draining than the Chidori and has no limit to how many times it can be used until the user runs out of chakra, but there is a special feature that you can add when the time is right, for now we can focus on your elemental ability."

Naruto looked at the still split paper in his hand and spoke to Kakashi.

"So does that mean you can teach me any Wind based Jutsu?"

Kakashi shook his head to Naruto surprise and he spoke to explain.

"Not entirely, as you know I am a Lightning Chakra user Naruto-kun so I cannot completely teach you any Wind based Jutsu or how to properly use it's full power. There is someone who can teach you however, and that is Asuma."

"Asuma-sensei? He's a Wind User like me?"

"Correct, you see, in Konoha, Wind Chakra users are very rare and thus there are not that many of them in Konoha so you have a unique trait that gives you an advantage in combat as wind can toss aside and cut through almost anything. However we cannot train you full time in Wind manipulation not just due to the fact that we are on a mission, but it will take time. However, I can teach you a trick that will aid you well when you are in both training and in combat, and that is using the very same Kage Bushin you like using so much."

"Huh? My Kage Bushin No Jutsu, why the heck can that be useful in training, I use them all the time."

Kakashi sighed but decided that this would be a lot easier now that Naruto was a lot more mature.

"Make a Kage Bushin, and then send it to the other side of the field, namely into that forest over there. I'll make the same thing and both our Kage Bushin will play a game, say rock paper scissor. Once that is done, disperse your Kage Bushin and I will do the same."

Naruto nodded and both of them made the Kage Bushin and so did Kakashi and the two Kage Bushin made their way into the forest. And since they were out of sight from the two original ninja, they had no idea about the outcome, a few moments later, Naruto gave a grin and turned to look at Kakashi.

"Looks like I win the game Kakashi-sensei! You get to be the one to pay for my next meal of ramen when we get back to Konoha!!!"

Kakashi shook his head at that and replied.

"Yeesh, oh well, I do have some money to burn and it is for a good cause, anyway, do you understand now why I said that Kage Bushin can be useful for you?"

Naruto nodded as he finally got the idea.

"So when I make a Kage Bushin, all that the Kage Bushin learns goes to me when I disperse it?"

Kakashi nodded and began to explain the details.

"Correct, the Kage Bushin was developed as a recon tool by many ninja, since the Kage Bushin were actual clones instead of just images, and they can be used to act as forward scouts when going in directly was a bad idea. During the Ninja Wars where I took part of when I was your age, all ninja used Kage Bushin to scout and gather information without risking our own safety in the process, and because of the Kage Bushin's ability to give it's knowledge to the ninja without placing the ninja in danger, it was and still is an excellent method to learn. In this case, a ninja could use a hand full of Kage Bushin to cut down one's training time. A dozen Kage Bushin can help a ninja learn a jutsu in days which would take weeks to learn, a hundred can be used by a ninja to learn a jutsu that would take months to learn normally, and a thousand Kage Bushin can learn in weeks what would normally take years."

Naruto grinned at the implications of that and then turned to Kakashi.

"Is that the reason you're so strong Kakashi-sensei? Because you use the same training method you just told me?"

Kakashi shook his head which surprised Naruto greatly.

"Why?"

"Because Naruto-kun, a Kage Bushin being an actual clone requires an equal amount of chakra from the user to properly function. That is why Jonin and even Kage do not make a massive number of clones because doing so would limit their own chakra and drain them faster. In your case, with your current level of chakra, you have three times more than I do, even Sakura-san, and Sasuke-kun do not have the same level of chakra that you do. If you use the Kyuubi's chakra at any level, then you can have up to a hundred times more chakra then anyone in the whole village. That is why unlike many Jonin, you are able to use this training method, and that is what sets you apart from anyone in the village."

Naruto was silent and in awe at this and Kakashi could tell that the blonde Chuunin was getting his head wrapped around the concept, he couldn't help but wonder how Naruto would have been like had he discovered the hidden use for Kage Bushin months before, either by accident or if he figured it out on his own. He would have been a true prodigy AND would have put even Sasuke to shame. However, he still had to teach Naruto the side effects of the training method.

"Before you go thinking of doing this training method now Naruto-kun, you have to know that it is a double edged sword."

Naruto understood the phrase and asked.

"You mean there is a side effect to it?"

"Yes, when the Kage Bushin disperse, they not only give the knowledge back to the user, but also their mental and physical exhaustion to the user, which is the reason why Kage Bushin and it's advanced variant, the Tajuu Kage Bushin is in some cases considered a Kinjutsu. That is why you have to be prepared for this if you wish to pursue this training."

Naruto thought it over and had to admit that it had both good and bad points, but then again, he recalled how hard it had been for him to master Rasengan before he finally could use it properly. If this could help him improve and fight those who threaten not just Konoha and the people he loved more than himself, then so be it.

"I accept the training Kakashi-sensei, no matter how long it takes, I will be stronger for the sake of everyone I care about."

Kakashi could see the determination and conviction in Naruto's eyes and he couldn't help but smile beneath his mask.

(You have grown much Naruto-kun, I have a feeling that when you do accomplish your dream of being Hokage, you will be one of the finest there will be in Konoha, the Fourth would be proud of you as well as Jiraiya-sama.)

"Good, then let's get down to business, remember, this training method is usable in all facets as a ninja, in Ninjitsu and Taijutsu as well. I can even bet you can use the Kage Bushin training with your own training in the arts of a Dragon Champion. For this level of training, you will need to learn Nature Manipulation; this requires changing the base chakra you have to the elemental equivalent and using it. And the best way to start is to do the same thing that you did with the paper, with a leaf. This is the basic step and will help perfect it in the coming times of training."

Naruto nodded and made his way to get a leaf from a nearby tree and he then spoke to Kakashi.

"How many leaves do I have to split?"

"All the leaves on the tree."

Naruto's eyes bulged at that and he made his shock very obvious.

"Are you serious?!"

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Naruto found out later that Kakashi was very serious in the suggestion and he was spending as much time in training in the art of Nature Manipulation as well as learning the art of acting from Koyuki who proved to be a very good teacher, back then before the battles that allowed her to reclaim her home from her uncle, she would just act and have no emotion except those emotions required to act the part. But this time however, she acted with full emotion which made her all the more popular and her change in attitude from before was a refreshing change.

Koyuki was patient with Naruto and taught him as best she could as the film continued to play, Naruto himself was getting used to being front of the camera and since the two were both doing their best, the movie was going well and the director was enjoying the situation immensely at the moment. This was reminding him of the film they had done in Snow Country before and that movie proved to be a stellar hit.

Naruto was struggling in the art of acting for the first few days, but he was proving to be a quick study and due to his desire to succeed, was proving to be able to grasp the basics. The director wondered how good an actor Naruto would have been had he not been a ninja. However, he knew that Naruto's real duty was to protecting Koyuki from harm. The rest of the people who worked under him knew that Koyuki was the princess of Snow Country but they still referred to her as Yukie Fujikaze to be more secure. Naruto naturally preferred to call her by her real name when they were working together, but was able to say her screen name when they had to play their respective parts.

The director also saw that there was some deep affection between the two of them, though the affection was at a higher degree in the case of Koyuki and he could understand that as he knew that if it had not been for Naruto's help and his own words, Koyuki would not have only regained her heart, but also become a beloved leader of a nation and an actress at the very same time. In Naruto's case, he did act a lot more open with Koyuki, no doubt since he still held her as his favorite actress, but also no doubt had some deeper affection from the time when he had been given the picture of him being kissed by Koyuki while he was still resting from the titanic battle with Doto. The director knew that such a thing as a romance happening between two people would have added a serious element to the story, which was somewhat effective as in the movie, Koyuki character who was still Princess Fuun would develop an attraction to her new guardian which Naruto played after all.

It was one scene that bothered the director however, the one scene that they would have to work on in the coming days. His concerns were that Naruto would not dare do the scene due to the highly intimate and open nature of it all. Not to mention the fact that there was a chance Koyuki would not entirely agree with the idea. However, it was there in the script and it was soon to be placed into the film soon enough.

As Naruto continued to train with his Kage Bushin, Kakashi had to admit that Naruto would be able to use Kage Bushin better than any other ninja and would have put him in par with high ranking ninja. Naruto was already proving to be a cunning and very serious user of Kage Bushin and was using the jutsu in ways that not even he could do. Kakashi had a feeling Naruto would earn the title of Kage Bushin Master at this rate as Naruto continued to push the limits of his use of Kage Bushin in learning the art of Nature Manipulation as well as using it to learn how to be a Dragon Champion.

It was nearly two weeks since the first attack and the situation seemed a lot calmer than before, but that was to change very soon.

Naruto and the others were getting ready to enact another battle scene for the movie, though only in a much larger scale when a massive number of unknown people appeared on the scene and they were already heading towards the crew and it was then that Naruto, Kakashi, Sakura, and Sasuke knew that a fight was underway. The attack was very quick however and some people were injured and the Konoha ninja were forced to fight the unknown ninja and move them back to prevent them from harming anyone else to reach their real target who was none other than Koyuki herself.

Naruto made sure to leave a pair of his Kage Bushin to protect Koyuki and he went ahead with his team mates. It was then that they saw the number of ninja and that meant a more serious attack was well underway and no doubt aimed at Koyuki.

The director however decided to improvise and aimed the camera right at the battle scene….this was going to be a good fight and he was now going to let this chance to get some really good footage get away from him. Koyuki looked on and hoped that Naruto and the others would be all right.

--------

Naruto and the others were fighting off the large force of ninja who were armed with the basic and advanced ninja assortment of weapons, but to the surprise of Team 7, they spotted a number of things that the ninja had on them.

They had no forehead protectors and that meant they had no affiliated villages, and the second thing was the awfully familiar chakra enhancing armor of Snow Country.

Naruto dodged a number of kunai and used his two katanas to fight off a pair of ninja who were attacking him with swords of their own, his Orchaelium crafted katanas were more than a match for the weapons possessed by the ninjas and he was able to defeat the pair with a few well aimed strokes. The battle was going well to their side at the moment and the Konoha ninja were doing fine in their attacks on these mercenary ninja. Naruto's training with the Kage Bushin and the advantages it gave him was proving to be worth it as he was dispatching ninja left and right with amazing speed and ease….much to Kakashi's approval and Sakura's amazement. Sasuke looked on and gritted his teeth a bit and focused on beating the ninja before him as Naruto was busy fighting in the front lines.

The rogue ninja pushed on with their attacks on the Konoha team, but Kakashi and his team were proving to be more than a match for them all despite their numbers and weaponry as well. Naruto used a number of spells and also his other weapons as he drew his Composite Bow and placed aside his swords for the moment and rained shot after shot on the rogue ninja forces.

However, just as several of the ninja were retreating, a new voice came to the scene.

"Spineless worms. To think we hired you for this line of work, and all to kill a simple woman who isn't even a ninja!"

Several of the ninja who were there were suddenly lifted into the air and were suddenly killed by flying kunai that was apparently guided by chakra strings. The other ninja tried to escape but there were traps there that finished them. Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke, and Kakashi moved back as the new arrival that was no doubt a woman came.

She wore a simple dark robe without any markings and wore some sort of mask and from the bulged on her left leg at the calf there appeared to some sort of device there, or a weapon of some sort. Naruto was quick to try and see anything that could tell them of just who this new arrival was. The female arrival spoke to them all.

"So a band of Konoha ninja? And the very same band that protected the princess months before….this is going to be good."

Naruto glared at the new arrival and she removed her cloak, revealing that she wore a deep red vest with chest wrappings, red gloves, red short pants, red body armor with white wrappings on certain parts of her body as well as red armor shin guards, as well as boots, with a short sword strapped to her left leg. The woman had teal colored hair in a rather elegant hairstyle and had tattoos shaped like flowers on her body.

"Who the heck are you?"

Kakashi asked as he got his kunai ready to fight with while Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto were getting ready for a fight as the other rogue ninja were still ready and willing to fight at the moment despite the fact that some of them had been killed by their own boss.

"Why should I introduce myself to my enemies, I am here to kill the princess and you are in my way. So if you value your lives, I suggest you leave and let me and my men do our mission."

Naruto glared and then unleashed Holy Talon and the woman flipped back to avoid being cut down as Naruto used the same technique of attack he had used when he first faced Orochimaru in the forest of Death. the masked woman looked as Naruto leaped towards her and she got ready to fight. But she had to evade as Holy talon came back from behind and would have cut her in half had she not seen the sword coming. Naruto caught the sword and lunged with a slash at the woman who managed to evade the attack.

"Well now….you are proving to be living up to those rumors I heard about you….Naruto Uzumaki. Let's see what else you can do!!!"

The woman took out her sword and unleashed several strikes at Naruto which forced him to go on the defensive as he blocked with the flat part of Holy Talon and as soon as he knocked the woman's descending slash back, he unleashed his own barrage of attacks and as soon as he forced her back he summoned his choice jutsu.

"KAGE BUSHIN NO JUTSU!"

The Kage Bushin charged and the female ninja defeated a number of them but her triumph was cut short as Naruto unleashed his vines to wrap her arms, and legs and he got ready to unleash his finishing strike and he summoned his Kage Bushin once more and then made the move to unleash his chosen strike.

"What the?!"

The female masked ninja looked as Naruto created his Rasengan and infused a portion of Dragon Fire and the Rasengan was now unleashing a fiery head of a dragon in a roar.

"FIRE DRAGON RASENGAN!!!"

The blonde Chuunin charged right at her and she was hit hard and was sent flying, much to the surprise of all the people there, even Sasuke was surprised at the sight of the Rasengan. Naruto however looked as the woman suddenly disperse to reveal a log.

(Replacement Jutsu!!!)

"Impressive young man, you are proving to be a good fighter, I wonder if your other team mates can do better?"

It was when Naruto looked at the arm of the female Kunoichi that attacked him that he saw something that totally caught him off guard.

To outsiders from Konoha, or anywhere else for that matter, it resembled a tattoo that was rarely seen, however, to the blonde Chuunin's eyes, this told him loads on just who the heck he was fighting at the moment. But it still shocked him to know that this masked Kunoichi who he was fight was…

A Konoha ANBU…

The Kunoichi looked at Naruto and spoke in a very calm and mocking voice.

"Naughty boy, are you trying to seduce me?"

"Heck no! What I want to know is why you have a Konoha ANBU tattoo on your arm!"

The rest of Team 7 were surprised and Kakashi looked at the Kunoichi and saw that Naruto's words were very true as he saw that the woman had an ANBU tattoo on her arm, in the very same place where female Konoha ANBU would have their tattoo to signify their status.

The woman smirked and replied.

"Good eye, but you are still going to be unable to get enough answers. But before I leave, I have to ask, is it really true that Tsunade-sama is the Hokage?"

Naruto could tell that there was a tone of hostility in the voice of the woman, meaning that she had ill will towards Tsunade and while he knew that Tsunade could take care of herself, he was not keen on letting anyone lay a hand on Tsunade and harm her while he was alive and around. He however decided to answer her question in order to find out just what this person had against Tsunade.

"She is, what of it?"

The woman seemed to be a bit tense and it seemed that Naruto's answer had struck a nerve, but before anything could be done, the female ANBU unleashed a wave of kunai and that forced the Team of Konoha ninja to back away as the kunai were filled with explosive tags. As the smoke cleared out of the way, the group turned and saw that the rogue Konoha ANBU was back on the tree and she spoke to the ninja.

"Tell Tsunade-sama that I have an old issue with her, and this time, I want some answers to it and this new one, I knew that she never wanted to be Hokage, so I want to know why she chose to do it now."

Sakura spoke then as she did not like the way the rogue ANBU was talking towards her sensei.

"What is your deal with Tsunade-sensei?"

The ANBU turned and despite the fact she was wearing her mask she was not happy with the fact that Sakura called Tsunade her sensei.

"Are you an apprentice of the Hokage? I thought Shizune was the only one Tsunade-sama took as an apprentice."

"I am her second apprentice lady, if you lay a hand on my sensei, I am going to beat the hell out of you!"

The former Konoha ANBU seemed to be looking and then she laughed and replied.

"You're words are fierce indeed little lady, but I doubt you can stand up to me, you may be Tsunade-sama's apprentice, but I am in a level beyond you since you ARE still a Genin. Tell Tsunade-sama that I have every intention of making her pay."

Naruto glared and was about to make his move when she fired another kunai which was on another Chakra string and she left the scene. Naruto looked about as he moved to the tree line but was stopped by Kakashi.

"Hold on Naruto-kun, we need to check on Koyuki-hime and the others."

Naruto knew that to be important and as such, he broke off his pursuit and as they headed back to the area where the crew had been able to relocate with the guards that were hired, Naruto turned to Kakashi and spoke.

"Kakashi-sensei, is there any ANBU from Konoha that you know of that have gone rogue?"

The Jonin and former ANBU captain thought it over and decided to think back on all the ANBU who he had known when he was still the Captain years before he left to be a Jonin and before he had met Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura and they became his Genin team.

"I know of only one ANBU that went rogue, and I think that the one we ran into is her."

"Who is she?"

"Her name was Kagura, and as far as my memory serves me, she was a highly skilled ANBU that used chakra strings and kunai as well as her ANBU blade in combat, she was very skilled and talented and had even asked Tsunade at one point in the Hokage's life to take her as an apprentice and even wanted to be Hokage. However, she was refused by Tsunade because she was too cruel and cold towards anyone, among the female ninja of the village years before, Kagura was considered the second strongest and even was better at Genjutsu than even Kurenai. Naturally she didn't take Tsunade's rejection lightly and she went rogue."

Sakura thought it over and had to admit that after seeing Kagura decimating the retreating members of her own forces without any hesitation or mercy, she would not have been chosen by Tsunade because of her lack of compassion and her cruelty towards others. It was then that she decided to venture a question

"Could she be the leader of the assassination attempts on Koyuki-hime?"

"That's a possibility that we have to take into account, but she would have allies, she would no doubt know how capable Tsunade-sama is at the moment and knows that attacking her directly would not be very effective, even if she is a former ANBU. Besides, there is a chance she would be working with others."

"What do we do now?"

Kakashi thought of the answer quickly and replied.

"We'll think on that later, we need to tend to any of the injured first and as soon as things begin to settle down, we can make the plans we need to make, but chief of them is to inform Hokage-sama that we have an idea on one of the threats."

--------

Later…

To the relief of everyone, the people were safe and Sakura had to use her medical training both in the use of Medical Jutsu and also with Dragon Fire, or Mystic Fire as Naruto also coined. Naruto had explained that while the key principles were the same as Medical Jutsu, healing with Dragon Fire required a greater degree of control.

Naruto had taught her the basic techniques and strategies to heal using Dragon Fire and also to cure poisons through the use of Life Magic and it proved to be very useful to her already growing Medical Jutsu skills. The wounded were not that many but some had taken a considerable number of hits and the combined knowledge of Life Magic and Medical Jutsu certainly helped a great deal in healing the wounded.

In the meantime, Sasuke and Naruto were on guard duty, Naruto naturally was with Koyuki to ensure her safety at the moment while Sasuke was doing his part, for now this new enemy was the one that got his attention. In the meantime, Kakashi was quick to gather all the important information that they had gathered to send to Tsunade for a counter to Kagura and whoever she was working with in this plot to kill Koyuki and take the chakra enhancing armor of the people of Snow Country.

The simple escort mission had turned into something else entirely and it was at this point that Kakashi wondered if his team was fated to always be thrown into such missions like this for the rest of their lives. The first was with the bridge builder Tazuna, and then the mission to protect Koyuki from before. Not that he disliked it, these missions actually were very helpful in improving the fighting abilities of his team and also was a good way for Naruto improve enough. He knew that it would still take a while before Naruto would develop the ability to properly master the basics of Nature Manipulation but his determination, drive, and more was already helping him gain some head way no matter how short it was to some people's point of view, but he knew that with Naruto's heavy stamina helping him and the Kage Bushin evening things up, had allowed him to improve at a better rate than normal, and it was actually somewhat entertaining to see Naruto train and he admired the fighting spirit of his blonde student.

As soon as the message was completed he summoned Pakkun and gave the order to his dog summon to deliver the message as quickly as possible to Tsunade. As soon as Pakkun left to do his work, the Jonin went to check on his team and also the people who were part of the movie crew.

This was probably going to be a mission that would prove to be a real interesting situation.

--------

In Konoha…days later

Tsunade read the incoming report and couldn't help but shake her head at the news before her at the moment, to think that she was facing this particular ANBU yet again.

"Kagura….so your still alive and causing trouble."

The Hokage knew that Kagura would not be giving up easily and the idea that the former ANBU of Konoha was very skilled and driven, there were reasons why she would never take Kagura as her apprentice long ago. She lacked compassion for her comrades and sacrificed their lives needlessly. Tsunade was a very large idealist, and knew that as ninja, they all faced death at some point, but Kagura's lack of compassion and her cruelty in using Genjutsu made her unworthy of being a proper Medic Nin.

In truth she had to admit that with her skill, Kagura would have made good apprentice material but she never regretted her decision to choose Shizune as her apprentice. But this was a serious matter, Kagura was dangerous and she would no doubt be more than eager to fight her. Tsunade knew that since the information from Kakashi told her that Kagura had a number of ninja under employ, she would be working with someone and that someone had once worked for Orochimaru of all people, and this was something she couldn't ignore.

Orochimaru had been busy gathering all the jutsu he could, as she had learned from Jiraiya who had been keeping tabs on their former ally and friend, along with gathering jutsu, the snake Sannin also had been experimenting on forbidden jutsu and techniques from other parts of the world and it would not surprise her that in order to get the data, resources, facilities and tools he needed, he would have formed alliances with others of like mind like him. Kabuto was his right hand, and there was no doubts about Kabuto's abilities, but since they were dealing with a former associate, then it was no doubt someone else who Orochimaru had worked with before.

Shizune entered the room and Tsunade turned to her apprentice.

"We need to send out a backup team to Kakashi right away. It seems an old rogue of ours has been sighted."

"Who?"

"Kagura herself."

Shizune was surprised as she knew just who Kagura was.

"Kagura, but wasn't she considered a rogue ninja when she left ANBU?"

"Yes, Naruto-kun and the others encountered her and she seems to be the one who launched a more open attack on Koyuki and her film crew. And it seems she might have an employer, an old associate of Orochimaru."

"Orochimaru?"

Tsunade filled Shizune in on all the details that Naruto had been able to gather when he had spoke to Koyuki about what had been happening with Snow/Spring Country after Koyuki took her position as the leader of the Country. It would make sense that the chakra enhancing armor of Snow/Spring Country could be used as a weapon of war. She had been told months before that the armor was able to improve one's' chakra abilities and render the user immune to Genjutsu and Ninjutsu. If this armor and it's designs were copied and handed to all rogue ninja forces, then they would have a good advantage in combat. The fact that a number of the chakra enhancing armor was now out of the hands of Koyuki's people was troubling, but so far, there had been no reports of the armor being used by any ninja force at the moment. The fact that this former associate of Orochimaru was after the one suit that

This associate might be among the buyers who had taken the armor that was sold before Koyuki put an end to that. And there was a chance that he might have either bought, bribed, or stole the armor from the other buyer. And if this associate had Kagura in his or her employ, then this would be a dangerous situation. ANBU security in the village had be tightened and a good number of the still present Jonin had to be on alert. Now she had to send a team to support Kakashi's team, and considering the fact that Naruto was getting some training in the basics of Nature Manipulation and his elemental chakra type was Wind she needed to choose someone to help him to master the first steps. And he already knew just who to send.

"Get Asuma and his team here ASAP."

"Yes Tsunade-sama!"

It didn't take very long for Asuma, Ino, Chouji, and Shikamaru to arrive into the office and Tsunade quickly filled them in on the details of the mission, she knew that the team was going to be helpful for Kakashi, and since Asuma would be supporting Naruto in learning some new steps it would be helpful.

Asuma was not very happy with the news of Kagura being back as a Jonin, he too was well aware of who Kagura was and how dangerous she was at the moment. However he was rather curious as to why he and his team were requested by the Hokage to aid Kakashi, he understood that they would need help if things go wrong, but considering the talent in his team, Kakashi would be all right.

"I have another reason to be asking for your help Asuma, Kakashi recently discovered Naruto's chakra affinity, and it's the same as your own."

Asuma was rather surprised by the news at that moment.

"Naruto-kun's a Wind chakra like me? Who'd thought that was the case? And you need my help to train him Hokage-sama?"

"Correct, you and Naruto are among the very few Wind Users born in Konoha, you are more advanced than Naruto so it would help him a great deal to be trained by you. He has already begun the basic training but it yet to master the part of cutting a leaf in half with his chakra."

Asuma nodded, he himself was familiar with the technique and he was eager to get this going.

"All right, we're on our way Tsunade-sama."

Tsunade nodded and as soon as Asuma's team left, she turned to Shizune and spoke.

"Have the ANBU on full alert status Shizune, and have them make double sure to check not just the village but all areas around Konoha for possible areas of weakness in the defense. If Kagura is going to make a move, I want to know about it."

"Hai Tsunade-sama."

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To be continued…

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Author's Notes:

Well, that wraps up this baby. I'll be taking a break from Naruto Dragon Champion and work on some of my other fics, including the soon to come lemons that I have in mind for the section I happen to be in. Expect a soon to come update for the lemon story section of Naruto Dragon Champion, as well as Deserted Island and hopefully my other fics.

I have a lot to do in real life so making new stories and material will not be easy with the time I have on my hands

I have added a character who is from a Naruto video game and if you are familiar with the Clash of Ninja 2 Revolution game, then you will have no problem recognizing her in this story. And since this is a different story from the original video game where she can be found, expect her fate to be somewhat different as well as her current agendas as well. Of course, the fact is that she wants to kill Tsunade and if killing Koyuki will make it a lot easier, then all the better for her in that regard.

We now have Naruto not only learning the basic of Nature Manipulation and also the secret of the Kage Bushin, and we have Asuma teaching him how to master the basics of the use of his Wind Chakra, what sort of result will come out now that Naruto is taking the first steps in this form of training?

Wait and see!

Also, what will happen when a certain scene has to be done in the movie with Naruto in it, and how will Ino and Sakura react and when the movie does come out, how will the women in Konoha react to seeing Naruto actually do the deed on film as he will put all of his lessons to use in the silver screen? Not to mention, how will the other Countries react to the soon to come movie that has Koyuki and Naruto together?

You can bet that things for Naruto are going to be wild and very interesting!!!


	36. The Art of Acting Part 3

Naruto Dragon Champion

Disclaimer: I own nothing related to Naruto or any said media

Chapter 26

Part 3

The Art of Acting

( ): Thoughts

((" ")): Holy Talon's voice

(((" "))): Death Fang's voice

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In the field….

Naruto was currently working on the next step of his training with Kakashi, using the same Kage Bushin technique as they spared with one another and Kakashi was guiding him on some new Taijutsu moves which he could incorporate into his training, and right beside him, his Kage Bushin and Kakashi was Sakura and Sasuke. Sakura was watching in great attention while Sasuke merely looked on.

The Uchiha had been able t see the training method and when he found out that Naruto was training in the art of using one's Nature Affinity chakra, he was not happy, despite Naruto's powers, and that new move that he called the Rasengan, he had banked on the fact that he had both the Sharingan and the Chidori in his arsenal, but now that Naruto was revealed to be a Wind Chakra user and was using a very effective and potentially powerful technique to become stronger, the Uchiha youth was not in the best of moods.

He made that plain enough to Kakashi one night when they were on patrol.

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Flashback…

As they did their rounds, Sasuke turned and spoke to Kakashi.

"Hey Kakashi, why the heck is Naruto learning Elemental chakra?"

The Jonin turned and replied.

"I made a promise to him to help make him stronger Sasuke-kun and now that the time is right, and the situation demands it, I have to keep my end of the bargain."

"So why is he training with Kage Bushin?"

Kakashi then told me about the secret behind the use of Kage Bushin and Sasuke was shocked to hear about this, with that training method he could be able to learn even more techniques to finally have enough ability to be stronger than he was before, the idea of it was so interesting that he grinned at the thought and spoke to Kakashi.

"Then I will use that technique to improve myself as well."

"No, you are not Sasuke."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Naruto is the only one to be able to use that method of training Sasuke, neither you or Sakura can do it, only he can."

"Why him?"

"Because he has the chakra needed for the training to work effectively Sasuke. You no doubt are aware of this, but the Kage Bushin No Jutsu is an A-Rank Justus for a reason, as you know of it's need to have the user divide a portion of chakra to make proper Kage Bushin means that most ninja, even myself or the Kage are limited in the making of numerous Kage Bushin because we would severely deplete out chakra, even I would never dare to use it to train myself. Neither you nor Sakura have the chakra needed to maintain that many Kage Bushin, only Naruto does."

Sasuke could see that the Jonin was not lying at all and the thought of this method being beyond him made him clench his fists even more.

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End of Flashback…

Sasuke unclenched his fist and took a deep breath and expelled it out and tried to remain calm as best he could. He recalled Naruto's words about him not intervening if he went after Itachi again, but he also recalled the words Itachi spoke to him back in the inn…about Naruto being better than him and the power in his team-mate being more worthy of his time than him.

(Damn it all….I will beat you yet brother, I swear it.)

Sasuke looked away and decided to busy himself with other matters for the time being, he wanted to avoid looking at them as he felt even more anger. It made him feel even more inferior, it was bad enough that Naruto had this power that his own brother considered worth more than him, then to see him grow even stronger than him by being trained by many people, and lastly, being a Dragon Champion and wielding great powers as well as those which he already had.

Sasuke gritted his teeth and felt another bolt of anger and jealousy rip through his body at the thoughts that flooded his mind. It became a very serious thing for him to deal with and thus he went off to do something to get his mind off his thoughts, all he could think of now was how to defeat Itachi and gain more power in order to do so….but yet, he couldn't do it….because the one who he had once called a dead last idiot was surpassing him in every way and it was painful to admit and humiliating as well.

It was then that he turned to see the rest of the crew getting ready for another shot for one part of the film with the villains plotting a counter attack on the heroes that were currently resting on their journey to reach their target in the script. This was getting on his nerves even more; he wished he would fight a much tougher foe so he could really be able to show that he was still able to face anyone on an even keel.

"Hey Sasuke-kun!"

Sasuke looked up and saw none other than Asuma, Ino, Shikamaru, and Chouji, apparently Asuma's team had arrived on time and they were eager to lend their aid to the coming fight, Sasuke snorted as he looked on at the group and when Asuma spoke in greeting he replied sourly.

"If you're looking for Kakashi, he's over there training the dobe in the Kage Bushin Training technique, now I have to go do my rounds."

With that out of the

Shikamaru looked at the leaving form of Sasuke and he couldn't help but give a slight sigh.

"What the heck is eating him? He's gotten more anti-social for a reason."

Ino gave Shikamaru a serious look and replied.

"Maybe Sasuke-kun's just having some bad things on his mind. Either way, we should go see just what Sasuke-kun said about Naruto-kun's new training method, this could be very cool to watch."

Chouji and Shikamaru, as well as Asuma were surprised by Ino's behavior.

Normally she would have glomped onto Sasuke the first chance she got when she saw him and cared little if Sakura was going to notice, given the fact that both girls vied for his affections, now it seemed that Ino's obsession for Sasuke and even Sakura's own obsession for Sasuke seemed to have lessened. Asuma gave Ino a more intrigued look as well.

(Is it just me, or is Ino showing more interest in Naruto now? Not that I can blame her, considering how much Naruto has grown over the months after all that has happened, but still, this is highly unexpected.)

The same was in Shikamaru's mind as well.

(I was under the impression Ino would shout at me and defend Sasuke like she normally did before, but now she seems to be less interested in him and more in Naruto, not that I should mind, it's her business, but still, it's very unexpected.)

The team moved on and then Asuma commented as he witnessed the training session between Naruto and Kakashi as the Jonin continued to watch Naruto learn how to cut a leaf with his chakra by converting it into Wind and as far as Asuma could see in the massive sea of Kage Bushin, Naruto was having a tough time, but the blonde Chuunin was not planning to give up anytime soon as he continued to fight.

"So Naruto's using that method, suits him well considering his chakra reserve."

"Why is Naruto using so many clones?"

Asuma looked at Ino and decided to explain.

"Naruto is using the Kage Bushin training technique Ino."

"How can you use Bushin for training Asuma-sensei? I mean Naruto uses it all the time when he fights, so how can it be used for training?"

"Kage Bushin was designed as a recon technique, as the Kage Bushin can gather information and then when dispersed, the user gets the information that the Kage Bushin has gathered along the way. That is why it is a very powerful jutsu in the sense that when used in training, it can allow a ninja to learn any form of Ninjutsu, Genjutsu or Taijutsu in a much shorter time that if he or she did it normally."

"Wow! Do you use that too?"

"No and neither does Kakashi, in fact no other Jonin or even a Kage uses Kage Bushin for training."

Chouji and Ino were surprised at that as they had expected that Asuma used this technique to get stronger, and they also thought all other Jonin use that method, with the exception of Gai as he was never seen using any form of Genjutsu or Ninjutsu.

"Why not Asuma-sensei?"

"Because of the need to divide one's chakra, in order to make Kage Bushin, the user has to divide his or her chakra to make sure there is a decent supply for each Kage Bushin we make if we use that method. But doing so means that for every Kage Bushin a ninja makes, his or her own chakra reserve is dwindled and that limits the chakra available for any jutsu of any kind, thus that weakens the purpose of the training itself. And the fact that when the Kage Bushin is dispersed, it's not just the information that is passed on to the original ninja but..."

"But the mental and physical exhaustion of the Kage Bushin is passed on as well, right Asuma-sensei?"

Asuma nodded to Shikamaru and smiled.

"You are correct there Shikamaru, that is why Kage Bushin are not always used by even high level ninjas for this method of training unless they already have a very high reserve of chakra in themselves, and even then, the chance of being hit by the sheer mental and physical exhaustion of the combined Kage Bushin once they disperse is very tiring, but considering that Naruto's chakra is very large quantities, he can use this method of training just fine."

As the others continued to watch the two ninja spar with one another in the training field, the blonde Chuunin was still trying his best to cut a leaf in half and the same could be said for the large number of Kage Bushin who were very much doing the very same thing as well and Kakashi was still observing the whole situation at the moment Naruto who was listening patiently to his Jonin sensei. There were some shouts of triumph from the Kage Bushin but they were very few in number and Naruto seemed all the more determined to succeed

As the training stopped for the day, the Kage Bushin dispersed and the leaves they each had and those fell to the ground, and Asuma looked at them and was surprised to see that while almost all of the gathered leaves didn't have that deep cuts in them, there were some that were cut. And that was impressive as Naruto had not been trained by a Wind chakra user like him. This meant that if Naruto got the training to master his Wind Chakra, then he would prove to be truly skilled ninja.

(Not bad….his progress might be slow to the casual observer, but to have made it this far using Kage Bushin and not know the secret to using Wind Chakra, he has managed to shorten his training exponentially, it took me a number of years to even come close to using my Wind chakra to the higher levels that I do now. This can prove to be a very interesting time to train Naruto-kun.)

Asuma approached Kakashi as the Jonin checked on his currently sleeping student who was exhausted from the training he was undergoing while still having Holy Talon on his back at the moment. The Jonin sensei of Shikamaru, Ino and Chouji walked to Kakashi and checked on the currently resting Naruto.

"How is he doing?"

"He's tired at the moment, but give him a few minutes of rest and he will be back at it once more, I nearly thought I would have to resort to using sleeping medicine or a sleeping jutsu to make him get some much needed sleep since he has to be playing the part of actor in the whole movie."

Asuma looked at Kakashi with some surprise and the Jonin sensei of Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto explained what exactly happened on why Naruto was now an actor in the movie that Koyuki was staring in at this point and time and Asuma had to admit that the situation Naruto found himself in at the moment was certainly something that most young men would only dream of.

"Wow, Naruto's actually staring in a film? That will certainly get him noticed."

Kakashi chuckled and replied to Asuma's words.

"You don't know the half of it Asuma, come on, he seems to be waking up."

And sure enough, Naruto was already waking up and shaking his head, he was about to get back up and continue the training for a bit longer, until he spotted Asuma and then Ino, Shikamaru, and Chouji. Naruto gasped in great surprise at the sight before him at the moment as he was not expecting to be meeting any other ninja team, he knew that Kakashi was going to send the report of what they had learned to Tsunade back in Konoha, but he was not expecting support.

"Asuma-san, Ino, Shikamaru, Chouji, what are you all doing here?'

Asuma then explained just what he and his team were doing here.

"When Tsunade found out that Kagura was about in the attempt to kill Koyuki, she dispatched us to support you, and I was asked to help you learning how to use your Wind Chakra, since you and I are both Wind Users, I can teach you some of the basic methods, I saw the leaves and you are doing all right so far Naruto-kun."

Naruto grinned at that praise and replied.

"I haven't split all the leaves yet Asuma-sensei."

"True, but you are getting there at the very least, you already have the fundamental basics and with my help with the Kage Bushin, you can improve even more. But I think you need to get some much needed rest for the time being."

"I guess."

Naruto was allowed to get some rest for the day while Chouji decided to share with Naruto some food he had with him and even have him some Spring Bread, he had been given some before and he liked the bread that tasted very nice to him and figured Naruto could have some so he could get all his strength back. Naruto ate the bread and felt very much refreshed, but for now he had to begin his time as an actor as he was picked up by Koyuki who greeted Asuma and the others, Chouji was not that big a fan of Koyuki but considered her a very skilled actress and even Ino herself was happy to meet the princess of Spring Country and the famous actress who had made a very good number of movies for the past few years. Shikamaru also offered his greetings, keeping in mind that she was royalty after all.

As soon as that was out of the way, the new team were given some new quarters courtesy of Koyuki and then they were able to see the movie being played out by the actors and actresses as well as Koyuki and Naruto. Naruto admitted that he was still slightly uncomfortable with the idea of being an actor in the movie as well as Koyuki's body guard, but it was all right for him at the moment. Naruto however wondered just what was going on with the rest of the world at the moment, he had no doubt in his mind that Akatsuki would still be slinking about and Orochimaru was not going to be idle forever.

--------

In a hidden lair…

"So, what have you to report Itachi?"

Itachi looked at the forms of his gathered comrades in the organization of Akatsuki and both he and Kisame gave their reports on the matter.

"We have managed to track the Four tailed Jinchuuriki and his bijuu but he has not yet fully matured so extraction is not yet possible, and we have continued to search for the sword known as Death Fang as you have requested of us Pain-sama, but it seems that the sword does not wish to be found as easily as before."

"I see…"

"Why take an interest in such a sword anyway? We are after the Jinchuuriki after all, why then should we deviate from the plan that we have already been able to do for the past many years?"

One of the Akatsuki members spoke, and this one seemed to be like a hunchback of some sort. The others were also seemingly in thought about the matter. Another then spoke as well, next to the hunchbacked member of the organization that Itachi and Kisame were part of.

"I must agree with Sasori-sama, this sword is not what we are hunting, so why bother with it?"

Kisame then replied.

"Because we found out that an old acquaintance of ours has a very vested interest in the weapon itself and if he gains that sword, it could very well be a great blow to our plans."

"So….Orochimaru is very interested in acquiring this sword as well? Then that could be a problem. Is there no other trace of this weapon Itachi?"

"None that we know of Pain-sama, but from what I and Kisame have found, is that the place that shows it's possible location, feels dead somehow."

"Dead?"

"Yes, when we first found the sword, the land before it's lair felt…barren, lifeless, almost as if the ground itself was stripped of all life, and there seems to be the stench of death itself in not just the land, but in the air itself. Then the very land is corrupted somehow, and there is no doubt that it's minions will guard their master well and will not hesitate to kill anyone unworthy in the eyes of their master."

"Very well, the Jinchuuriki are not yet ready to be gathered, for now, this weapon could prove to be useful, once bent to our will and our mission, then we can truly rule this world."

Itachi however had doubts in that, he had seen a portion of the mind of that evil sword, and while he was always calm and composed, he felt something run through his body at that memory of tapping into the mind of that sword, and that sensation was fear.

The memory of seeing the brutality the sword could do when without a master was very obvious in his memories, but seeing the utter bloodshed and carnage that Death Fang could accomplish once it was in the hands of the once chosen to be it's master….it made him even more worried. But after the time he had been able to hold the sword and it was able to read his mind, he doubted that it could be easily claimed.

As the meeting ended, he made sure to speak to Pain in private on the true nature of the sword, he had a feeling that even Pain would not be easily chosen by the sword. Pain listened intently and then made several commands to another figure and this one nodded and left in a flurry of paper.

--------

"Where are you going Orochimaru-sama?"

"To keep track of my prize."

"But…you're arms."

"I will heal them soon enough, now remain here and keep an eye on things for me."

"Hai Orochimaru-sama."

"Come Kabuto, we have work to do."

"As you wish Orochimaru-sama."

--------

Days later…

Naruto and the others had moved to the next filming location and while the others were on routine patrol at the moment, he was busy playing actor and Koyuki had to admit that he was quick to learn the trade of acting at a much better pace than she did when she was his age, but she was not jealous, more of impressed and very happy with Naruto, he was always attentive and asked the right question as well as always asking for proper advice from her and that made things all the more interesting for her and the crew as well.

So far, Kagura and her compatriot ninja had not made any serious moves on them for some time but that certainly didn't mean that they were not going to try something when the time came so while Naruto remained close to Koyuki to protect her on and off the set, the others did most of their recon and defensive duty, Ino took control of a number of sharp eyed birds to track anything from the sky using her family Body Swapping Jutsu, while Shikamaru and Chouji did their part as well as Sasuke and Sakura did.

Asuma had begun to teach Naruto that in order to learn how to use his Wind Chakra properly, he had to imagine his chakra taking the form on a pair of blades meeting one another and cutting the object in between. To prove his point, Asuma explained the use of his trench knives which he had made from a special metal that uses his chakra. He tossed one of the knives without the chakra in a tree and it was buried deeply into the tree. Then he used the same knife but imbued his chakra into it and then to Naruto's surprise, Asuma's chakra enhanced trench knife tore through the tree and was buried deeply in the rock behind it, Naruto was impressed and Asuma replied that with ore training and expertise, Naruto could be able to make the knife go through not just the tree, but even through the rock itself all the way to the ground, that was why Wind Users were deadly fighters in mid to close range combat. Naruto smiled and began to use the training handed to him by Asuma while still using the same method of using his Kage Bushin.

It had taken quite a number of tries, not to mention the need for Naruto to play the part assigned to him as an actor Naruto had finally mastered the basics on how to properly use his Wind chakra and began to study some brand new moves in order to add to his arsenal of jutsu, and skills as well. So far he had to yet master some aspects of chakra training but for now he had some new moves that could prove to real assets in a fight when he needed them.

Asuma had to admit that with his now present knowledge of Wind based attacks and his formidable arsenal of abilities with Holy talon and his already Chuunin and somewhat Jonin level abilities, Naruto would grow up to be a very talented ninja. His maturity was also a nice change, instead of being dense as before, Naruto was more attentive and serious, and revealing his inner abilities more freely, shown though the use of Kage Bushin which both he and Kakashi had agreed was very advanced as Naruto began to be more tactical and cunning with the use of his Kage Bushin.

However, they knew that Naruto still had to learn how to part a waterfall using his Wind Chakra, but since now was not the time, they couldn't go that far, of course Kakashi had another person who he knew could prove to be very helpful for Naruto.

As the filming continued, Naruto was about to receive news on a very special part of the film, after filming a very powerful battle sequence in which he was supposedly injured in the fight, Naruto was eager for the part of the movie, however, he had no idea that the next scene incorporated a particular scene that requires him to do something to Koyuki.

--------

Naruto and the director as well as the other ninja teams were in a meeting and they were happy that so far, there had been no attacks towards the film crew as well as towards Koyuki, but the others were shocked when the director and Naruto were talking about the film and then the blonde gave a deep blush and quickly shouted.

"I HAVE TO DO WHAT?!"

As the others wondered just what was going on and Kakashi as well as Asuma walked over to the director and asked what was going on, the very second the director told the two Jonin was he told Naruto, both men were stunned and both looked at one another and when they walked back…Asuma was blushing bright red while Kakashi was scratching the back of his head while Naruto was still blushing bright red which began to pique the interest of just about everyone in the Konoha teams, with Sasuke being the first.

"Hey, what the heck is going on with you Naruto?"

"They…uh… want me to…"

"They want you to do what? Quit beating around the bush here."

Naruto however was not saying anything else and seeing that his student was not going to say anything else and neither was Asuma, Kakashi decided to speak.

"The director said that they are about ready to shoot the scene described in the book that was based on the film, Naruto-kun and Koyuki-hime….have to do the deed for this film, this being an adult romance and action movie and all."

The second that sunk into their minds, the others shouted.

"NARUTO HAS TO DO WHAT?!"

Sakura turned and looked about.

"Hey? Where is Naruto-kun?"

Chouji looked about and shook his head.

"I wish I knew, but I can bet he has a LOT to think about at the moment."

For once Shikamaru smiled at that and the lazy friend of Naruto had to admit that he WAS a bit jealous of Naruto, but he was not going to say that out loud, there was no telling how the others would react to his words. The Nara clan heir than wondered jus what was going through the mind of his blonde Chuunin companion, he could bet that with what he had just been told, Naruto was no doubt trying to figure out a way to get out of this mess.

Ino herself was not very happy with the news as she looked at the set which was getting ready for the bed room scene, and she couldn't help but say her worry out loud.

"By Kami, I thought we were supposed to help Naruto-kun, Sasuke-kun, Kakashi-sensei, and Sakura deal with some renegade ninja who want the princess dead, not be witness to a darn pornographic movie….with Naruto-kun being in the starring role with said princess no less!"

Chouji then replied.

"We can always move away and not watch it after all Ino so you don't need to look right?"

Ino looked at Chouji helplessly; she was trying her best not to lose her cool at the thought of having someone who was a complete stranger to her having the chance to do the deed with Naruto, and in a movie no less. But she couldn't reveal to anyone, especially her sensei and her team-mates how far she and Naruto had gone.

Sakura was thinking the very same thing as well, when she found out that in the next scene, Naruto and Yukie had to do the bed room scene, she was utterly shocked and vowed to make Jiraiya pay for having to make the book and more besides, as well as her own sensei for putting Naruto in a situation like this, she wanted to say something but she knew she couldn't reveal to everyone that she and Ino, as well as other certain women.

However, they could only wait and see just what was Naruto's decision on the matter but Kakashi, being Naruto's Jonin sensei decided to go see just how he was holding up. He knew that something like this might happen at some point, but he was hoping that someone else would have to take his student's place. However, he decided to chat with Koyuki to see just what she had to say about this situation first, it was important to get the woman's take on the situation, therefore he would have some information to work with.

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In the trailer…

Naruto tried to calm himself and relax as he knew that the time had come for him to act one the one scene that he knew was going to get him deep into a world of trouble and exposure….and there was a big emphasis on the world exposure at that. He had no idea what to do or how the heck he got roped into this plan but there was no backing out now. He knew that this was going to happen since this WAS following one of the Pervy Sage's books, but why now of all times, not to mention that this was not what he had in mind when he was taking this mission.

It was then that Kakashi came into the trailer with a very serious and somewhat torn expression on his face, at least on the portion of his face that was not covered by his mask. The Jonin then spoke to his student.

"Are you ready for this Naruto?"

"Kakashi-sensei….we don't have to do this do we? I mean…"

"I know you feel very uncomfortable with the idea of doing this in public Naruto, but you are part of the cast now and this is a key part of the movie, not to mention that this is needed."

"Is it really needed? I mean….won't Koyuki-hime be opposed to this thing, we're talking about her having to lose her….well…"

Kakashi had to admit that he was torn between feeling rather sorry for Naruto's sorry mental state, and also feeling very amused and interested to see how this situation would play itself out. As much as he wanted to assure Naruto that this was part of his job, he had to admit that the idea of doing the deed with a complete stranger was something most people would show some level of discomfort in doing, not to mention doing it in public. Of course, Naruto and Koyuki were not strangers to one another, they knew each other well, but the fact remained that Koyuki was and princess and was the one that Naruto was assigned to protecting. He himself had to admit that this was certainly unexpected and there was no doubt in the Jonin's mind that this was something Naruto was NOT prepared for. Besides, there was no doubt in the Jonin's mind that if ever the film was made public, Naruto would never know a moment's peace the very second his name which was no doubt going to be in the credits of the movie came out and things were going to get very hairy on other missions soon enough.

However, he did have a chat with Koyuki earlier and he had tried to find out how Koyuki felt about the whole thing, and what he learned was what really got him very much surprised him to the core.

"I had a chat with Koyuki-hime earlier….and you know what she said to me?"

"What?"

"She's all right with it, as long as you are."

"Wait!! Are you pulling my leg Kakashi-sensei?! Koyuki-hime actually WANTS to lose her…."

Kakashi nodded and replied.

"Those were her exact words and she wants you to be the one to do it, and she's agreeing to taking some birth control to make sure that things don't get too complicated. I was surprised abut his myself, I actually suggested they get a double, but Koyuki insisted she wanted you."

"W-Why me?"

Kakashi sighed and replied.

"I think that is a question you should ask her, not me, I'm not exactly the right person to be asking that sort of question."

Naruto knew that Kakashi was right about that word, if he wanted to really know just how Koyuki felt about having him be the one to take her virginity, then he would have to go there to her and ask her directly, but he kept in mind that she was still a princess so he would have to be at his best behavior before her and try not to act like a complete idiot before her or say something that could be considered as insulting to the princess. He had to remain calm and try to find out just what were the princess' thoughts on the matter.

He was not going to have to leave the trailer as the door opened and in walked none other than Koyuki, the princess of Spring Country turned and smiled at the two of them and spoke gently to Kakashi.

"Kakashi-san, may I ask you to leave me and Naruto-kun alone for a while, there is something important that I need to discuss with him."

Kakashi could tell that Koyuki was serious and he had to agree that now was not the best time for him to be here as this was going to be a very serious conversation between Naruto and Koyuki, and as much as he wanted to find out just what exactly was going on, he respected both Naruto and Koyuki to give them privacy they deserved for this moment, he might LOVE the Icha Icha paradise novels but even for their sake he was not going to court a princess' wrath, and considering Naruto's stellar growth, he needed to allow him to grow even more, and this time as a man and not just as a ninja.

Had Kakashi been aware of Naruto's recent escapades with a number of women from Konoha, he would have thought of things quite differently.

As the two were finally able to have some peace and quiet together, the princess looked at her ninja guardian and something of a crush as he blushed profusely at her and she could understand why he was acting this way towards her at the moment, but she knew that she needed to take the initiative in this matter, the thing at stake was not just the movie…but her feelings for the blonde Chuunin. In truth, she was not entirely happy with the idea of losing her virginity to just any person, she knew that there would be a number of men who would be more than happy to do the deed with her….but she was not that kind of person as she wanted her first time to be special, she knew that it would be impossible with the fact that she was an actress and this was an adult film, but when she recalled Naruto, she jumped at the chance to pick him for the role.

Now she had to convince Naruto to do it with her.

"Naruto-kun, are you all right?"

"Um….Koyuki-hime, do we really have to do that scene?"

"I believe so, but I wouldn't have it any other way Naruto-kun, but I want you to be willing to do this with me."

"Why me? I mean….not that I am not honored or anything….it's just hard believe that you would want me….to be your first after all, even if this is a movie."

"Because I want you...and not because you are good actor...because I do want you to do it with me. Or am i not your type?"

"NO! I think you are a very beautiful woman Koyuki-hime.......if you really want this..."

"I do, so what is your answer?"

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On the set…

Everyone was busy getting things ready for the more adult scene in the whole film, this was the scene where the critical battle was over and both the Princess and the one guard played by Naruto who she had fallen in love with finally have the time for themselves and get to know one another in a very intimate fashion. The stage was being set up and those who were not essential to the whole set were told to get outside as this was a major shot.

The director sighed as he watched the whole set getting ready for the scene, this was by far the most serious and also the most delicate part of the movie, as much as he wanted to make the movie perfect, he was still not sure about the acceptance of the two who were going to play a part in the movie, he knew that Koyuki was all right with the whole idea, but what of Naruto, the young man was central to the plot and scene and thus needed to be ready.

The man knew that what Naruto was about to do was something that most men would have some reservations over, but they would jump at the chance to do the deed with a famous actress and a princess as well. But Naruto was not that kind of person as he already knew, so he hoped that somehow, the blonde Chuunin would be willing to take the plunge so to speak.

He turned and in walked both Koyuki and Naruto, along with Kakashi and the other Konoha ninja as well as Asuma and both Chouji and Shikamaru were giving Naruto some very teasing looks while Sakura and Ino were giving Koyuki very intense glares, Sasuke was actually giving Naruto a slightly envious look, while Kakashi and Asuma were talking a bit.

As soon as the group stopped before the director, he decided to venture the question that he knew would embarrass Naruto to the end.

"Are you willing to do this Naruto?"

The blonde Chuunin looked at the director and Koyuki as well as the others who were waiting for his answer and he gave it. He knew he was never going to hear the end of this once he made his decision, and normally he would have turned it down, but for Koyuki's sake, he would, plus the fact that she had wanted this for a long time and he was the only one she wanted to do it with ever since getting the script for the film, he felt that he couldn't hurt Koyuki's feelings on the matter. As much as he knew he was going to get into some serious danger with this move and who knew how things were going to go back in Konoha….but there was no turning back now for him or her.

"I'll do it."

The director gave a sigh of relief while Koyuki smiled even more, earning some very heated glares from Sakura and Ino, while both Shikamaru and Chouji nearly chocked on their tongues, Kakashi was actually blushing and Asuma was trying his best not to laugh, even Sasuke was blushing somewhat at what his blonde team-mate had just spouted out of his mouth.

"All right then, you have five minutes to get ready Naruto-san, so I suggest you relax and be ready."

As things were getting underway, Koyuki bid the others farewell for now while she got ready for the scene, and that left Naruto alone and in the gun sights of all his companions as well as the Jonin. Asuma himself couldn't help but finally burst out laughing and even the normally cool headed and relaxed Kakashi was wearing a very wide grin on his face while having it hidden by his mask, Chouji and Shikamaru however were not content with just standing there as Shikamaru spoke.

"Are you absolutely serious about this Naruto? You realize that you've just agreed to take part in an adult movie right?"

Naruto shook his head and replied.

"I know that Shikamaru, but I have no choice, Koyuki-hime wanted me to do it….and well, I can't exactly go against the client."

Shikamaru knew that Naruto had a point, with Koyuki as the client, and still very much in command of the situation, and the fact she was royalty, Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and Kakashi would have to follow through with what she wanted. Still, the idea of being ordered to have sex in front of a camera in a film which was n doubt going to be seen in every theater in the whole world was certainly something he was happy that he was not going to be part of lest his parents were going to ride him hard, namely his dad of all people, and for some reason, he shuddered at the thought of what Meer might do to him, though why her opinion would matter to him so much was something that would escape him.

The others were also very much in shock at this turn of events, and both Sakura and Ino couldn't help but try to calm down and seeing that the film was soon going to start, both Jonin sensei decided to herd their respective students out of the area, leaving Naruto enough time to relax himself and as soon as it was time for them play their parts, the blonde Chuunin did the same as he took the position of being on the bed and Koyuki was there tending his supposed wounds. This was going to be the opening of it all.

As things got underway, Naruto could only hope that he didn't mess this up and decided to recall just what he had learned since his first night and hoped that it was enough.

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(If you wish to read the lemon version of this story, then you where to go right?)

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The next day…

Naruto groaned as he got out of the trailer the next day and headed off to stretch his limbs, naturally, he was wearing his normal under garments and headed to a nearby fire pit and with practiced ease, got a fire going, no one else was awake and he sat down and looked at the flames in order to make some sense on how far his love life had gone since that scene…. and the following night in the trailer. He was thankful the trailer was sound proof, but he double layered it with a silence spell just in case.

As he sat there, he was greeted by a hug by the said princess/actress who kissed him on the neck and smiled at him as she sat next to him.

"Are you all right Naruto-kun?"

"I-I'm fine….just, trying to deal with the fact I just made…"

"Made love to a princess who is an actress in a movie? Yeah, I guess I can understand that part."

"Koyuki-hime, I had no idea you were a virgin….and I'm sorry if I hurt you in any fashion."

Koyuki gave Naruto a gentle smile and replied.

"I'll admit, it hurt at first, but I knew about that for a while, after all, I had to learn at some point and time when I became an actress. To be honest Naruto-kun, you might already know this, but you are the very first man who made me a woman, but when you and I did that in the set, I could tell that you have some experience before on how to properly pleasure a woman. So that tells me two things…."

"The first is that you have been reading all those men's magazines I've hard men read about all the time. And the second….is that you've done this before, haven't you Naruto-kun?"

Naruto gulped at that and tried to think about what to say as he had no intention of revealing the very secret he swore not to tell but ended up telling Jiraiya anyway and that landed him in this very same situation. However it seemed that he might not need to as Koyuki spoke.

"You don't need to tell me the details Naruto-kun or who you lost your virginity to, I don't mind that you're not a virgin yourself, though I must confess….I had hoped that you were a virgin so the experience would have been more interesting. But at least you were able to make it all worth while. Just tell me something."

"What is it you want me to say Koyuki-hime?"

"Am I a good woman in bed?"

Naruto quickly blushed bright red and he was feeling his temperature rise at such an outlandish question that he was amazed that he was not cooking like a crab in a stew pot at the moment. The question was so outlandish, so personal….so downright unexpected that he had no idea what to do. He managed to recover and knew that if he answered wrong, she would no doubt take offense, and if he answered right, then who knew what she would do to him. He gulped and replied as best he could.

"Y-Y-You were….great Koyuki-hime, I'll…admit that you….uh needed some other moves, but you were great either way. I'm sorry, I don't know how to answer….that question properly."

Koyuki smiled and hugged Naruto and replied.

"You don't need to, just to know that you think I was great is enough for me, besides, if I have some deficiencies I can always learn how to do better. By the way Naruto-kun…"

"Yes?"

"I loved what you did to me in that scene….you were great in there, and more. I might even consider marrying you and having you as Daimyo of Spring Country, I'm sure Sandayu-san would love that as he considers you a good man."

Naruto blushed even more that as he tried his best to not embarrass himself even more and then Koyuki spoke.

"And if you ever have another love interest, don't worry, I'm more than willing to share you."

Naruto felt like he was about to pass out from all the thoughts running in his head at what Koyuki was telling him right now, he prayed she was just kidding, if she knew that he was in love with eleven women, who knew how she would react. However….Koyuki dropped the real anvil right on Naruto's head as she made him face and without any hesitation at all, just pure desire, affection and anticipation…she kissed him deeply and replied.

"Naruto-chan….I'm not joking, I am dead serious."

As soon as the intense lip lock was over….Naruto did the one thing most young men would do…

He fainted.

--------

Later….

Naruto was very busy getting dressed for his next scene and he had to deal with the fact that all the while as he was having break-fast with the rest of the cast, they were asking him on how well did he do in the scene with Koyuki and he couldn't help but blush and reply as best he could without being utterly embarrassed by all the questions heading at his direction.

It certainly didn't help matters when Koyuki showed up and a number of female staff and actresses began to ask questions on how well did Naruto perform in the scene. Thankfully, despite her teasing of him, the blonde Chuunin was relieved that Koyuki didn't tell them everything that happened between them and how she herself felt in the whole situation, only that he was a very good man to be with, yet that was enough for the women to sigh and give very hungry stares at his direction.

As soon as the footage was completed, Naruto had to sit through a full three hours of the video of his scene with Koyuki being replayed for possible errors and mistakes done during the whole scene, it made matters all the more distressing when Koyuki and the others were there as well, namely Kakashi, Sakura, Sasuke, Asuma, Chouji, Ino, and Shikamaru, all the men were looking on utterly amazed that they were actually seeing Naruto making love with a women who was a princess and actress as well, while Ino and Sakura gave him some rather intense stares as well as staring at Koyuki who was smiling all the while as she recalled all that they had done in that once scene alone.

Afterwards Naruto found himself being stared down to by Kakashi once they were all done eating break-fast and the Jonin looked dead serious and then to Naruto's surprise, the Jonin patted him on the shoulder and spoke.

"I'm proud of you Naruto."

"Huh?! What are you talking about Kakashi-sensei?"

"For one thing, you managed to get the job done, and you finally got to try it out being with a woman in the very intimate sense. That might even give me some inspiration in the future when the movie is finished."

Naruto looked at Kakashi and wondered if his teacher had grown another head while he was away and busy. However the Jonin replied a bit more seriously.

"However, I can bet that performance you gave is really going to throw you into the proverbial description of being a steak being thrown into a pack of wolves. I doubt the Hokage is going to like the idea all that much once that part of the movie comes out, not to mention the exposure is really going to get the women's attention if any of them watch that film. And considering the fact that majority of the movie goers will be men, well, things can get very hairy."

"You should have thought of that before you had me take the lead role Kakashi-sensei!"

"I know, but nothing we can do about that now can we? The best we can do is see things through, and made do with what we have."

Naruto sighed and wondered just how his life had gotten this interesting.

Meanwhile, Sakura and Ino were having their own field day as they were allowed to witness the video of the scene and they were blushing at the sight and vowed to do what they could to get Naruto alone first chance they got, while Koyuki smiled regally at the video and blushed somewhat as she recalled just what they did together. The two ninja then spoke to the princess when they were finally able to speak to her.

"So….how was the scene?"

Koyuki grinned and replied.

"Naruto-kun was awesome, certainly a great person in the sack. That with his very compassionate nature makes him a man worth being noticed. I'm actually kind of unhappy that he was not a virgin when we did it, but at least he knows how to make a lady happy."

Both Kunoichi blushed a bit and mentally spoke the same phrase that they would never speak out in public.

(You have NO idea just how good Naruto-kun is yet.)

Koyuki then spoke.

"The fact that it was my first time was certainly nice."

Both Kunoichi were naturally stunned by that fact as they realized the implications of Koyuki's confession, Naruto had not only been with Koyuki in an adult scene, but had taken the princess' virginity at the same time. But what Koyuki said next really surprised them.

"I would love to meet the woman he lost his innocence to, since I don't mind sharing him at all, even if I might decide to marry him once he's a bit older."

Both Sakura and Ino were blushing bright red and both spoke at the same time.

"YOU WOULD MARRY NARUTO-KUN?!"

Koyuki smiled at that and replied.

"Of course I would, I told him the very same thing this morning, and he would make a fine leader both as Hokage and Daimyo of Spring Country."

Both Sakura and Ino then did the one thing that they would do in that situation, they quickly blushed bright red at the words that Koyuki said and they couldn't help but wish they could tell her that Naruto was taken, but the two of them couldn't do anything about it at the moment as Koyuki was a princess and they were still Genin as well. The thought of sharing Naruto was not that bad for them as they had done it before themselves, but it was something entirely to know that a princess like Koyuki was willing to share Naruto as well.

Koyuki smiled as she meant every word, she knew for a fact that some rulers in other nations in the world had mistresses, while others had more than one wife, and while she was not really into that sort of trend herself, she was more than willing to try it out if it involved someone like Naruto.

The filming went on and Naruto was once more playing the role that was assigned to him and both him and Koyuki were ready for the rest of the movie to be filmed and it was not going to be very long before they would all reach the end. Naruto and the others knew however that Kagura's allies, her, and no doubt her employer would be very eager to strike once more at them once the chance came to them. Such foes were not going to let failure stop them a second time.

--------

And they were very much right…

--------

Some distance away…

Kagura watched as the film was well under way and she was eager for a fight once more as she turned to her employer who had decided to take a look at the situation himself to see just what sort of opposition he had to deal with in being able to finally see Koyuki dead by the hand of her and his servants. The new ninja forces were the normal grunts, but it seemed her employer had decided to test some of his own forces and directed the unit towards one blonde ninja in particular.

"I don't see why you should be sending those rejects to do my work C, I can handle this myself."

"I have no doubts about your abilities Kagura, I just need more information to perfect the process, plus at least these rejects have some use despite how misshapen they are at the moment. The blonde ninja is of interest to me, something about his abilities can be useful."

"So you want him as a test subject for your…procedures?"

"Maybe, but I won't be able to determine his usefulness if I don't see it for myself. Now do what I ask, and when the time is right, you can have your revenge."

Kagura smiled beneath her mask and signaled the ninja before her to launch the attack and this time a band of massive giants were coming with them, this fight might kill Koyuki as well and save her all the trouble of trying to finish off the princess. As she made her move, the lumbering giant humans…or what used to be humans were coming along.

--------

Naruto and the others were suddenly alerted by Ino who was using a nearby hawk to spot the incoming force.

"We've got some company!"

Kakashi and the others nodded and they moved out to intercept the incoming force while Naruto quickly got ready to defend both Koyuki and the people as well. The security detail got ready as well though Naruto knew that they would not be able to hold their own if attacked the full force of the attackers, Naruto then decided to unleash one of his trusted spells. He summoned his Dragon Fire and spoke out in the same arcane tongue.

"PIERCING GAZE!!!!"

Naruto's eyes expanded and he saw the same bands of ninja that were heading right for the others, but when he spotted the juggernauts that were heading to the others, he quickly realized that he was needed there, the giants who were taller than any normal person he had ever seen in his life were grotesque….resembling humans to some degree, but had metal in their bodies and in their skin as well…it was like a monstrous combination of human and metal.

(What the heck are they?!)

Holy Talon itself spoke.

(("I am not very sure Master Naruto but I can read their minds to some degree….they were tortured and mutilated by someone who appears to have no care at all if they lived or died, they have been bound to that form for the rest of their days…."))

(By Kami….who could do something like this?!)

((" I have also determined some similarities to the techniques used Orochimaru there, though these do not match at all to the ones I've seen."))

(Orochimaru did this?! Damn that bastard!!!)

Naruto went to work and he summoned his warriors and dispatched a number of Zealots, Falcon Rangers, Sword Adepts, and Silver Star Mages to defend Koyuki and the others. All the while, the director, mirroring his own actions back in Snow/Spring Country recorded the whole thing on his camera. Koyuki knew that she could trust Naruto but she still felt very worried about her beloved's safety all the same.

Naruto arrived in time and blocked the attack of some of the ninja behind Sasuke who had already dispatched several other ninja who were coming towards them. Both team-mates moved on to join the others where Kakashi fought off several more of the normal ninja while Asuma joined in with the use of his trench knives in battle as more ninja were sent down to the ground. Sakura and Ino were busy fighting it out with Sakura using the strength training handed to her by Tsunade to even the odds while Ino managed to defend herself well enough with Shikamaru using his Shadow Manipulation jutsu to even things up in this fight while Chouji used his clan's ability to send more of their enemies flying away from them. Naruto however directed his focus on the giants as these were too dangerous to ignore, he trusted his comrades to handle the other ninja but these giants were different.

The others were shocked at the arrival of the massive warriors before them and the looks of the warriors made them sick. Naruto quickly used his Dragon Scale Defense spell to block the incoming attacks and protect the others.

"Gross! What the heck are they?!"

Ino said with horror as she looked at the beings who were once human. Their flesh had massive scars and signs of being tampered with, some had exposed flesh and bone mixed with metal and more. Some of them were firing shuriken and kunai at the shield that Naruto erected while two tried to stab at it with massive katanas built into their arms, resembling the weapon Zabuza used to wield.

"They appear to be human, but experimented on."

Shikamaru replied as the ninja that were still about tried to attack them. Naruto then replied.

"We don't have time, I'll deal with these guys, you guys handle the ninja."

The others could tell then and there that Naruto was not in the mood for an argument and they agreed, even Sasuke did so and as soon as Naruto unleashed a powerful wave of pure wind to knock aside the attackers, he moved in and engaged the five giants while Kakashi, and the others fought with the remaining ninja who had drawn out their swords and were all moving for the fight. Naruto took out a kunai and used his Dragon Fire.

"SPEAR!!!"

The kunai glowed and quickly extended into a massive spear that Naruto used to fight with, he spun the weapon to block a number shuriken fired by one of the giants who's upgrades resembled Zaku's Air intake valves, but instead of air pressure, these fired shuriken that apparently were razor sharp and from what he could smell, were coated with some sort of high grade poison. Naruto used his training with the Steel Lancers to turn his weapon into a shield and moved closer and then when a pause of the attack came, Naruto launched his spear into the leg of his foe with a lunge and then forced the giant back with a powerful kick, that sent it back a bit before he pulled out the spear and then he turned, stabbing the converted kunai into the ground and flipped up to avoid a descending strike with another giant who focused on him. As he landed and rolled away as several kunai were fired at his direction and managed to avoid three more with one of the three launched kunai cutting his clothes, but thankfully his Orchaelium armor was able to withstand the strike as well as the rest of his outfit.

Holy Talon then was able to hear the thoughts of the giants' minds, the sword then could see and sense the great anguish and torture these former human ninja had and it is aw how they were mutilated and converted to their current forms, and the Holy Dragon Sword felt great pity for these men and Naruto could sense it.

(What's wrong?!)

(("I can hear them Master Naruto, they are begging for death, they are in constant pain."))

(Can't we save them?!)

(("No….they are too far gone, their normal minds have been lost to their pain and suffering that they have been subjected to, they only wish to die."))

Naruto then was able to avoid the attack and moved to fight back with his spear on the attacker, evading the attack of both blades and moved closer saw the face of the apparent leader and he heard the whisper.

"Kill…me please….make my pain stop….I beg you, kill me!"

Naruto knew that Holy Talon was right, there was no other way, he hated killing but there was no other way now and feeling the same sentiment as well as seeing the looks on the faces of the others told him that now was the time. Naruto then moved aside and took out Holy Talon which glowed deep golden and he attacked. One giant tried to use a pair of built in spears in his hands but Naruto sliced them off, showing the powerful cutting strength of the sword and then quickly unleashed a powerful rising slash that gutted the foe before him.

He then leaped over the fallen body and attacked the same one he had wounded with his converted kunai turned spear and then cut down more of the shuriken and then used his Kage Bushin as shields and quickly leaped over them as they took the hits and he threw Holy talon right in the chest of his foe and then landed hard on his opponent and cut him clean in half Naruto turned and blocked a powerful slash from another one of the giants who wielded a sword and he moved out of the way and then leaped up and with one powerful slash cut the foe in half.

He turned and face both the leader and the last of the five foes before him and moved into attack, they all used their weapons to cut him down as he ran towards them but he rolled forward and evaded the attacks with speed and precision and then stood up to cut down his foes, the last of the giant soldiers cut down as Naruto attacked with a diagonal cut and he then reversed his grip Holy Talon, making the sword point blade first behind him and he then pushed backwards….stabbing the leader right in the chest as it turned to attack him.

As soon as that was over, Naruto pulled back and then cut down the leader of the five giants

Naruto wiped the tears from his eyes as he removed Holy Talon from the chest of the monster that was once human like him. The being that was once human, which was now misshapen and twisted by the horrific experiments done to it looked at him with eyes that were quickly going blank. But he recalled the last words the being who was once human spoke to him as he was finally freed from the grasps of the pain and suffering.

'T-Thank you."

The blonde Chuunin looked at the mess before him and couldn't help but feel a bit sicker as the bodies of the beings that were once ninja were finally dispatched by the others as well and it made him feel all the more sick to see that these people who were once human like him were reduced to this monstrous and tortured existence.

Kakashi and the others had dealt with the rest of the ninja and then turned to see the carnage before them and even Sasuke had to admit that what he had witnessed was certainly something that sickened even him. The beings before them who who were no doubt sent by Kagura's employer no longer resembled anything human despite their still human like faces. As they finally moved ahead to join Naruto to see the leader of these beings finally slain by Naruto and Holy Talon, Naruto the spoke to Kakashi as he looked at the dead before him.

"I didn't know what to do….they were in so much pain….they asked me to kill them."

"Naruto…."

It was then that some new voices came into the area.

"Not bad kid, you've got skill, even though these rejects of my experiments had more than enough power to beat a number of junior ranked Jonin you defeated them, you've got skills."

Naruto turned and so did the others as Kagura appeared once more and next to her was man who wore a robe and had a headband on his forehead. The man then spoke to Naruto with a very serious but calm air about him, despite that Naruto could tell that the man was eying him as some sort of lab subject, and that angered the blonde Chuunin and Dragon Champion greatly.

"You have skills kid, I would like you to join me…"

"And allow you to murder Koyuki-hime? I will never betray her faith in me, I will kill you this, I swear it!"

"For what?"

"For what?! For trying to harm some I consider a friend and doing this these people! What kind being subjects people to this torture?!"

C then looked at Naruto and replied.

"You think that I am a monster right kid? Then you are right, but I am a man who is willing to create the perfect weapon, and if I have to kill a hundred people to create it, I will! For in the marriage of flesh and steel will come the new era of weapons."

"What the hell are you talking about?!"

"Think of it kid, ninjas who are melded with bodies of living steel, even the puppetry style of Suna would pale in comparison with the creation of a fully living army of machine ninja, The ultimate marriage of flesh and steel chakra and metal. The ultimate living weapons!!! That is my dream and if killing a hundred can help achieve that goal, then I will gladly kill a hundred, and a even more!"

"The reason I want Koyuki dead is that she has stopped me from getting the needed material in order to perfect my creations, how to pace the very soul and conscience of a ninja into a living body of metal. A body made of metal is stronger than ANY form of flesh."

"I had a partner once, his name was Orochimaru, it was with his help that my dreams began to take shape, to create ultimate living weapon, but he turned it down, all because of your team-mate, the brat with the Sharingan."

Sasuke growled at the insult and spoke.

"You dare to mock the Uchiha and the Sharingan?!"

"I do, you might be a skilled warrior, but you're still human after all, you can still die, but my creations will last forever, they do not know fear, suffering, pain, and all that weakness of humans…."

Naruto had enough of the man's words, he had been able to see the minds of the giants he had slain thanks to Holy Talon and he shouted out in rage.

"LIAR!!!! You tortured and mutilated these men and I will make sure that you pay for it all!!!"

"I'd like to see you try."

Naruto roared and attacked quickly, charging right at C to end his life for the horrors he put those people through and he was going to see this through as he charged with Holy Talon at the ready to strike. However he was forced back as a number kunai tied with chakra strings came at him as Kagura made her move to stop him from getting any closer to her employer. The former Konoha ANBU then took out her blade and fired more of her kunai at Naruto who quickly cut those down with Holy Talon and blocked her follow up attack with his chain mail, allowing the blade to miss his head as he moved his arm aside and then he responded with a powerful slash of his own that Kagura evaded as well.

Kagura flipped back and fired more of her kunai while placing her ANBU blade back into the sheath and she managed to land a punch at Naruto, but the blonde rolled with it and then moved aside and caught Kagura in a hold and flipped her away and she landed back on the ground nimbly and she spoke to him.

"Not bad, but even a Chuunin like you can't stop a Jonin level ninja like me, and when I get my hands around Tsunade, I'll…"

"You dare to lay a hand on Tsunade while I am around, I'll gladly slice off that offending hand and make you eat it!"

Kagura smiled at Naruto, seeing that there was great affection between the young man and her enemy, and figured she could use this to her advantage when she finally got the chance to capture and defeat Tsunade, Naruto Uzumaki might be a powerful fighter but he was still only human, and humans have weaknesses.

The former ANBU Jonin then gave Naruto a cruel smile as she spoke.

"You've got some skill kid, even for a Chuunin, I'm going to enjoy this fight!"

Naruto took out both his katanas and blocked Kagura's attack with her kunai and he blocked those attacks well enough and then flipped forward in a spinning motion with both swords before him, making him spin like a double bladed top and attacked Kagura and as soon as he landed, he placed aside one katana and switched to using a single one and then he used some of his Wind Chakra training to even up the odds.

"FUUTON!!! SHIPPUU KEN!!!!"

Naruto channeled his chakra into his Orchaelium constructed katana and then lashed out at Kagura and the renegade ANBU moved back but was surprised when she was cut on the left arm and stomach as the glowing chakra moved outward like a whip, increasing dramatically Naruto's attack range, the cuts were not that deep, but they bled a bit more than usual and her mask was finally sliced off….revealing her very attractive face. The former ANBU moved back and looked at the damage on her body as well as her clothes and spoke.

"So you're a Wind chakra type….impressive move by the way… that must be your signature jutsu then?"

Naruto however got up and readied his katana for a fight and Kagura smiled even more….this boy was a fighter, she wondered what she could do to him once she was able to beat him and take him with her as a prisoner, maybe after she had her fun, she could present his mangled corpse to Tsunade before she killed the Hokage. But she placed that aside for now and readied herself for another fight until C spoke out to her.

"That's quite enough Kagura….we've got enough data for now, this might have not been a direct attack on the princess but the data we have is enough for me, she can die another time."

Kagura nodded and moved away before Naruto could attack her again, and then C took out a massive ball of explosives and threw it at Naruto who quickly slices it in half and rendering it useless. But the people get away and Naruto manages to curb his anger and re-sheaths his sword and Holy Talon spoke to him.

((We will get our chance Master Naruto.))

(I know, let's go see who has been hurt.)

Later, Naruto and the others checked on the crew as well as Koyuki, thankfully no one was seriously wounded or hurt, just a few scratches and cuts, that was about it, but it still angered Naruto that the bastard named C and the rest of his cohorts, including Kagura were attacking innocent people and he vowed to track them down once the film was over, it amazed him that the other members of the cast were still there but they were ready for the ending of the movie. The director himself, was still ready to finish filming.

There was no doubt in Naruto's mind that there would be others who would find out about the truth of what happened here and he vowed to make sure that Koyuki would be safe and unharmed until this film was over. No harm was going to befall her that much he swore on.

--------

Kabuto and Orochimaru managed to evade being spotted for the moment by Orochimaru using a snake summon to recon the camp and had witnessed the whole fight and the former Konoha Sannin had to admit that seeing his former ally was quite the surprise still, and to see how far he had progressed with his research was amusing, but he smiled as he saw Sasuke there, he still had every intention of claiming Sasuke's Sharingan, but not now.

Now was not a very appropriate time for him to make his presence known for the moment as he observed the whole thing, it seemed that Naruto was being trained by BOTH Tsunade and Jiraiya as he could see some traces of his former comrades' training on the boy, as he was showing better control of his chakra, and the pink haired one, Sakura Haruno' use of medical Jutsu mirrored Tsunade's own skills in the art of healing. And he had seen Naruto use his Wind Chakra in battle with Kagura as well.

(Impressive….I wonder how far Sasuke-kun will go once I get him to train with me?)

"Naruto-kun has grown a lot hasn't he Orochimaru-sama?"

"That he has….and Sasuke-kun is green with envy….this will prove to the key to my plans Kabuto. Come, we have much to do, with Naruto-kun and the others doing this mission and with C, or rather Chumaza-san."

"He was the one who aided you in your research into creating weapons of war with the fusion of weapon and flesh, am I correct?"

"Yes….he had good plans, but I learned enough from him and then with Sasuke-kun, this research no longer interested me, now it seems that he wants to take his revenge…stupid fool, brave but stupid either way. Come Kabuto, we need to head back and do some more work."

"Hai Orochimaru-sama."

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Unknown to al involved….someone or rather something else was watching them as a dark form with blood red eyes and wearing a a deep black robe.

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In a hidden cave…

The inner sanctum of the pit beneath the earth was filled with the deep purple light coming from the viewing portal as the watcher

"Intriguing one, that mortal, he may be of use to me, it is time I added a new part of my army. And the others…they are also interesting"

Death Fang said in malevolent relish as it viewed the sight before it, it seemed that some wretched mortals in this world actually HAD promise after all. This one who resembled a snake in complexion seemed to be worth his time, at the moment at least, and his companion, the one with glasses was also worth his attention. The woman was very interesting, but the man was barely worth the notice, except for their leader, who's cruelty and willingness to mutilate and torture those who were his slaves made the evil sword smile in it's own fashion.

"To think there such mortals in this world….good."

It was then that the sword willed away the portal and spoke as it was covered in the blood red and midnight black aura that radiated pure evil and malevolence. The sword spoke softly to the others who were there in the chambers.

((("Ahhhh….it seems we have guests, I was wondering who would stumble on this place. Servants….make sure they are properly entertained when they arrive.")))

"Yes Master…."

It was not long before the Chaos Dragon Sword looked to see the arrivals, a young woman with a flower in her hair and another young man and both of whom wore the same cloaks as that of Itachi and Kisame. The Chaos Dragon Sword observed them as it opened it's powerful eye at the new arrivals.

The young man then spoke in a calm tone.

"So we have finally found you, do you know who I am?"

((("If I were to recall mortal, you are in MY domain, you had best observe proper manners while in my sight, lest I allow my servants to cut you down.")))

"You cannot harm me, I am God."

Death Fang was silent for a moment or two and then began to laugh….it's maniacal and blood lusting laugh filed the very room and then it looked at the two.

((("You? A wretched little human having the gall to call yourself a God in front of me?! Hmph! You obviously are deluded to think you have even the tiniest speck of authority to call yourself a God here in my lair. What makes you think you are even a God human?")))

"I am Pain."

((("Ah, I know you well enough, you are the leader of that rabble that came to my previous lair, Akatsuki if my memories serve me right….I am curious however, how did you find my lair?")))

"That does not matter….you will serve me as my weapon for peace."

Death Fang then growled with fury, controlled fury, but fry nonetheless.

((("You dare to command me? You, a pathetic little human who has the gall, disrespect, and the cowardice to be using the body of your own deceased friend to come here instead of coming here into my lair yourself in order to properly claim MY power? You have some nerve to think that I will be claimed by a mere corpse that you control like a little puppet. Besides….for someone of your supposed power, you are very weak and pathetic to be serving another who I have no doubt is the TRUE leader of Akatsuki, and not you, so what makes you think I will obey a pathetic figurehead of a leader?")))

Pain stopped at this and so did his companion. The fact that the sword knew who they were and what was the truth about them

Death Fang laughed a little and replied.

((("Did you really think I will be so easily fooled brat? I have not lived millennia to be fooled by someone as foolish as you. You are a foolish idiot to be coming here, calling yourself God and planning to use me for your dreams of peace, Pain. Apparently you were NOT paying attention when Itachi told you of my powers. If you are curious why I know these things, it's fairly simple, I can read the minds of others easily….I can even read yours and your companion's for that matter."

"You lie…."

Death Fang laughed.

((("How much are you willing to bet on that….Nagato? Or should I refer to you in that body of your friend named Yahiko that you control?")))

Death Fang laughed even more as both Akatsuki members looked at the evil sword and then it spoke once more.

((("You are foolish to think that just because you have not gripped me in your hands, that I will not be able to read your mind Nagato….look around you, do you really think that this entire cavern that you are in is merely stone?")))

The two looked and then to their surprise…the walls began to creak and there in fissures on the rock….were giant eyes! The eyes were organic and seemed to look at them with a piercing stare that forced them to gaze at the eyes. And then Death Fang spoke.

((("My Lair is an extension of my power, boy….here I rule, and your vaunted Rinnegan is of little consequence to me! But enough prattle, come now, if you think you can claim me boy….why don't you try? Or are you too frightened to come out of that wretched cave in which you hide and face me in your real form, or has your use of the devices of which you control this corpse as your own avatar made your body so weak you cannot leave it? Come now Nagato….show me your vaunted power as God….or will you run like the pathetic, weak, foolish, and callow coward that you really are?")))

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To be continued…

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Author's notes:

Ahhh….feels nice to be working on this story again, and this time we have some fairly interesting happenings coming up for this chapter, it seems that Akatsuki is taking a more active role in looking for Death Fang and it seems that Pain and Konan have found the sword that Itachi described.

However, it seems that Death Fang has learned a lot more than just Itachi's plans concerning his little brother, it knows Pain's plans and his true identity and the truth behind Akatsuki….showing once more that while it is a weapon of mass terror, slaughter, mayhem, and death, it is a very intelligent being and not one to be easily fooled.

And it considers Pain weak and cowardly….how will this encounter play out?

See it all on the next chapter which will wrap up this arc.

Kagura continues her vendetta and plans to face off with Tsunade in the near future but now plans to strike at the one that Tsunade cares about. What does she plan to do to Tsunade when given the chance and how will Naruto factor in her plans?

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Now on to a more interesting topic…

Some readers have sent me PMs with the request which asked me if I could give Naruto a woman partner who was not human since most of Naruto's lady loves in this fic are human. And I have to agree that the idea does have a great deal of merit, some have suggested to me to include Elven females, and even female Dragons, and I have to admit I am leaning to that idea myself, it will certainly add some much needed spice to the story.

In that regard, I plan to set up a poll soon, and the question is fairly simple. Do I include a band of female elves into the mix, a band of female dragons in humanoid form, or a mix of both groups?

Anyway, this will by my first poll so expect this to be fairly new, feel free to place your suggestions whenever you can, and the idea that gets the most votes wins.

Also….what will be the resulting fallout once the movie is finally completed and shown before all the people who are fans of Koyuki, as well as the audience in Konoha?

That will be worth seeing now won't it?

Here's a simple taste…

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Trailer…

Tsunade was shocked by this and she glared at Kakashi with undisguised surprise….and wrath, making even the level headed Copy cat Ninja of Konoha sweat a bit, he knew his decision to have Naruto act in the film might not sit well with some people, but even more so with the Hokage.

"HE DID WHAT WITH KOYUKI KAZAHANA?!"

"As I stated before, the situation that Naruto found himself in a few weeks before required him to be part of the acting staff of the movie and there was a good…."

"I AM WELL AWARE OF THAT KAKASHI HATAKE!!! WHAT I WANT TO KNOW IS WHY YOU EVEN ALLOWED IT?!"

"I actually wanted to have them try someone else to take Naruto's place. But Koyuki-hime herself suggested Naruto and personally requested him to be the one to be in the scene."

"SHE DID WHAT?!"

As soon as things were finished, Jiraiya looked at Tsunade who was glaring at him and she sighed as she looked at the information and spoke seriously. She knew that as client, Koyuki had the authority to ask for a ninja's services, even those that were of a VERY personal nature, thought that was never know to happen often. Naruto was by far, the ONLY Konoha ninja on record to be asked that.

"Damn you Jiraiya, you and your perverted books have finally put Naruto in the firing line, I don't know where you get those perverted ideas that made that book, but if I ever find out, you are going to be in serious trouble…now get out, I have a lot to think about, namely on how to avoid having Naruto being grilled by every woman in the village…"

(Including myself….)

Jiraiya nodded and left….a massive grin on his face as he walked away….it turned out even better than he hoped. Though he did feel a great deal of pity for Naruto as he knew that the films were no doubt about to be circulated all over the world, Naruto was going to be the most recognized ninja for the next few years, he was looking forward to that actually.

Meanwhile, Tsunade decided to contact all the other women who were very much part of Naruto's love life, she knew that as soon as those films came out, there was going to be a maelstrom of trouble to deal with. She didn't even want to guess what would be the outcome if anyone else got to see that movie.

In a secret lair….

Kabuto pushed up his eyeglasses a bit while trying his best not to laugh out loudly, while Orochimaru looked on, and as soon as the film was over, the snake Sannin gave a slight smile.

"My Naruto-kun….I have to admit you have moved UP in the world."

Orochimaru had to admit that while he was no fan of movies, this one was very interesting.

"Kabuto, make sure that this tape is kept well away from the men….I am not in the mood for them to be distracted yet."

Kabuto nodded and the snake Summoning Sannin spoke.

"One more thing…drop by Konoha and leave Naruto-kun a message, tell him that the movie was nice."

Kabuto gave a slight chuckle and nodded once more.

"I'll do that Orochimaru-sama."

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If there are any errors, then forgive me as I have been rather busy as of late, but either way, I do what I can with what time I have in hand.

Have fun!!!!


	37. The Art of Acting Part 4

Naruto Dragon Champion

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto so stop asking me if I do

Chapter 26

Part 4

The Art of Acting

( ): Thoughts

((" ")): Holy Talon's voice

(((" "))): Death Fang's voice

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Back in the film grounds…

Kakashi and Asuma began to catalogue all the gathered corpses while Naruto and the others were currently resting and taking turns to be on patrol over the area, while the Jonin examined the bodies to see if there were any possible clues as to who these beings once were and what had been done to them. While the two were skilled Jonin, they had to admit that this was somewhat out of their league as they had never seen this kind of surgery before.

Asuma then turned to Kakashi and spoke to his companion.

"Ever seen anything like this before Kakashi?"

"I haven't, but I can tell that whoever this Chumaza character is, he is very good in doing what he did to these people, we might need to send these bodies to Tsunade-sama back in Konoha so they could find out as many details as they can to we can find ways to kill them quickly. My guess is that there would no doubt be others like them with this man."

"Do you think he was lying when he said he used to work with Orochimaru?"

"Possibly, we'll only know more once Tsunade-sama takes a look at the bodies, I'll have my Nin Dogs take the storage scrolls with the bodies so they can do their work. This is going to be one of these days."

"Tell me about it."

The two Jonin finally completed their work though they had to use Kage Bushin to lift some of the heavier bodies, it had been a struggle to get the bodies on the scrolls and when it was done, they made sure to get as much detail as they could in their reports, as soon as the bodies were deemed to be in the right position and could be stored in the scrolls they did their jutsu to store the bodies, Kakashi made his move and summoned all of his Nin Dogs, with Pakkun naturally in the lead of it all.

"Hey Kakashi, what's the mission?"

"Good to see you too Pakkun, I need you to deliver these storage scrolls to the Hokage along with this report, this is very serious Pakkun."

"What's in the scrolls?"

"Bodies of a band of assassins sent to kill Koyuki, but these are different, they were once human…"

"Once?"

"It'll take too long to explain Pakkun, we need you to go ahead now with the scrolls, these things were not normal foes and there is a chance there will be others like them that can be sent against us by the one who seeks to kill Koyuki-hime."

Pakkun nodded as he and the other Ninja dogs took the scrolls and headed off to Konoha's direction, this left the Jonin to consider their options, the film crew said to them that they were reaching the end of the film and when that was over, they would have be ready as the film crew were going to wrap up the movie. Asuma then turned to Kakashi and asked a question.

"Do you think that he really worked with Orochimaru, this guy who's after Koyuki?"

"Maybe, we'll need to wait and see, I doubt that he's going to give up so easily at this point and time, if he was willing to show himself to us, then there no way he is going to let Koyuki get away scot free this time."

"You might be right, but he might do this to draw away our teams so Kagura could attack Tsunade, there's a big chance of that happening after all."

"You're right about that Asuma, I mentioned that possibility in my report, let's just hope that by the time we get the information, we can be sure that we will be able to defend Koyuki if he tries again. We might need to use our other weapons to even it up just in case it comes to that level. Right now it seems that no one was badly injured."

"True….by the way, how is Naruto-san handling the situation after, well, what happened between him and Koyuki?"

Kakashi smiled at that and replied.

"Fairly well since he hasn't lost his top yet, I have to admit that I am very worried about what the Hokage's reaction will be when they found out what happened, I don't even want to guess how the others back in Konoha will react once the film gets played there in the cinemas."

Asuma laughed at that and had to agree that Naruto was really going to be in way over his head once things started back in Konoha, but either way it was going to be something that even he was going to be looking forward, to, of course, he had no idea how Hinata was going to react to the movie as like everyone else in Konoha, the Jonin sensei of Shikamaru, Ino, and Chouji knew of the mountain sized crush Hinata had towards Naruto and she was not going to react well with the movie, and naturally, the Jonin knew that Tsunade and Shizune were not going to like it either.

"True, but you will have to admit that you did try your best after all to get the film crew to have someone else take over Naruto's role in that part of the film, but now that it's done, there's not much you can do, but weather the storm. The one reaction you might have to worry about is the Hokage's, you know she has something of a soft spot for Naruto after all."

Kakashi nodded and sighed.

"Ahhh….the life of Jonin-sensei, at least it isn't boring, I'm even amazed that I have my sanity dealing with all the things happening these past few weeks."

At the moment, Naruto was currently doing his part as an actor while Sasuke and Sakura looked on as well as Shikamaru, Ino and Chouji, however the lazy genius of a Chuunin had already done some important work with the security detail of the film crew on how to maintain watch while the film was still very much ongoing. The film was going to be wrapped up in a few days so they hoped that as soon as this was over.

Naruto and Koyuki were doing well and when there were breaks, Naruto and Koyuki hanged out with the others as she, Naruto, Sakura, Ino, Chouji, and Shikamaru traded stories, even the normally snit-social Sasuke got into the act of talking though he tried his best to keep to himself, so far, after all he had seen, Kakashi had to admit that after the adventure in Snow/Spring Country, things were looking up for all involved. As the Jonin turned to the sky and wondered how things were for the rest of the world, he couldn't help but drift on a very important topic.

Akatsuki….

The organization had been quiet for some time now, and they seemed to have halted any attempt to go after Naruto and there was no doubt that they were still going to go after the blonde ninja. The Jonin had a feeling that they were not going to give up and with the fact that Naruto had so many enemies to deal with, he hoped that when they got back to Konoha, things would be a lot safer than before. Itachi and that former Mist Swordsman were not planning to leave Naruto alone for long, sooner or later, they were going to try again. The best Kakashi could hope for was that Naruto would be ready for them when the time came.

He then wondered just what was going on with the said organization.

--------

In a village being covered by rain…

Pain looked out at the horizon and was deep in thought, and it was not long before his thoughts drifted back to the time he and his bodies as well as Konan fought with Death Fang. The leader of Akatsuki did not like what he had been facing from the sword when he summoned the rest of his bodies to fight it and when they attacked, they hoped that it would destroy the sword, but they were proven wrong.

--------

Flashback…

Death Fang laughed with absolute humor as it stayed there in it's pedestal as it summoned it's Wraith Knights, and Reapers to deal with Pain and Konan, to see just what sort of skill they had, and it was not to test Pain for the chance to be it's master, it had already considered him worthless, but it was doing this for mere amusement.

Pain nodded and then from the back came five more bodies that wore the same robes as he and Konan wore and they attacked the servants of Death Fang, The attacks were effective as the Asura body managed to even up against a number of Reapers while the Animal Path engaged two more of the Reapers, the Petra Path fought with five Wraith Knights, the Naraka Path fought three of the Wraith Knights, and the Human Path fought with a four man combination of Reapers and Wraith Knights

However, it was apparent to the leader of Akatsuki and Konan that Death Fang's minions were not flesh and bone covered by steel, they had not entirely believed Itachi's report on the power of these servants of the sword known as Death Fang.

The paths used their powerful arsenals and the Human Path attempted to take the soul of one of the Reapers….but Pain saw something dark and malevolent there in the mind of the Reaper that forced him to release his target as he found out that the Reaper was not gifted with a human soul or consciousness and the Human Path was quickly moving away as the dark taint of Chaos began to corrupt the body quickly.

The Asura Path's own body alterations proved useless as Pain used the spikes to skewer the Reapers but the Reapers merely laughed and attacked, showing that they felt no pain at all and were in fact moving despite the gashes on their bodies, The Asura Path even lost both it's limbs in battle with the Reapers and moved away with massive damage to it as well as the Reapers, who were merely laughing and grinning underneath their skull helms and moved ever closer, swinging their Battle Scythes..

The Naraka Path attempted to consume the power of one of the Wraith Knights, but found that the malevolent energies were eating away at it and reducing the body to nothing but ash and dust, showing that there was no way it's body could withstand the onslaught of the Chaos Energy that existed in it and Pain was forced to release it lest this body of his will be utterly destroyed by the corruption that the Chaos energy unleashed, showing that the power was deadly to those Death Fang didn't choose as it's Master.

The Animal Path unleashed a number of powerful animal summons, all having the same Rinnegan eyes and piercings, and they tired to kill some of the Wraith Knights, but the undead warriors were undeterred and tore their way through the summons, some were eaten by the Dog Summon, but that creature howled in great pain as the Wraith Knights merely tore their way through the creature and the giant Dog Summon howled as it was torn apart from the inside by the Wraith Knights. The Animal Path was then stabbed by one Wraith Knight and Pain was then subjected to the same draining power of the Knight necromancy charged weapon as Pain felt his power being consumed by the sword and the Animal Path had to be abandoned as it was quickly stabbed by several other Wraith Knights who converged in for the kill.

The Petra Path attempted to support the others but was surrounded by the enemies and while it managed to take down some of them, there were a lot more coming in to attack it and it was going to be easily overwhelmed soon enough and since it was going to be the kind of battle that would prove to be fatal, there was no way it would end easily..

All the while, Death Fang laughed, utterly amused by the whole situation and it was then that Pain, or rather Nagato decided to fall back and finish this battle once and for all and if he couldn't have the sword, then he would make sure that it would never be found by others who would then attempt to take for themselves. With that he unleashed the full technique that he had been known to use well into combat.

"SHINRA TENSEI!!!"

The attack was enough to stop the Wraith Knights and the Reapers as they were knocked aside while Death Fang looked on still and it was then that Pain and Konan left the area and moved back outside and as soon as he got the chance to settle this matter, the five other bodies dropped and focused their chakra to the Deva Path and then Konan spoke.

"You're going to use that jutsu?"

Pain nodded and then they focused the attack and a massive gravity well came to existence and headed down to the lair of Death Fang and soon enough the mountain was utterly reduced to rubble and the smoke was very thick as well the entire mountain was destroyed and Pain sighed as he and the other bodies stood up with some of them needing to recover after facing Death Fang and it's minions. Konan then turned and replied.

"You didn't have to go that far."

"It can't be helped, that is my justice…."

However, that was then when they all heard demonic laughter in the air and a voice spoke to them all in the ruins of the mountain which was housing Death Fang…a dark and evil voice.

((("Is THAT all you can do Pain?! You disappoint me, and if that is your justice, then you're an even bigger fool than I thought you to be!!!)))

Pain was surprised and so was Konan…

"Impossible…"

Death Fang laughed even louder as the smoke cleared as it's lair had been destroyed, but the sword was unharmed, not even a single scratch and it was still floating even after it's pedestal was obliterated, the sword then floated to the group in it's malevolent glory as it continued to laugh and then it spoke in it's mocking tone.

((("Did you really think that cheap ability of yours can kill me so easily brat? You're abilities with the powers of forces of repulsion and attraction are utterly worthless to me as well as that vaunted attack, and you know why? There are only three powers in existence that can harm me, and your Rinnegan is not one of them. Without the power to destroy me, you can do nothing to me that can worry me, and just because you think you have slain my servants in battle, that doesn't mean that you have won this fight.")))

Death Fang then glowed deeply and to the shock of Pain and Konan, the warriors that they had slain….began to rise once more back to their feet and they looked at Pain and Konan with their glowing eyes, making the group move back a step as they had used up a good portion of their power to try and slay the forces before them before they chose to try and destroy Death Fang, and seeing that their attacks had utterly failed to defeat or even scratch it proved to be rather unnerving, the sword laughed once more and spoke to them.

((("As you can see….you're powers are not enough to destroy either me or my servants, for as long as I exist in the land of the living, their powers and souls are bound to me, and only with me defeated can they be really be banished, your attempts to take my power seem to have failed, and for good reason, only with the mark of ownership could you or anyone for that matter be able to withstand my powers. Now I suggest you give up your notion of using me for your plans, I despise peace and consider it as nothing more than a foolish form of delusion and I will never bring that to existence, I am a weapon made from the suffering, fear, hunger, anger, pain, sorrow, greed, pride, malice, and all things of the dark realm of emotion and power….I am death incarnate and I will see this world bathed in BLOOD and FIRE!!! I will never help bring peace to this world of your Pain, so I suggest you leave.")))

"What exactly are you?"

((("Why ask me that still? But maybe I should give you a much better reason not to seek me out. I am well aware that there is one village that you and your partner reside in, if you so much as try to seek me out, I will send my minions to your village and I will not only tear down the stones and reduce it's structures to rubble, but I will wipe out the very memory of that dirty, worthless village you two call home. And afterwards, I will do the same thing you did to the previous leader, but I will do even better…I will kill every living soul of your village down to the last child and then I will drink their souls and feast on their suffering and pain for all eternity, and they will be bound to serve me for all eternity. The land will be corrupted and it will be so barren and hostile that only those who are of true evil can even live there, that is the fate of your little village should you dare to seek me out again.")))

Pain growled.

"You dare touch my…"

Death Fang laughed, even more utterly amused by Pain's words and then spoke.

((("What can you possibly do to me anyway fool?! There are only three powers that can harm me, the first is the power of my creators for they created me, the second is the power of Faldren and the Holy Dragon Flights, and of course the power of my only rival, Holy Talon, which by the way as you might have guessed, is in the hands of one Naruto Uzumaki, who I believe is the target of your organization, think about that for a moment, if you kill him, you will incur my wrath for I want the pleasure of me and my master being the ones to take his life, and Holy Talon would never work for you, considering the extent of your own crimes to life, and if Naruto Uzumaki dies, then no one in this world will stop me and my master from bathing it in blood. Ironic isn't it? Now then, with that out of the way, I suggest you and your companions leave, you have ruined my lair so I must seek a new one. Seek me out again, and I will keep my promise to reduce the very memory of your village and turn it into a wasteland.")))

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End of Flashback…

The leader of Akatsuki remained silent for some time to process what he and Konan had learned, he had no intention of giving up his plan to promote peace by taking all of the Bijuu, but this sword, Death Fang was of great concern for him to consider and once he had gotten all the details, he would make his move, thankfully his bodies were unharmed and that was a good thing as there was no way he and the others could make their move, with the time left to them, Pain decided to wait and prepare.

"Pain….you are uneasy?"

Pain turned to Konan and replied.

"I guess….we will have to wait for a much better time to make our plan for peace a reality."

"I understand."

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In Konoha…

Pakkun arrived with the rest of his pack hours later, as soon as he arrived, he made his way to the office of Tsunade and the group were met by none other than Uzuki Yuugao, the former girlfriend of the deceased Hayate spoke to the Dog summon as she had been a student of Kakashi years before when Kakashi was still with the ANBU.

"Pakkun, what brings you here?"

Pakkun recognized the ANBU before him and spoke to Yuugao.

"Kakashi sent me here with some storage scrolls and a report from him and Asuma, it seems that they have encountered just who is sending the assassins to kill Koyuki."

The female ANBU nodded at that and then spoke to the other ANBU with her and they cleared the way for Pakkun to give the report to Tsunade, but as soon as the dog summon explained the situation to Tsunade, she was quick to act as she ordered the storage scrolls to be placed in a medical examination room in the ANBU head quarters. Yuugao and the ANBU Captain gave the orders and they were quick to bring the scrolls there.

As they arrived, Tsunade had the scrolls release their cargo and before the Hokage were the bodies of the former humans turned machines of war. The other Medic Nin who she had requested to help her with the examination were shocked by this as Pakkun handed the report and the Dog Summons of Kakashi quickly left the area.

Tsunade read the report as she examined the bodies of the recently arrived corpses of the monstrous figures who were once living beings, despite all her years in the battle field with Jiraiya and Orochimaru when they were still a team, she had never seen this kind of surgery before and done at such a brutal scale. The Hokage made sure to examine as much as she could, she also decided to bring in two other bodies that could help shed some light on the matter before her.

She turned as several ANBU along with Ibiki brought in two coffins and as they were opened, there were two bodies before her….both wearing Sound Village symbols, and the faces were very familiar to anyone watching, as the bodies belonged to Dosu and Zaku.

Their bodies had been recovered days after the invasion of Konoha and had been stored away for burial at a better time, they had just been recently buried, but since they had already been subjected to surgical enhancement in their time with Orochimaru and Sound before and after their deaths, Tsunade had their bodies taken out from burial to study them to see if there were any similarities to their enhancements and that of the bodies that were brought before her.

Ibiki then spoke as the bodies of the dead Sound ninja were now before Tsunade.

"Here are the bodies you requested Tsunade-sama."

"Thank you Ibiki, we need to find out just who this Chumaza character is, I know that his name seems familiar but it has been some time since I have been in the field."

"Do you want us to send a number of ANBU out to get more information?"

"No, we need the ANBU ready just in case Kagura and her employers make their move towards us, I have Shizune doing that part of the investigation. I want you to keep security in Konoha a top priority Ibiki, is that understood?"

"Hai Tsunade-sama."

As Ibiki and the others left, Tsunade sighed and she was joined by a small number of selected Medic Nin who were going to help her with the grisly duties before them, this was disgusting to the core, but the famous Medic Nin, Hokage, and Sannin knew that they needed answers and they would need to find possible weak points in these behemoths so they were able to strike down these creatures should the enemy attack them using these former human ninjas against them.

She turned as Shizune came in with a large folder as well as her trusty hard board pad.

"Anything on your end on getting any information the leader of the assassins that were after Koyuki-hime for the past few days Shizune?"

"I have some things about this Chumaza Tsunade-sama, it appears he used to be some sort of high ranking surgeon and even served as a Medic Nin at some point in his life, but he was determined to be doing a great deal of unethical surgeries and had even began to kidnap a number of people for in inhuman experiments."

"He almost resembles Orochimaru himself."

"He does indeed Tsunade-sama, he is from an unknown village and we have learned that he hired himself out to be a mercenary Medic Nin to those who would hire him, he no doubt used his collections of ryo to both build his organization and fund his experiments, he became known as the Iron Butcher in the lower underworld."

Tsunade growled, it galled her to know that the man used to be a Medic Nin and had committed these atrocious acts on living beings for his own experiments, she had not been in Konoha for a while, but after hearing the full extent of Orochimaru's heinous experiments on fellow Konoha ninja and villagers, she was not entirely surprised at that, As the bodies of both Dosu and Zaku were examined, she was able to see a pattern emerging on the bodies of the Sound Ninja and the bodies of Chumaza' experimental warriors.

There seemed to be remarkable similarities though Orochimaru's work was more refined and smaller than Chumaza' own handiwork, showing that will the methods were the same, the operations was different, Chumaza sought o completely replace the human body with machinery while Orochimaru only made enhancements that were easier to conceal, this would mean that while Orochimaru's work reflected finesse, power, and effectiveness without fully revealing everything, Chumaza' work was more open and brutal, lacking any form of subtlety at all. This man wanted to not only make a man more like a machine, but to overpower and instill fear into his foes.

This was not something that she was used to seeing and decided to try some experiments and spoke to Shizune.

"Shizune, I want you to call Zabuza and Haku here quickly."

"Hai!"

Shizune left the area and quickly looked for both Zabuza and Haku, the two ninja were currently returning from a routine recon mission with Kin when she met them and told them to hurry and meet with Tsunade quickly. The two arrived and Tsunade spoke to Haku.

"Haku, can you use your Kekkai Genkai to stop something this large?"

Haku examined the body and nodded as he studied the construction of the Chumaza' ninja monsters, the monster would be a big threat if left unattended, but the metal construction appeared to be something he could work with and he turned to Tsunade.

"Hokage-sama, I need some room to try something."

Tsunade nodded and Haku looked at Zabuza and the Jonin nodded and made several hand seals and unleashed a large amount of water at one of the corpses and Haku then used his own Kekkai Genkai and unleashed the same jutsu that he had used to restrain Kiba and Akamaru before when he and Zabuza worked under Orochimaru's employ.

As soon as Tsunade saw the results she realized that maybe Haku's jutsu could prove useful in countering these monsters and while Kakashi and Sasuke were not around, she could recognize the work of the Raikiri and the Chidori on some of the bodies that were before her at the moment and this told her that Lightning Jutsu could work, She then decided to have all the ANBU be ready for the coming battle, she then turned and gave orders to both Haku and Zabuza to begin using their jutsu when the time came for them to face these monsters, she also ordered all known users of Water, Fire, and Lightning chakra to be ready for the soon to come battle, there was no doubt in the Hokage's mind that a massive attack would heading their way soon enough and no doubt that attack was going to be led by Kagura herself.

As she considered their options, she also decided to ready herself for a possible attack, there was no doubt that if Kagura was to attack she would use the forces she had to make a distraction for her to sneak into Konoha and with her being a former ANBU she would have the knowledge on the possible areas of where she could strike at the heart of Konoha, though Konoha always had contingency plans for possible attacks on the Hokage, the blonde Sannin knew from firsthand experience that not everything was fool proof. No matter how many times one plans, one has to make sure to be ready for possible changes in the battle field.

"Shizune."

"Hai Tsunade-sama?"

"I want you and the rest of the available ninja to be on maximum alert on rotation, the attack might not happen yet, but we need to be ready for anything all the same."

"Hai!"

"Haku, Zabuza!"

"Hai Hokage-sama?"

"I want you both and Kin to be ready for the possible attack, we can't dispatch anymore teams out there to support Kakashi and Asuma so we can be prepared."

"Hai!"

As the plans were being set in motion, she had no doubt in her mind that Kagura herself was making plans for her own attack on them. The Sannin knew about Kagura's Genjutsu skills and she would be using them to take control of as many ninja as she could to go after her, and the idea of her fighting her fellow Konoha ninja and the civilians was something she was not going to risk. It was then that two elders came to visit her.

"Tsunade-hime, what is going on here?"

The blonde Sannin knew the voice to belong to Kohane and when she was around, there would be Homura as well. She turned and there were the two of them and she sighed once more and decided to fill in the information to the two elders, needless to say, they were not happy with the fact that it was Kagura who was a threat to Konoha this time and to hear of this Chumaza was also rather difficult to admit as in their own years as ninja, they had never seen anything like these bodies before. The elderly female then spoke to Tsunade.

"You realize that she will be coming after you Tsunade-hime?"

"I am aware of that, and I know what I have to do, I also know that we need to set up a special barrier all throughout the village to prevent Kagura from controlling the ninja here and turning them on the village and it's people as well."

Homura nodded as he was aware of Kagura's level of skill with Genjutsu and how much of a danger she was in a fight for normal ninja to face alone. There was a lot of work to be done, and it was not long before Jiraiya came on the scene.

The Sannin had his game face on and spoke to Tsunade very seriously.

"I heard that we're dealing with Kagura again, any idea on when she's going to attack?"

Tsunade shook her head and replied.

"No clue yet, but we're going to have to set up a barrier large enough to protect the village and the people from her Genjutsu, she would have our own people turn on each other so she could destroy the village piece meal, we can't let that happen."

"How's Naruto doing on the mission so far?"

"He's doing well, he is already learning how to manipulate the elements and he's found by Kakashi to be a Wind Elemental Type like Asuma."

Jiraiya smiled at that and the two Sannin got to work in setting up the barrier. They knew of Kagura's talents with Genjutsu apart from the normal combat arts of the ninja, that, coupled with her chakra abilities as well as her Taijutsu skills made Kagura a deadly fighter in her own right and she had to be dealt with carefully. The two Sannin then decided to get Naruto's Golem guards activated and ready for battle as well as getting the weapons and armor that Naruto had forged for them, while they were not dealing with undead like they had before then they had fought the Wraith Knight with Naruto and Shizune, they were not going to take any risky chances with Kagura and her allies,

--------

Back in the movie set, at least three days later…

Naruto was busy doing the last of the scenes with Koyuki and the crew and they were not at least a good few days away from Konoha since the film was taking place in a newly constructed set castle near a large cliff which would serve as the main ending of the story, they were about half way through the production, unaware that another band of watchers were present and ready to make their move on the group…only this batch had VERY dark intentions as they were all armed and ready, unlike the hulking monsters that Naruto and the others fought before, these were human in form and appearance, unless one ignored the fact that they had a very familiar set of chakra enhancing armor on their bodies and the fact that they were stripped of all emotions as well. Their bodies had a pale complexion and they appeared to be already dead.

The leader was none other than Chumaza himself and this time he was wearing the more traditional version f Snow Country's chakra enhancing armor and he was more than ready to fight as well. It seems that he decided to finish this mission himself, all the better to finally end Koyuki's life with his bare hands and get the chance to make sure that no one would be able to stand in his way. He had already allowed his two 'allies' to do what they wanted in order to defeat Konoha, with that country gone, the rest of the ninja world would finally be sent into a full scale revolution, something that could further profit himself and one of his 'allies', for now however, the princess was hit to deal with.

As soon as Koyuki was in position, he made his move and he and his mechanized followers launched a direct attack at the set and the film crew left the area and it seemed that Koyuki's ninja guardian was too late this time. With that in mind, Chumaza smiled and aimed his arm forward and revealed that there was a crossbow style weapon on his arm and Chumaza then fired one of his crossbow bolts and this time, he would make sure that she finally died. The bolt hit home and sent Koyuki falling down the stairs showing a quick kill, but suddenly, Koyuki poofed away and revealed a log with the bolt on it.

"A Replacement?!"

Chumaza and his forces suddenly found themselves surrounded by Kakashi, Sakura, Sasuke, Asuma, Ino, Shikamaru, Chouji, and then Naruto. the blonde Dragon Champion and Chuunin of Konoha drew out Holy Talon and replied.

"If you think you would win today, you're mistaken! Koyuki-hime is not here! Now you die."

Chumaza swore as he realized he had been lured into a trap and he decided to kill all the Konoha ninja here.

Naruto had a feeling that since this was the last part of the movie being shot, then there was a chance that Chumaza and his forces would strike again at Koyuki and it would be a much more serious attack as well and therefore they would have to prepare for it. To that end, he had talked with Koyuki to hide for the moment while he had a Kage Bushin disguised as her to take her place in this exact scene as bait to lure any attackers out and Koyuki agreed while she stayed safely away with a number of Naruto's summoned soldiers guarding her, as well as Kakashi's Nin Dogs. She told the Kage Bushin of her what to do and when she did so, she wished the group to be very careful. The director was also in the plan and asked if the ninjas would be willing to play it all out. Kakashi and Asuma had a feeling that this was also going to be something else entirely and they agreed.

Now the situation was indeed different and Chumaza had been drawn out and now the battle was about to begin and this time, Chumaza decided to stay and fight, the time for hiding in the shadows was already over in his mind and now was the time to strike fast and hard and deal with these pests.

"Attack!!!"

The mechanized warriors heeded the commands and charged forward to destroy their foes quickly and effectively, Chouji and Shikamaru moved first while Ino hung back and provided support in her own way as she fired kunai at the targets to both wound and distract them while Asuma moved in as well with his trench knives at the ready. Naruto attacked with Holy Talon while Sakura began to use her training under Tsunade to fight back and use her smaller frame to her advantage to avoid the attacks, Sasuke focused on using his Sharingan in battle as well as his training in the Chidori to even things up in the battle ahead of him and Kakashi got ready for the battle with his own Sharingan.

The Konoha ninja knew that these foes were not going to be easy, since they were almost like machines or in this case, like golems, they would not respond to normal wounds, only powerful ones that could destroy them well enough and be crippling injuries at the very same time, but they knew that inflicting such wounds easily would not be some something that they could do without making risky moves of their own in order to defeat their foes effectively.

Sakura managed to use her strength to punch one of them aside and then land a powerful kick into the chest of another, sending the other back as she then grabbed a large stone and tossed it right at the first one she had been able to knock down. That was enough for her to move back as the other one got up to attack her one more and she managed to evade the attack and land behind her foe, the mechanized ninja construct and former human turned and out from the right arm came a massive, razor sharp blade that Sakura barely evaded and she was able to move away and then leap over the foe as it charged with the blade to impale her, but the blade stabbed deeply into the stone nearby and she leaped over the attacker and she pushed them from behind and then dodged another attack from the second attacker, and she fought back as best she could.

Chouji managed to use his family's Jutsu and turned into his Meat Tank form. And with that done he charged right at his foes and the Akamichi member smashed into the two of them but the Meat Tank was not very effective as since they were not living, they couldn't feel any form of pain, but Chouji tried again, only this time, he used spikes to even up the odds and damaged the two and sent them flying backwards as Chouji returned to his normal form and then extended his hands into massive fists and punched the mechanized ninja hard. Chouji groaned at that and spoke.

"Ow! Damn these guys are hard!"

The Ninja under the command of Chumaza then did some hand seals and then both Sakura and Chouji had to move as the ninja unleashed several blasts of fire at the two, showing that despite not being alive, they were able to use Ninjutsu as well as their Taijutsu and weapons. Shikamaru used his Shadow Manipulation Jutsu and managed to restrain the two of his attackers and then he was supported by Asuma as Asuma moved in and Shikamaru then released his targets and the Jonin sensei of Ino, Shikamaru, and Chouji punched in hard and knocked down the targets. But to his surprise and as well as his team, the targets got up again and were ready for another go at them and they wondered just what it would take to defeat these new version, the armor they had was considerably tougher and they knew that they had to hold their own until they could find some sort of weakness that they could use. Asuma then cursed at seeing them move again.

"Damn it! These guys just don't quit! Ino, can you try and control one of them?"

Ino tried to look into their minds but they were blank, as if they were stripped of their souls and there was no way she could take over, she then felt a massive spike of energy somewhere in the mindscape of her target but it was too strong for her to easily locate and it was overwhelming her sense and she knew that she couldn't remain there forever and she quickly pulled away and replied to her sensei.

"There's no soul in them?! They're nothing but empty shells of men, but there seems to be some sort of central power source, but it's too powerful for me to locate properly!"

Kakashi could see that the armor the new fighters had on was very much the same as the ones worn by the Snow Ninjas that he and his team fought with before, however, these armor suits seemed to have undergone a considerable number of alterations and were stronger than they were originally before and that told Kakashi that they would have to be a lot more cautious with these new forces. He made several hand seals and then unleashed a Fire technique.

"KATON!!! GOKAKYU NO JUTSU!!!!"

The Fireball headed straight for them but the two mechanized ninja moved away and unleashed a number of shuriken from some launchers that forced him to move quickly out of the way and as soon as he did so and he studied his foes, looking for some sort of weakness as well. Taijutsu was out of the question as these guys were already corpses and pain was not something they would feel and they couldn't die.

Sasuke used his kunai and aimed for the eye of one of the attackers and succeeded, but the attacker kept at him, telling Sasuke that these guys were not going to just give up and die so easily and he used his razor wire and shuriken to bind them together and then unleash a powerful blast of fire some his mouth using the same technique he had learned and had used when fighting Orochimaru back in the Forest of Death.

"KATON!!! RYUKA NO JUTSU!!!!"

The blast was large enough and the two foes Sasuke was fighting were finally hit hard by the attack and Sasuke moved away and was wary, he had seen how Kakashi's move had failed and he knew that using Lee's Taijutsu skills were not going to be of much help in this situation, there had to be some sort of weakness here that they all could use as there was still a great deal of danger in the battle before them all.

"There has to be a way to beat them!"

It was then that Sakura struck the crystal of one of the ninja in an attempt to push it back after it tried to impale her with it's weapon that something happened. The ninja moved back and seemed to stagger as she had nearly shattered the crystal core and then she saw it lose control of itself and she decided to chance it and moved closer and avoided several more strikes and and then she struck again and then saw that her attacks on the crystal were working. The crystal core shattered and the ninja just 'died'. It fell over and didn't get up, that told Sakura that the power source for these behemoths were located in the crystal cores, the cores were better armored , but her attacks proved to be the key to ending them.

With that in mind, she shouted to the others.

"Focus on the crystal cores! That's where they can be defeated!!!"

The others noted that and focused their attacks on the crystal cores. And Kakashi noted that Sakura was right the very second he used his Raikiri on his foe and struck him the crystal core. Apparently the crystal core housed some sort of reanimation jutsu energy source that gave like to these monsters their life force, unlike the previous models who were very much human, these were already corpses who were brought back to life, no doubt through dark medical jutsu and then were turned into these things.

This Chumaza must have really been an aid to Orochimaru since these forbidden jutsus were very lethal and very much illegal in many ways. To do this to a corpse was unheard of, and Kakashi felt some degree of satisfaction once he defeated his foe

This left Naruto and Chumaza to fight one another as he released a pair of blades from the top of his arms and attacked Naruto with deadly slashes, the blades were sharp and they were glowing with chakra, Naruto knew that while the blades couldn't curt deep enough to wound him severely, the fact that the blades were coated in chakra told him that his foe was able to increase his weapons' effectiveness in battle with the chakra, either making them much sharper than they really are or they would have negative effects on his body.

Naruto managed to evade most of the powerful attacks and was quickly to use the environment to his advantage and his thoughts on the chakra covered wrist blades proved true as the wrist blades cut through a large pillar made from plaster and cement for the movie set and he knew that these blades were not going to be easy to deal with but he was not giving up just yet and blocked several more attacks with the flat of his sword and moved away and Chumaza made his move on him as well.

The renegade medic Nin wasted no time in trying to turn Naruto into deal meat with his attacks and the blonde knew that while had improved considerably, he had to be careful and then decided to put a combination of Lee and Gai's Taijutsu and Valeena's Fore Dancer training to the battle itself as he blocked two more strikes with the flat of Holy Talon's blade and then he blocked the next attacks and launched several powerful punches and kicks, mirroring his training with Gai and Lee, while he didn't have Lee or Gai's overall physical speed and power, he had his own enhanced body to even up the odds and his blows were enough to force Chumaza away from him long enough to prepare a counter strike and he brought Holy Talon down with a powerful strike that slashes through the blades with little to no effort.

Chumaza shouted at that and replied.

"Not bad, that sword of your is pretty good."

"You don't know the half of it!!!"

Naruto leaped and copied Lee's own move but with a twist of his own as he cast a fire spell to his feet.

"DRAGON FIRE HURRICANE KICK!!!!"

The blonde copied Lee's Leaf Hurricane Kick but combined the technique with his training with Valeena's Fire Dancer training and the attack caught Chumaza off guard as the flames from Naruto's foot nearly burned his face. As soon as Naruto landed, he did the same attack but this time with a vertical spinning version that smashed right into Chumaza's head and sent the man reeling from the blow as Naruto moved closer and slammed an elbow right in the stomach, to find that the man was wearing armor, like he was and the blonde Chuunin quickly moved back in order to get some fighting room and got his sword ready for the fight ahead.

Chumaza was apparently prepared as well as Naruto was as he reached behind him and took out a pair of larger scalpels that resembled kunai and Naruto could tell that these were razor sharp and very deadly, the blades on them were not in the same shape and size of kunai themselves but they came very close to the same design and width of the blade as well. The two fought on with the evil mercenary Medic Nin scoring a few hits to Naruto as the blonde Dragon Champion and Konoha Chuunin had a bleeding scar on his left cheek and a cut on his arm which had managed to bypass the hardened leather armor and it was bleeding a bit.

The blonde ninja however was far from beaten as he continued the attack and while Chumaza had tried to strengthen the large scalpels with his chakra, they proved to be no match for Holy talon as the sword glowed golden once more and sliced through the chakra coated scalpels and reduced them to nothing but ruined handles.

It was at this moment that the others were able to finally defeat their foes and while Asuma was sporting some bruises and a cut and so was Chouji, Ino, Sasuke, Kakashi and even Sakura, the wounds were not crippling or fatal but their foes were not so lucky and the group recovered from the battles they had with their foes and that was the time that Naruto made his final move, using his training in Taijutsu and then launched a powerful kick into Chumaza's stomach and then despite the Medic Nin's use of chakra to injure Naruto, he was not so easy to hit this time as he moved and dodged the counter attacks and then tossed some kunai that Chumaza blocked and the two charged at one another and Chumaza aimed a chakra scalpel at Naruto as the blonde was near the ledge, but Naruto rolled at the last moment to evade the attack and then as he planted both his feet into the ground, he lashed out with a direct stab….and as Chumaza turned to fight back….the Medic Nin was impaled right in the chest, the armor he had on did nothing to stop Holy Talon from skewering him like a fish in the chest.

--------

Chumaza groaned as he bled from the massive wound in his chest as Naruto looked at him with undisguised anger as he pulled Holy Talon out from the madman's dying body. The man laughed a bit and replied at the look on Naruto's face.

"Y-Y-You think….you've won right?"

"Damn right I do!"

"You….beat me….but Kagura….and Bando….are going to bring your village to it's knees….my other pet projects are with them…you will fall and all of the people in your village will die."

"Not today."

Naruto replied as he kicked Chumaza's body off the ledge that they had been fighting in, it was then that Koyuki and her escorts arrived and she was surprised to see Naruto with some wounds but otherwise very much alive and so were the rest of the Konoha ninjas who were there in the set, she had been worried sick for Naruto's fate and that of the others as well and headed there despite the fact that she had been told to stay well away from the fighting that was going on. The director had filmed the whole situation and then Naruto looked at his comrades and then summoned the healing green energy to help tend the others while Sakura placed her on Medical Jutsu training to use to heal the wounds that the others had suffered and as soon as they were healed, Naruto turned and spoke to Koyuki.

"Koyuki-hime, I hate to say this, but we have to leave, if Chumaza was…"

Koyuki shook her head and replied to Naruto's words, she knew that he was asking her leave to go and save his village from being destroyed. She was safe and now it was time to let Naruto save his own people.

"You don't need to say anything, go now and save your village, all of you, be careful, especially you Naruto-kun."

Naruto smiled and so did the others, as well as Sasuke and they were off to get to Konoha before all hell broke loose in their village.

--------

In Konoha…

Chumaza's words proved correct as a band of Konoha Chuunin on patrol were suddenly attacked by the rest of the creations of Chumaza and there behind them were Kagura and Bando.

Bando was a powerful figure in the underworld and was known for his use of very powerful and controversial weapons, it was said that he was the one who gave the most destructive weapons he had in order to sow chaos and destruction in the world and also to make profit no matter how many lives were going to be lost in the process. He also carried a number of his powerful weapons in the shape of two cannons on his back that he is able to carry quite easily, considering his rather muscular frame and agility despite his size.

The forces that Bando led were now attacking Konoha directly and it would seem that they would have numbers on their side, as the ANBU, Jonin who were there, including Gai, Kurenai, Anko and others including the Genin, as well as the Chuunin met them on, as well as the female Dagern warriors who helped with evacuating the civilians and keeping them safe, it was also when the Golems that Naruto created to safe guard Konoha in his absence came to life. The ones on the outside of Konoha were quick to engage their foes while the ones inside were ready to defend the locations that were vital to the survival of the village itself and the ones guarding Tsunade were also active.

Bando had to admit that the golems seemed very intimidating and were actually able to hold their own in battle but with their numbers, they would have a chance, Kagura had already gone ahead to deal with Tsunade, with the Hokage's death, it could mean the fall of the village and the chance for a great profit at the very same time for him as well as a chance for Kagura to finally have the revenge she had long sought all her life ever since she joined up with this group. He let her have her way now and focused on sending his forces to destroy Konoha and the profit from it all was worth it.

However, it was then that Bando found himself acing Jiraiya.

"So, I get to fight a Sannin, this could be good."

"I know you, you're the arms dealer bando, it figures someone who thrives on the pain and misery of others in war would be leading this attack."

"True, after Konoha is destroyed, I will be a very rich man."

Jiraiya however, dressed in the Orchaelium armor Naruto had made for him, glared darkly at Bando and replied.

"You won't be getting far Bando, you're not going anywhere."

"Think again old man!!!"

Jiraiya smiled; apparently no one outside of Konoha knew that he was back to the prime of his youth and now was the time to even it up.

It was not long before Kakashi, Sasuke, Sakura, Ino, Shikamaru, Chouji, Asuma, and Naruto arrived at high speed and they were quick to join into the fighting, Naruto summoned his soldiers and told the other ninja fighting with Chumaza's creations where to hit to end their threat, the others also told the other ninja what to do. However, Naruto knew that while he was worried that Kagura would no doubt go after Tsunade, she was more than able to handle herself; his duty now was to protect the village and do her best to hope that Tsunade would be all right.

Jiraiya proved that his renewed youth was more than enough to beat Bando, Bando attempted to use his cannons but the Sannin used his new found agility and speed, to evade the attacks and fire a number of kunai at first and then unleashed a blast of Toad Oil, getting Bando soaked and then he used his Gokakyu No Jutsu to Flash fry Bando. The man barely escapes and tries once more to defeat Jiraiya in single combat, but the wily Sannin is more than ready for him as Bando tries to unleash a close combat attack.

Jiraiya blocked the punches and the kicks and responds with some powerful attacks of his own that send Bando flying to the roof of the other building and as he tried to get up, the man barely avoids getting his head busted open as Jiraiya pressed the attack and Bando tried his best to beat Jiraiya. But the perverted young again man didn't earn his rank and title as Sannin for the sake of it as he evaded each of Bando's attacks, while Bando was a strong man in terms of strength and stature, Jiraiya at his prime was no easy foe and was strong as well as he knocked aside Bando's attacks and struck several more hard blows to imbalance the man and then the Toad Sage unleashed the rest of his arsenal as he moves in and unleashes a powerful barrage of punches and kicks as well as another blast of Toad Oil to Bando, only this time, he uses the oil to hold Bando down. The arms dealer looked at him with hate filled eyes and spoke.

"Damn you! You don't fight like an old man!!!"

"That's because I'm not an old man anymore squirt, you've got power, no doubts there, but you're not exactly worthy material…and it seems your forces are about to be pounded into oblivion."

Bando turned and to his shock, his forces were being overwhelmed by the Golems that guarded Konoha as well as the ninja of Konoha themselves, and in the lead was Kakashi followed Asuma and Naruto. The Sannin turned and made a signal and then a trio of ANBU arrived. One of the ANBU was Uzuki Yuugao who spoke, to Jiraiya.

"You needed something Jiraiya-sama?"

"take this one to the jails and lock him up, make sure to strip him of any weapons, especially those guns, I can bet there are a LOT of very interested parties in the Five Nations who'lll want a piece of this man's hide."

"Hai Jiraiya-sama."

"Damn you old man! You'll pay for this!"

Shizune arrived and she too was wearing the Orchaelium armor made for her by Naruto and she was tired as well.

"Jiraiya-sama! Any sign of Kagura?"

--------

In one of the large chambers in the basement of the Hokage Tower…

Kagura smiled evilly as she moved into the much larger chamber in the Hokage Tower, she had deployed her escorts to engage Tsunade's golem protectors, while she was surprised by the arrival of the massive machine like beings, she focused on her objective. She had her ninja fight with the ANBU who were there to protect Tsunade and wasted little time in dealing with the ANBU and evaded them. She had hoped to use her Genjutsu to affect the whole of Konoha and make them turn on each other, but the effort proved to be much harder than she had thought as Tsunade and Jiraiya were more than ready to counter that Genjutsu of hers

There before her was the object of her revenge….Tsunade herself, though she was wearing armor of some sort that was unknown to the former ANBU.

"Kagura…"

"It's been a long time Tsunade, now I finally get the chance to avenge myself for the way you cast me aside."

"I had my reasons Kagura…"

"One of them being you were jealous! My power was strong, and now it is much stronger than yours, That's why you cast me aside, you were afraid!"

"Fear was never the reason I cast you aside Kagura."

"Ha! Don't make me laugh you old witch, I will make you pay for that humiliation so long ago! Once I kill you, then I will turn Konoha into a graveyard!!!"

Tsunade sighed and replied.

"Things have changed for me and for this village, I will not let you harm these people for as long as I am Hokage."

"That position should have been mine Tsunade….I will make you pay, I was hoping to bring that blonde ninja with the sword who cared a lot for you, maybe after I make you beg for your life, I will take his life before your eyes!"

Tsunade growled and replied.

"You will not dare lay a hand on Naruto-kun while I am here! You want a fight Kagura, you shall have it!"

The battle quickly started and Kagura used her chakra string techniques to even up the odds as she knew that Tsunade was a deadly foe up close, and with her talents in the Medical Jutsu field, she was no slouch in a fight with being able to use medical jutsu to deadly effect when needed. She fired several of her kunai and used her chakra strings to attack Tsunade with them, but the blonde Hokage was also aware of Kagura's skills and training as she had seen her in combat before.

Tsunade rolled out of the way and quickly released the blades and channeled her chakra into them and attacked at high speed, the floor was torn apart by the impact and her attacks forced Kagura to leap away and stick to the wall, But Tsunade was having none of it and used her superhuman strength to kick the wall and send cracks and the sounds of stone breaking was heard as Kagura leaped away, she used the smoke and charged at Tsunade with her blade drawn and attacked up close, but to her shock, the armor Tsunade had on blocked it and she used a kunai to wound Tsunade's arm. As she leaped back she spoke with evil relish.

"You're getting slow in your old age Tsunade! I will beat you!"

Tsunade however was taking things carefully; the wound was hardly a problem and she knew that she needed to trick Kagura, she could see that while Kagura was still a threat, the fact that she was reveling in a simple wound made it clear that she was losing her control for the chance to kill her and the further reinforced Tsunade's desire to end this kind of situation quickly. She healed her wound and went back on the offensive, Kagura threw her kunai, Tsunade blocked them and they were sent aside, but Kagura was not worried and used her chakra strings and the weapons were charging at Tsunade from behind, but Tsunade was quick as she leaped away backwards and with her chakra covered blades, severed the chakra strings and moved in for the kill as she attacked, forcing Kagura to take up her ANBU blade form the sheath and a kunai as well, but Tsunade retracted the blades and then launched a powerful punch right into Kagura's stomach….

"AAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!"

Kagura was sent rocketing back into a wall and smashed hard into the stone and tried to get moving once more, and barely evaded a powerful descending kick from Tsunade and she moved once more to using her chakra guided kunai, but Tsunade grabbed some debris and tossed them at her with powerful speed, forcing Kagura to move away and Tsunade used it o her advantage as she moved in and then tossed a shuriken to cut Kagura and then slash at her while running at full speed, the rogue ANBU leaped away as Tsunade sliced a piece of debris in half with the blade and she shouted.

"I will not lose to you! YOU HEAR ME TSUNADE?!?! I will NOT lose!!!"

Kagura pushed her body to the limit and used her Genjutsu to make Tsunade see more of her around her and all of them were moving towards the Hokage, but Tsunade kept her cool and fought on, as well as using her chakra to free herself from the Genjutsu despite the potency the Genjutsu had on her at that moment, she turned and blocked deadly downward strike from Kagura who was armed with her ANBU blade and she knocked her aside as Kagura then used her own chakra to enhance her blade and attacked, the two of them clashed with one another fiercely and both backed away, Tsunade had a gash on her side as the blade had managed to bypass her armor in a weak spot as the attack was a stab, but Kagura was not safe either as there were a pair of slash wounds on her left arm and her right leg and she growled.

"I will not be so easily beaten!"

"I am aware of that Kagura."

The two attacked once more as they pushed themselves to the limit of their bodies and it was not long before Tsunade landed a solid hit with her fist that was covered in chakra, this one was aimed right at the area where chakra was gathered and that was enough to severely wound Kagura and as she staggered back, the rogue ANBU tried another attack with her charka string guided kunai and managed to score another hit but this time, taking a page out of Naruto's own play book unintentionally at that, Tsunade had used a Kage Bushin to take the its and when Kagura smile faded at being deceived by the move, she attacked and landed a powerful kick to Kagura that sent her smashing into the wall with great force.

Tsunade could see that it was over….despite how short that fight might have been to other observers, it was her attacks with chakra that had severely weakened Kagura and there was no doubt that she won, but she felt no happiness with this, Kagura was a rogue Ninja and a deadly threat, but she had promise once….

Kagura groaned as she fell to the ground to her knees, gasping for air and she felt that she had finally ran out of stamina and she was dying. The former ANBU managed to summon enough energy to look at Tsunade who despite her victory had a sad look in her eyes.

"H-H-How….could you….have beaten me? How?!"

"Because I had more will than you did Kagura."

"All my power was useless in the….end, I thought I was stronger than you…."

Tsunade sighed and replied.

"In truth, you were stronger than me in your own way Kagura, but all your power didn't have compassion and purpose, I had a reason for denying you to be my apprentice, and that was your own cruel use of your powers, a leader has to show levels of compassion as well to their people, if they do not show that, then there will be no true stability and peace in the lands or places they ruled."

"Y-Y-You….why Tsunade….why did you choose to be Hokage? You never….wanted anything to do with the position…."

Tsunade thought about her answer and replied.

"I didn't, there was no lie about the fact I wanted nothing to do with being Hokage, but a young, loveable fool made me change my mind and reminded me of the dreams of others as well as his own. And for that reason, I took up the position of being Hokage."

"I-I see….I should have known that my power was not enough to be Hokage, you deserved it after all. And I was not worthy of being an apprentice….to you after all."

"You're wrong about that Kagura, if you had the compassion that was needed, there would have been no doubt you would have made a great apprentice or an even better Hokage than me. You would have been a splendid Hokage Kagura, of that I had no doubts…"

For the first time Kagura smiled as she could see the truth there in Tsunade's eyes and she lay down and spoke her final words.

"But that dream is beyond my reach now…and you know what….I don't have any regrets, it was good to fight you….Tsunade-sama…."

Tsunade checked Kagura's pulse and heart rate and found nothing….the former ANBU was dead, she sighed as Naruto, Kakashi, Jiraiya, Sakura, Sasuke, and several others came in. Holy Talon sensed the life in Kagura and found no sign of life in her and spoke to Naruto.

(("She's dead Master Naruto, it seems to be over now."))

Naruto nodded and moved to Tsunade and placed his hand on her shoulder, Tsunade moved and held Naruto's hand and turned to see the blonde Chuunin about to ask her something and she answered first.

"I'm all right Naruto-kun, it's good to see that you're all right."

"It's good to see you safe too Tsunade-sama."

It seemed that disaster was averted once more, Konoha was damaged, but it was still intact and it's people were safe, that was all that mattered in the mind of the ninja as they got ready to rebuild the pieces. However, Kakashi had other worries to deal with.

--------

Later….in the Hokage's Tower…

Kakashi knew that as soon as he gave the full summary of his report on the mission, things for him were going to get very ugly, he however had no idea just how much until he gave the report to the Hokage.

Tsunade was shocked by this and she glared at Kakashi with undisguised surprise….and wrath, making even the level headed Copy cat Ninja of Konoha sweat a bit, he knew his decision to have Naruto act in the film might not sit well with some people, but even more so with the Hokage.

"HE DID WHAT WITH KOYUKI KAZAHANA?!"

"As I stated before, the situation that Naruto found himself in a few weeks before required him to be part of the acting staff of the movie and there was a good…."

"I AM WELL AWARE OF THAT KAKASHI HATAKE!!! WHAT I WANT TO KNOW IS WHY YOU EVEN ALLOWED IT?!"

"I actually wanted to have them try someone else to take Naruto's place. But Koyuki-hime herself suggested Naruto and personally requested him to be the one to be in the scene."

"SHE DID WHAT?!"

As soon as things were finished, Jiraiya looked at Tsunade who was glaring at him and she sighed as she looked at the information and spoke seriously. She knew that as client, Koyuki had the authority to ask for a ninja's services, even those that were of a VERY personal nature, thought that was never know to happen often. Naruto was by far, the ONLY Konoha ninja on record to be asked that.

"Damn you Jiraiya, you and your perverted books have finally put Naruto in the firing line, I don't know where you get those perverted ideas that made that book, but if I ever find out, you are going to be in serious trouble…now get out, I have a lot to think about, namely on how to avoid having Naruto being grilled by every woman in the village…"

(Including myself….)

Jiraiya nodded and left….a massive grin on his face as he walked away….it turned out even better than he hoped. Though he did feel a great deal of pity for Naruto as he knew that the films were no doubt about to be circulated all over the world, Naruto was going to be the most recognized ninja for the next few years, he was looking forward to that actually.

Meanwhile, Tsunade decided to contact all the other women who were very much part of Naruto's love life, she knew that as soon as those films came out, there was going to be a maelstrom of trouble to deal with. She didn't even want to guess what would be the outcome if anyone else got to see that movie.

--------

It seemed that the crisis of Konoha was over, but things were going to get a lot more serious as the damage had to be assessed, the ruined hulks of Chumaza' created monsters had to be removed and the damage fixed. Though Konoha had been rebuilt, the damage had been considerable though the golems created by Naruto had lessened the damage to the village, the golems had been able to counter most of the assault and 'casualties' for the 'soldiers' were fairly easy for Naruto to fix. However, he had insisted that other measures to ensure Konoha had to be done to ensure that it would be able to handle the damage to the village as well as the Hokage Tower itself.

Tsunade listened to Naruto's suggestions and while members of the Konoha Council were not liking the say the blonde Chuunin had in matters that were their own, Hiashi, Ginji, Inochi, Shikaku and Chouza thought differently and they were willing to listen to Naruto's suggestions, remarking to the others that the golems Naruto created had helped minimize casualties in the Chuunin, Jonin and the ANBU as well as reduce the damage done to the village. The two who were not very trusting of Naruto were naturally Kohane and Homura but they were not getting anywhere just yet as Tsunade reminded them that she was not going to budge on the matter and that Naruto had the interests of the village at heart.

And Naruto did as he worked with the masons who were sent to rebuild the walls and he began to use his training with Holy Talon in the art of Transmutation and Tsunade allowed the Council to observe Naruto in his work in helping with the rebuilding of the village. Naruto used his training to actually enhance the stones to make them three times stronger and amazingly enough, able to withstand even a concerted assault of elemental jutsu, and made it even lighter, allowing the masons to carry many stones to rebuild the damage to the walls, Naruto used the spell on the rest of the walls, making them three times thicker and also able to resist elemental attacks was well as heavy damage. They were also allowed to see how he could rebuild the golem guards of Konoha.

It would take days for Naruto to do his work and he was aided by the women from Dagern such as Liara who helped by helping fuse a special spell on the surrounding trees outside of Konoha, turning the trees into silent sentries that could sense any living thing within five hundred yards beyond Konoha's walls along with Coryin helping in routine patrols as well. Naruto also were able to summon Rumkil and Thorell and a large number of dwarf smiths and masons and while many of the people of Konoha were surprised by the arrival of the dwarves, they however went to work in reinforcing the walls of Konoha as well as fixing any ruined buildings and the dwarves commented on the poor quality of some of the stone work and Naruto politely asked them to do what they can to make it better for the rest of Konoha, the dwarves grunted and went to work while Naruto and the others were busy getting things done for the day.

Naruto also busied himself with other matters, namely the fulfillment of his agreement with the ANBU to make them some new weapons that could help tip the scales in their favor in a pitched battle, he however decided to take his time with the weapons, armor, and gear to make sure that he had everything planed out well enough, he had already began working on some new versions of the ANBU' already existing arsenals.

It was then that Naruto decided to make some things for the people who had done a lot in his life, he had already made a brand new sword for Kakashi to take the place of his previous gift and since he had the time needed to get the work done he decided to maker some items that he knew would be worth it.

As time passed, the new Green House made for his comrades Liara, Valeena, and Coryin was done and the Druidess used her ties to Nature magic to create trees that had unique properties and some of the herbs that were grown there in the green house were used to create balms, potions, and ingredients for food. Kiba liked the Spring Bread made from the herbs that were grown there and it was becoming a famous staple in Konoha for long journeys, and Liara was the one who knew the recipe and the preparation so when she was not helping Hana in helping animals in the veterinary clinic of the Inuzuka Clan she would be baking the bread and handing it out to normal customers and ninja teams.

The green house also helped in creating special purified water through a unique process that was known to both Coryin, Telis, and Liara as all of them were tied to Nature, and Vlana helped as well. The water proved to be almost nourishing and was seeped with magical powers that had positive effects on people and this water was certainly used to fuel long journeys as well for the ninja forces.

Kaelyn, Valeena, Coryin, Shandra, Valken, and Meer also went on patrol with the other Chuunin and Jonin and would also train on their free time as well as teaching Naruto some other methods of combat, such as Valeena began to teach Naruto how to fight like a Fire Dancer and Meer, being a skilled Steel lancer helped Naruto train with the use of a pole-arm in her free time. Another thing that proved helpful was Vlana's breeding of a special breed of silk worms to create a special silk that would help in making special bandages, and with the right enchantments could create the same kind of fibers that formed her original robes.

Tsunade and the Council had to admit that things had improved for the village, a vast majority of the buildings were rebuilt and the walls, towers and more were reinforced and were a lot stronger now than they had been ever since the formation of Konoha. Not to mention that Naruto's golems had proven formidable supporters of their ninja in defending the village. Koyuki had decided to support Konoha modernization of it's equipment as thanks for Naruto saving her life once more and provided blue prints for the Chakra armor, as well as the rapid firing kunai launcher that Doto had used to try and kill Sandayu and the other rebel samurai that were fighting to place her back on the throne, she wanted nothing to do with the weapons that would have brought her world into ruin, but having realized that these were just tools and it was the people who used them who were evil. She knew that this would help defend Naruto's home and that was her way to thank and help him after all. Tsunade and the others of the Council had to admit that Naruto's friendship with Koyuki had proven to be very helpful indeed in the sense that now that they had newer weapons and equipment for their forces. Plus, Naruto had taken an interest in using the principles of the weapons to make new weapons for the ANBU along with some new ideas he wanted to test out in the long run.

Naruto however was working on something to give to someone who he cared about, as he placed the finishing touches on the gift that he had prepared, now the only thing he had to worry about was finding the right time to go to the person he needed to give this to and make sure that she would appreciate the work and effort he had placed into the gift.

--------

Later at the Hokage Tower…

Naruto peeked into the office and saw that Tsunade was busy resting after another long day reading reports and documents along with other matters that were needed to be tended with at the moment. The blonde Hokage sighed and she reached for a cup of tea to drink, she would have referred sake but was not in the mood to be seen drink in the Hokage office of all places. Naruto knocked on the door and walked in and Tsunade spoke to Naruto.

"Naruto-kun, what brings you here/"

Naruto scratched his head and replied.

"I wanted to see how you were doing Tsunade, you look like you need a break or something."

Tsunade groaned and replied to that statement, being Hokage was not easy and she needed a break like everyone else in this time of the day and she looked at Naruto and began to have some very interesting ideas to try once she was able to get Naruto alone, but she kept those thoughts out of her mind for the moment as she needed to maintain her focus on the task at hand.

"You're not joking, I really wish I can go and have some free time for myself, but being Hokage demands a lot of time Naruto-kun."

Naruto felt a bit sad for Tsunade and decided to go ahead with his plan.

"Then maybe I can help you relax a bit more often Tsunade, I wanted to ask you out for the day since you've done a good deal of paper work already."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow and asked the question.

"Are you asking me out on a date Naruto-kun?"

Tsunade smiled at Naruto it had been a while since anyone had asked her out on a date, the first was Jiraiya but that didn't end well despite them being friends back then and now, and it was the first time that Naruto had been more open with his desire to be close….but…

"Nothing would make me feel happier than being able to go out and have fun, as well as be around you for the day….but I've got another batch of things to do."

Naruto however was not deterred; he already had an idea to help Tsunade.

"Why not use Kage Bushin Tsunade? I mean no one else would be the wiser, with your chakra control you can make as many as you want and when they poof away you would get the information and be up to date even if you're not in the office and the paper work will be done by them time you get back so you can sleep better at night."

Tsunade looked at Naruto with wide eyes and she began to laugh out loudly and then she smiled.

"Naruto-kun, you are a real hidden genius, I should have thought of doing that sooner! All right then….KAGE BUSHIN NO JUTSU!!!"

In a moment, Tsunade had created five Kage Bushin and the Kage Bushin went to work handling the duties that she had for the day. With that done, Tsunade smiled decided to get dressed for this date with Naruto, with most of Konoha busy rebuilding and the majority of the ninja teams out, she could finally have some time for herself.

Naruto waited patiently for Tsunade and she was dressed once more in a kimono and this one was made with gold thread and had beautiful sliver flame patterns on it as well and she had her hair in her usual tails, Naruto couldn't help but smile at Tsunade and spoke to her.

"You look very beautiful Tsunade."

Tsunade smiled and replied.

"You're really becoming very acquainted with women more Naruto-kun, now come on, I think it's time you get to treat me out for the day."

The two traveled through Konoha and Naruto used all the ryo he had saved up to do his best to make Tsunade's day an enjoyable one and Tsunade appreciated the effort Naruto put into making her day good, they managed to go to a very well known restaurant and the owner was surprised to see the Hokage and Naruto together and eating in his place and he was honored as well. Naruto bought what Tsunade liked from the menu and bought his own as well and the two ate the food as well as took the time to relax.

Tsunade felt very happy with his day as this was something that she rarely got ever since taking the office of Hokage and as much as she wanted to be impulsive she decided to just enjoy this day for as long as it would last and since Naruto was paying for it all, she would show her appreciation for the gesture in her own fashion. After they had eaten their food, the two walked and Tsunade began to tell Naruto what her life had been like when she was a little girl and while she stayed away from the bad memories of her growing up years Naruto was more than willing to be there for her if she wanted him to. That made it easier to talk about the past and Naruto was supporting her as they sat in a park and Tsunade just enjoyed the moment for all it was worth.

They then ended their date with a trip to a certain hot spring resort and they paid for the mixed bathing part and the hot spring owner merely smiled at the two and it was not long before Naruto and Tsunade were soaking up the warmth of the hot spring and she sighed.

"This is the best way to end this day for now."

"You said it."

Tsunade then felt the knowledge of her Kage Bushin hit her and she was relieved that Naruto's suggestion had paid off and she had been able to enjoy the day off while being able to finish all the current duties and assignments for the week without having to wrack her brains too much on various matters. She then turned to Naruto and smiled at him.

"Your idea for the Kage Bushin worked perfectly Naruto-kun, thanks, if it hadn't been for the suggestion you gave me to use Kage Bushin, I would never get the chance to enjoy this day."

"No problem Tsunade-chan, after all we've been through, we deserve a vacation, no matter how brief, by the way….do you mind if I help loosen the tension more?"

Tsunade was quick on the up take and replied.

"You want to give me a massage Naruto-kun?"

Naruto nodded and Tsunade smiled as Naruto got behind her and began to massage her shoulders and back gently and strongly as well, and she moaned as she felt the rest of the still lingering tension began to bleed away, that coupled with the warmth of the hot spring was something that the blonde Hokage had never felt before in her whole life and it was something that she was enjoying for a while now.

Naruto managed to recall some of the places that he had discovered on Tsunade's form that helped her relax and he was happy that he was able to do this for Tsunade after all that she had been doing for the village for a very long time and he was happy that she could relax even for this single day. As he felt the tension ease up as well as feeling Tsunade relax and breath easier he spoke to the blonde Sannin.

"Enjoying yourself Tsunade-chan?"

Tsunade chuckled at that and replied.

"Oh definitely Naruto-chan….you're so good to me right now I wouldn't dream of not enjoying this."

Naruto smiled and continued to ease his hands and fingers to the places to relieve Tsunade's tension and relax her muscles and she moaned out that and truth be told, Naruto was getting turned on by all this and he felt his body react to the fact that they were in warm water and they were both naked at this very moment and he was getting to be in the mood for another round like what they had done the last time together with Kurenai, Anko, and Shizune.

Tsunade was no different as she began to have some very indecent thoughts concerning herself and Naruto in the hot spring as she thought back on how much she was enjoying this moment and since the hot spring was very private, she decided to have a good time with Naruto before the day was over and since they were now bare of their clothes, she was in the mood to have the fun she wanted.

She then moved away and turned to face Naruto and grabbed his hands and brought them to her breasts and Naruto was quick on the uptake and he began to play with her breasts and he moved much closer to her and the two of them began to kiss one another deeply, that went on for a few more minutes until the two broke apart and Tsunade allowed Naruto to come closer to her and they hugged one another for a moment then went back to the deep kissing and Tsunade felt something poking her thighs gently and that made her all the more excited by the second.

The two of them reveled in the pleasure and Naruto then moved his hands from her breasts to her stomach and then her thighs, much to Tsunade's delight on the action her lover was taking towards her and as they moved apart after the deep kiss and Tsunade then moved closer to Naruto and she pressed her naked body to his and she smiled happily at the way her lover was moaning and then she rubbed her breasts on Naruto's chest and Naruto smiled at the pleasure that he was getting from Tsunade's actions on his body and he responded by playing with her breasts once more before kissing and licking Tsunade's neck and nibbling on her earlobe, much to her pleasure and happiness.

However, the two knew that they would be asking for trouble if they were suddenly caught by anyone who might decide to come here for a late day bath in the hot spring, so they reluctantly stopped and then they got out of the spring and headed back to their respective homes, but not before Naruto made his move as he reached for the special container.

"Tsunade-chan?"

Tsunade turned and looked at Naruto and wondered just what was wrong and she spotted him take out an item and then she asked him the question.

"What is that Naruto-kun?"

Naruto smiled and replied.

"I asked you out on a date Tsunade-chan and I have something for you, hold out your arm."

Tsunade did so and then Naruto stepped forward and then placed something on her arm and when she looked at it, she saw that it was a bracelet.

Tsunade looked at the beautiful silver and gold bracelet with ah diamond in the center and the six gems on the sides of the diamond. There was an emerald, a sapphire, a ruby, a deep white opal, a brown gemstone, and a deep amber colored stone. She smiled at the gift and Naruto explained that the gift was more than just a piece of jewelry.

"The bracelet actually has a special set of enchantments to protect you."

"Protect me?"

Naruto nodded and explained.

"The bracelet releases minute but strong amounts of Life energy so it will heal wounds and injuries so you can save as much chakra as you need for much more serious injuries and it also has a special enchantment that allows the user to be covered in near invisible suit of energy armor so you won't be easily hurt. I made this to make sure that you will be safe Tsunade-chan, if I am not around."

Tsunade was touched, not only was it a good gift, but it had a good deal of uses as well and Naruto made it for her to both impress and protect her and she smiled even wider and hugged Naruto and whispered to his ear with all the joy in her voice.

"Thank you Naruto-chan, I'll wear this always."

Naruto smiled at that and he hoped that it would protect Tsunade well when the time came, with that day done, he headed back to his home and decided to get some much needed sleep.

--------

Snow/Spring Country…

Koyuki smiled as she finished watching the film and then she turned to see Sandayu as he walked in wearing his councilor's robes and he smiled at her in greeting.

"I am happy to see you unharmed, Koyuki-hime and at least the man who wanted you dead has been dealt with, I see we owe Naruto-san another debt that I hope we can repay someday."

Koyuki smiled as she recalled the time she had spent with Naruto in the scene and she replied.

"I think I have repaid a part of our debt to him…I think after what I had to do, I am happy that I had lost my maidenhead to Naruto and to no one else. Sandayu….do you think Naruto-kun would be a good leader alongside me someday when he is older?"

The retainer looked at the princess with some level of surprise, and he couldn't believe that Naruto was the very first and only man to have initiated Koyuki-hime to the more physical parts of being a woman, but he was all right with that as Naruto was the man who had changed Koyuki from the cold and emotionally dead woman in the past into one of the most beloved and respected leaders after her father. And he knew that Koyuki cared deeply for Naruto Uzumaki so he was not surprised that Koyuki would be entertaining the idea for Naruto to be her spouse in the near future.

"That will take time Koyuki-hime, but personally I have every confidence that despite his youth, Naruto-san would make a fine leader, though I can bet that there will be others who would want him apart from you Koyuki-hime, but maybe there can be a compromise of some sort."

Koyuki smiled at the idea and knowing that Sandayu was okay with the idea, then she was happy for it, there was no doubt in her mind that Naruto would win the hearts of many and there would be those who would not like the idea of her marrying the blonde ninja of Konoha, but there was always a chance to compromise and make the right choices as well. She only hoped that Naruto was not getting into trouble, but knowing that his role in the film on that scene between the two of them, then he would be in for some very interesting times.

--------

Back in Konoha…

Naruto gulped as he got ready for the soon to come screening of the new movie in which he had been part of due to the need to protect Koyuki from harm a lot more directly. The movie had been ranked to be of the very mature side and thus most of his younger comrades were not allowed to see the movie, they might already be ninja and already allowed by ninja law to be treated as adults, but they were still young. For that, Naruto felt some degree of relief, the reason he was allowed to see the film was that he was invited by some of his Chuunin comrades to watch the film.

As he arrived, he could see that there were a number of men and women there, all adults and civilians, some gave him a look of distaste, but he let that slide as he had other things to worry about at the moment. He had to plan on how to beat feet when the movie started as he was not in the mood to be caught out like this when the scene he worried about was going to come into play in the screen before him and the others.

As the movie played, the first scenes were great and so far it would seem that he was going to be all right since now seemed to be looking his direction yet as they thought that it was not him there in the screen. He knew however that as the scenes played themselves out he was going to be caught sooner or later, and he preferred to be out of this nick of the woods soon enough.

It was then that Naruto heard the words that he was not in the mood to hear.

"You know, the guy there seems to look like Naruto Uzumaki."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, the guy looks just like him."

Naruto gulped as he took that as the signal that now was the right time to leave before he got caught into something that would prove to be a real pain in the backside. He walked out of the cinema and was trying his best to avoid detection as he knew that as soon as the movie ended, he was going to be caught in a whirlwind of trouble as soon as the film ended after the adult romance scene and the credits came to the head, he knew that as soon as his name was mentioned, he was going to be in for a hell of a night.

And he was able to leave as now was the time for the movie's adult scene and that was going to the real nail in his coffin if he had stayed any longer.

As he managed to sneak away he left as fast as he could manage and he was half way out of the area and heading back when the movie played out the adult scene and then the film finally had ended and the names came out, that was when all hell broke loose as the words flowed right out of the theater..

"HE WAS IN THE WHOLE FILM?!?!"

(Oh man! I'm dead!!!)

Naruto turned and there were a huge number of men moving out and they were looking for someone, and he just knew that someone was him. He moved away as quickly as he could and as he rounded a corner, he felt that someone was waiting for him He was about to react with force, but he realized that the one he was about to fight was none other than Tsunade who was wearing her usual outfit and the blonde Hokage spoke.

"I guess you made the right move leaving the theater Naruto-kun."

Naruto gulped at that and wondered just what the heck was Tsunade thinking about what he had done in the film with Koyuki, he cared a great deal about Koyuki and also about Tsunade and he had no idea how Tsunade would react knowing that he had just done the deed in public with someone else. Tsunade however spoke to him to placate his fears.

"I had a feeling that it would happen, as a ninja, you are asked to do sometimes some very unique and controversial things. Besides that, you've already been with me, and several others, plus you knew Koyuki for a while now so I had suspected she would ask this of you. I am not quite happy with the idea of you doing the deed in public and in a movie no less even more so when it was made from one of Jiraiya's books, but I certainly can't do anything about that but do my best to make things easier. I don't hate you for that Naruto-chan…but I do want you to be on your guard….after that performance you gave, I have no doubts in my mind the next few weeks will be really hard for you.""

However it seemed that Tsunade had plenty of time to think about what had happened and she had to admit that while it had galled her to know that Naruto had done it in public, but she could do little to change that now. It was then that they heard a lot of feet heading in their direction and she quickly deduced that the people heading this way were after Naruto and she was not in the mood to have Naruto being swamped by how many people and with that in mind, she took his hands and off they were back to his home and as quickly as possible.

There was going to be a lot of things that she needed to do tomorrow when the time comes.

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Tsunade's fears about how others would react to the film were not unfounded…for at this moment.

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In a secret lair….

Kabuto pushed up his eyeglasses a bit while trying his best not to laugh out loudly, while Orochimaru looked on, and as soon as the film was over, the snake Sannin gave a slight smile.

"My Naruto-kun….I have to admit you have moved UP in the world."

Orochimaru had to admit that while he was no fan of movies, this one was very interesting.

"Kabuto, make sure that this tape is kept well away from the men….I am not in the mood for them to be distracted yet."

Kabuto nodded and the snake Summoning Sannin spoke.

"One more thing…drop by Konoha and leave Naruto-kun a message when the time is right, tell him that the movie was nice."

Kabuto gave a slight chuckle and nodded once more.

"I'll do that Orochimaru-sama."

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Naruto and Tsunade managed to make to his home and he was quick to check out the place just in case he had some unexpected visitors, both of the male and female persuasion, the last thing he wanted was to be caught in a very compromising situation with Tsunade in his home, Holy Talon however spoke to him at this point to assure him that there were no other people in his house than Tsunade and himself, and that was something he was happy about. He needed to grab some food to eat for tonight and thankfully there was some still very good and edible ramen in the refrigerator and when he was done, he also got some good leftover beef sushi and hot beef pot and barbecue that he had with him at the moment and heated them up and both he and Tsunade sat down in his dining area and began to eat their food in order to relax and enjoy themselves before the night was over.

Tsunade could tell that Naruto was rather jumpy at the moment and who could blame him for being very tense, it was not every day that you took part in an adult film after all and no doubt Naruto needed something to cool his nerves and food was certainly helpful. As the two of them ate their food, Tsunade decided to help Naruto relax as well. With that in mind she finished her food as he did and she then moved behind him and massaged his shoulders using her chakra to hit the nerves in a way to calm and relax him.

"Mmm, that feels really nice Tsunade-chan…."

Tsunade smiled and then she continued to massage his arms and shoulders and decided to keep it up but in a more relaxing setting, She stopped and told Naruto to follow her and they were now in the bedroom and she asked him to lie down and take off most of his clothes and when he was done and wearing only his boxers as he lay on the bed, she was right there on his bed and began to massage his shoulders and back with her hands and then she removed her jacket and and her sandals, she made sure not to hurt Naruto as she did this and when she could see that he was relaxed, she whispered in his ear.

"Time for you to finish what we started in that date of ours."

Naruto managed to turn and found that Tsunade had removed her pants and then her kimono top and to his surprise….she was naked, he barely could say anything as she straddled him once more and began to massage him.

Naruto had no idea what was more interesting; the fact that he was being massaged by Tsunade, or the fact that Tsunade was doing that to him while she was naked. It was not long before both were kissing one another.

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Naruto however was not the only character who was about to get lucky tonight, for at this moment…

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Kakashi and Kaelyn were moving back to his house and he was doing so since Kaelyn was very sleepy and it would be a lot better if she slept somewhere safe and while Kakashi was not very keen on the idea of having a guest over since he didn't have any other rooms, he was willing to let her stay in his apartment, he respected Kaelyn, and truth be told, he was attracted to her and while it was hard to admit, it was there.

Kaelyn however had other ideas on the matter, she found Kakashi to be very much attractive and she had seen him in combat further adding to her attraction to him. In her region strong men were well sought after either in the martial disciplines or in the mystical arts as well as the intellectual pursuits. The movie that the two had seen further added fuel to the fire.

Kakashi barely had enough time to comment when Kaelyn grabbed him by the collar of his coat and without further ado, the red-haired War Blade kissed him deeply and the Jonin blushed, he had never been kissed this hard before, not since Rin…and that was a long time ago. The War Blade continued the kiss and when the full three minutes passed between the two of them. Kaelyn released Kakashi and the still surprised Jonin was greeted by a smile from the Dagern woman and she replied.

"I think it's about time you and I do something a lot more interesting than reading books for tonight."

"What?"

"Come now Kakashi, do you really think books can compare to the real thing?"

Kakashi couldn't help but feel his body react and Kaelyn could see that, she had been dying to do this ever since she managed to get his attention, Kakashi was a good man after all and she was keen on seeing just how well he would perform in the sack, she liked him a great deal as he was quite the fighter, not to mention she could sense that he was a kind guy despite his aloofness on occasion…she found that attractive, and the fact that with his mask down, he was quite handsome.

Kakashi himself couldn't help but respond, somehow Kaelyn, despite not being too aggressive in her approach, was exciting him and he couldn't help but wonder if the red-haired War Blade was as graceful in bed as she was in the battle field. Of course there was the fact that he had not been intimate with anyone for quite a long time, and after Rin died, he was not sure he could live with anyone being close to him.

Kaelyn however replied as she could sense Kakashi's hesitation.

"You're worried about my life aren't you?"

Kakashi didn't respond at first but nodded a bit and that was enough for Kaelyn to know that he cared and she smiled a bit at that and replied.

"Don't you think I feel the same way Kakashi?"

"I…"

Kaelyn then gently kissed him on the cheek and replied.

"You don't have to say anything, I can understand that you don't want anyone to be close to you because of your past, though I know little of it, but I can assure you this, I do care for you Kakashi, and I am a war Blade, I am a warrior like you, we have this moment here and now, you can choose to say no and I will respect that, but the fact that I want this and I want you will never change."

Kakashi could tell that Kaelyn was serious about her words and he had a feeling that maybe he could at least try and see how this goes.

"I hope you know what the results will be if we're going to do this Kaelyn."

"I am, and I am happy for it, this moment is something I want."

As the two entered Kakashi's home, Kakashi and Kaelyn kissed one another as Kaelyn was wearing a red and green kimono that fit her hair and eye color and when she and Kakashi were in the Jonin's bedroom, the Jonin was able to finally see her naked and he couldn't help but blush, much to Kaelyn's amusement and happiness as she teased him.

"You like what you see then, come on Kakashi, I am waiting…"

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The next day…in Naruto's house…

Naruto woke up and turned to see that he was in his bed and he was also naked once more and wondered just where Tsunade had gone. He moved out of his bed and moved his body slowly to remove the kinks from last night. The blonde Sannin had been very nice to him but when she finally got him alone on the bed, man she was more than ready to drive him to the ground.

(Damn….what a night.)

Naruto moved out of the room and headed to the kitchen/dining area to grab something to much on while he was already up, but then the smell of good food was coming in and he was quickly guided by the smell of food and before him was a sight that he swore would have landed him in the Konoha hospital, not that it was a bad thing to say the very least.

Tsunade was there cooking break-fast….in an apron and nothing else…

If someone told Naruto a year and a half ago that he would be seeing a beautiful blonde, brow eyed and super strong blonde woman in his house wearing nothing else but an apron and cooking him breakfast, he would have called them utterly insane. But seeing is believing, and boy was he believing it.

"Tsunade?"

The blonde Hokage turned and smiled at Naruto as she finished cooking his food, she had to learn how to cook before and while she was no world class chef, the food quality grew for years though it had been a while since she had cooked anything for anyone and she hoped that she was still able to cook food.

"Morning Naruto-kun, had a good night's rest?"

"Uh…."

That was Naruto's only reply as he was still trying to get used to the fact that he was seeing Tsunade in only an apron and she was absolutely naked and he felt his body naturally react to the sight of the blonde woman naked before him.

Tsunade knew that what she was doing at this moment was outrageously scandalous by most standards, but she didn't mind and as she could see the results of her actions on Naruto and she liked that a great deal. She turned and spoke to him.

"Come on Naruto, it's time to get your break-fast."

Naruto nodded as he went to the table and began to eat and found the food to be surprisingly good, showing that Tsunade had been improving herself in other things since coming back to Konoha and he ate hungrily at the food while Tsunade watched him with a happy expression on her face, at least she had made good food this time as before she was not a very good cook when Nawaki was still alive though her time with Dan had improved that.

As soon as Naruto was done and he sighed happily at the food, Tsunade knew that they still had some time before the usual assembly of the teams for mission work and that was enough time for them to have some private pleasure time. And with that in mind, the blonde Hokage moved closer to Naruto and then kissed him on the cheek.

"I'm happy you enjoyed the food Naruto-kun."

"Y-Yeah, you cook well Tsunade-chan."

Tsunade smiled at that and made her move as she made Naruto stay on his table as she straddled him, and since he was only wearing a blanket as a make shift covering and considering the fact that she was wearing only an apron, Naruto was quick to react to her presence as the blonde Chuunin's body react while the blonde Hokage was more than aware of her lover's reactions to her own actions and she smiled.

"Good, now I think it's high time you thank me for cooking your break-fast and you know just how to do that right?"

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Kakashi's house…

Kakashi woke up and felt like he had been running in a marathon, which in effect, he was last night as he felt aches all over his body, pleasurable aches to be sure and the unmasked Jonin couldn't help but smile and blush a little at the memories.

(I had no idea she was THAT flexible….damn…)

The white haired Jonin was greeted by the smell of food and when he looked, and with both his eyes for once, there was Kaelyn brining him a tray of food….while still naked. Kakashi at that moment couldn't find what was more appetizing, the food being brought him by Kaelyn, or the red-haired woman serving him break-fast in the nude.

Kaelyn smiled at that and blushed a bit as she saw his body's reaction to her nakedness and replied.

"Down boy….have something to eat first before we try having another round today, you'll need it."

Kakashi nodded and took a bite out of the hot beef strips that Kaelyn cooked for him along with the bread and the hot rice, the food was good and he couldn't help but ask.

"You cooked this?"

Kaelyn smiled at that and replied.

"Don't sound so surprised, I might be a War Blade but I learned how to cook a long time ago before I joined them."

Kakashi couldn't help but find the beauty of it, here was a woman who was not only nigh gorgeous, could fight like a hurricane, and be quite the bed partner, but could also cook like a world class chef. He couldn't help but feel somewhat lucky at that respect. He wondered how things would be after what he and Kaelyn had done as he finished his food.

Kaelyn smiled and kissed him on the cheek and he couldn't help but blush in response, Kaelyn seemed to have found a way to excite the Jonin and after what they had done last night, he was very much eager to see just what else the War Blade could do to him and the redhead smiled at that and spoke.

"I think you're full energy now…shall we?"

Kakashi barely had enough time to reply as he was about to be subjected to another round. He hoped that no one was going to bother him and Kaelyn for the morning until he heard a knock at his door and he gave an apologetic look to Kaelyn and moved out while gripping his blanket, amusing Kaelyn as he moved to his home's door and saw that it was one of the Chuunin who was going to ask him something that the Jonin discovered was not really that important and the moment and he replied while looking out through the door and using it to hide his nakedness.

"I'll deal with that later…"

"But…"

"Go away."

The Chuunin saw that Kakashi was serious and was not in the mood to be disturbed and thus he nodded and Kaelyn smiled as Kakashi went back to her as she lay down on the bed and was in a very sensual position.

"Nicely done Kakashi, shall we?"

Kakashi only pounced in, much to Kaelyn's delight as they got back to doing what they were doing before they were suddenly interrupted.

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Later…

Kakashi moaned a bit as he moved his back a bit and heard a bit of a creak and he sighed,.

(Man….that was something.)

The Jonin knew that things were going to get really tiring for him, but it felt like a big load was removed from his shoulders and when he made his way to the meeting hall, he was there to meet up with Naruto who was also yawning a bit, while wearing his current outfit of black pants with orange stripe on the sides, his Chuunin vest and an orange with black jacket, and the Jonin knew that underneath his jacket, the blonde Chuunin and Dragon Champion was wearing Orchaelium armor to protect himself.

Kakashi then greeted his team.

"Morning, sorry for being late, had to deal with….some, ahhh, left over paper work."

Naruto looked at Kakashi and smiled while Sakura sighed a bit and spoke.

"But at least you didn't take hours getting here like you normally did Kakashi-sensei, so what's on the mission run for today."

Naruto smiled and then decided to enjoy this for all it was worth, if there was one thing he knew for a fact, one had to enjoy the peace and quiet for all it was worth, there was no telling when something or someone was going to come along the way to make things very hectic and make the peace vanish faster than the wind.

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How true that was, for at the moment…

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In a cavern…

(Huh? I am alive….impossible…I should be dead…)

Chumaza turned and there before him was a figure of pure night black in a black robe and cloak and he tried to move and found himself bound on a table made from solid stone and he couldn't help but see shadowy figures before it. He then tried to speak.

"W-Where am I….who are you?"

((("That's not the kind of question I am going to give an answer to.")))

The former leader and employer of Kagura and Bando looked to see a number of armored figures who looked very sinister and evil looking and seemingly eager for a fight and there before him was a robed and hooded figure that looked at him with the face hidden away from his eyes. Chumaza tried to find anything that could tell him just who was before him and he tried to move his arms and legs and found them to be still there but he was being held by some sort of binding field. He then thought that he should have been dead and then the figure spoke.

((("You are alive, I had my servants save your life when you fell from the cliff at the last moment and brought you here.")))

Chumaza then thought about why he was saved and the figure spoke.

((("Do not think that I saved your life just for the sake of being….altruistic I have observed your work on those mechanical constructs and I must say I am impressed, enough to ask you to allow me to gain an understanding of your work.")))

"I suppose than when you learn enough, you will kill me?"

((("No, rather, I will let you continue your work and I will provide you with all the materials you need to continue your work, and in exchange….you work for me, but for a price of course.")))

"Fine, all my money is yours…."

((("Material wealth has little interest to me….you can pay me with one thing more precious than all the money in the world that you possess, the thing you already have.")))

Chumaza looked on and wanted to know what was going on here and he decided to chance it.

"What can I have that I can possibly pay you with that is more precious than money for saving my life?"

Chumaza was going to regret that as the figure aimed a hand at him and then the figure exploded in black smoke and then he was stabbed right in the chest, to his horror he found himself looking at an elegant but utterly evil looking sword that began to glow and it was then that he felt something draining his life force and more out of him and then he saw the glowing red and black eye and then the man hears the voice once more, only to hear it coming from the sword.

((("You're soul….you will serve me for all eternity.")))

In moments, the man who was once Orochimaru's partner in the use of forbidden medical jutsus and surgeries, as well as the dreamer of creating living ninja machines for his own benefit had his black soul torn out of him by Death Fang and the evil sword laughed as this new soul will fuel the powers of his army. Chumaza' corpse was reduced to ash in mere seconds as his body and soul were utterly consumed and now bound to serve Death Fang as a minion for all eternity. As soon as the sword was done consuming the soul of it's new servant, it began to plan out another interesting scheme to test Naruto Uzumaki.

((("You have grown much….I think it is time I send you yet another challenge to see how well you can fight at the best of your game.")))

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To be continued…

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Author's Notes:

Well now, that wraps up this number and while I admit that making this was very tiring, the results aren't that bad, I just hope that there are no loose ends for me to tie up at the moment. But if you find any then feel free to point them out to me and I'll see if I can make the much needed changes to the story itself when I have the free time to do so.

It seems that Chumaza will return but as a servant of Death Fang this time now that his soul has been consumed by Death Fang, what sort of contributions will this depraved and amoral ninja leader give to the Chaos Dragon Sword? That I think we will see in the coming future.

Anyway on to a more interesting note, I have been keeping an eye on the polls and I have to admit that I have to give credit to those who want the female Dragon and the female Elf are doing great, the choices will make their appearance in the series soon enough and there will be some characters in the Naruto Universe I have plans to pair up sooner or later.

Nice situations for both Kakashi and Naruto to wake up to huh? Makes even me wish I was in their shoes since it's not every day you get your break-fast served to you by a voluptuous woman who is either wearing nothing on, or only an apron, I can bet a LOT of guys have fantasies involving that situation.

As to what other hjinks Naruto and company are going to get into, we'll have to wait and see now won't we?

This story is reaching the end so I hope you are all ready for the parts that are soon to come and as to what will Naruto be giving to the ANBU….that is still something of a secret, but the gift that Naruto gave Tsunade on their date before the movie night should be more than an indication of what weapons and equipment the blonde Chuunin and Dragon Champion will be giving the ANBU and Konoha's allies in the near future as well as the gifts he might give the other women in the future.

See you there!

Also, I will be focusing on my other works for the time being so this story might take a while to update. But don't worry the Dragon Champion lemon Story Board will be updated soon enough.


	38. Forging Power

Naruto Dragon Champion

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any part of it so don't ask me if I do…

Chapter 27

Forging Power

( ): Thoughts

((" ")): Holy Talon's voice

(( )): Kyuubi's voice

(((" "))): Death Fang's voice

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'_Give me a good working hammer, a good pair of tools, a hot forge, and some time and decent material, I can make some real magic!'_

'_Those were the words my Master said to us when we were your age, and he was right…'_

'_Some say that magic is best left to those of the divine and the arcane, that is not entirely true, the art of being a blacksmith is as powerful as being a Mage of the highest order, for it takes a true genius to create a blade worthy of challenging the darkness. To be bend fire, metal, and at times even magic to your will to make a weapon or a suit of armor takes a true master, and that is what I hope you will be…'_

A Grandmaster Blacksmith's words when training new students in the art of forging…

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In Naruto's home…

Naruto was busy running through the list of orders that was given to him by the ANBU recently on the types of weapons and armor that they needed from him. The blonde Chuunin was busy gathering all the needed materials and equipment as he was now getting ready to make the needed equipment.

The blonde had undergone more training from Rumkil and Thorell and the art of forging weapons and armor as well as other arts of craftsmanship. He also was allowed access to several other metals by the dwarf smiths as well as two other new helpers, Findalas Silver Leaf and Corin Star Forger, two elven smiths who were summoned by Holy Talon to help him as well as Lhona Firestar who was an elven artificer. The five began to teach him how to create new weaponry and armor as well as artifacts that could prove highly useful to not just himself but his fellow Konoha ninja as well and to those who were interested in the. creation and ownership of such weapons.

Naruto was working currently with iron and steel, basic metals that would be very useful, depending on the techniques that were used in their forging as well as the techniques on how they were used in order to be alloyed. He had searched for high quality iron and high quality steel ingots in order to do his work better, the dwarf brothers as well as the elves who were there to help him taught him how to melt the metals as well as how to make the right mix to create the quality metals that he would need in order to make the weapons and armor that the ANBU would need from him.

Of course he had also Orchaelium to work with and he had every intention to create whatever defensive and offensive tools the people of Konoha would need in these dark times, Orchaelium was by far the most basic metal that he could use and after months of using the metal for all his armor and weaponry with the exception of Holy Talon, he was already familiar with how to make this light as cloth but hard as Dragon skin metal. Orchaelium could also be used in creating armor that could be used to boost the power of Ninjutsu, thanks to him getting the plans on the chakra enhancing armor

The metals he was going to be working with were not just limited to Iron, Steel and Orchaelium but also several others, one such metal was known as Arcane Silver, a metal that had the appearance of silver itself, but had powerful properties as a weapon as it could ignore the defensive power of the skins of were beasts of evil and when properly enchanted and folded, could be able to slice through the hides of demon beasts as well. The metal was something Naruto had to learn about carefully in order to make sure that the weapons itself was properly forged and could be useful against any were beast servants Death Fang may unleash on the world he lived in.

The next metal Thunder Steel, a metal like iron but had unique properties that allowed it to unleash a powerful charge of lightning energy on a target and the metal could be forged into armor that would create an invisible barrier that countered magical energy, making it very useful in turning away spells meant to harm the user as well as also create an energy field that can actually enhance the user's speed and strength with no ill effect. And when properly infused with magical energy, the metal could be able to enhance even the power of certain spells, mostly those dealing with Lightning.

Yet another metal that Naruto was going to be working with apart from Orchaelium, Arcane, Silver, and Thunder Steel, was Shadow Iron, this jet black metal was as light as Orchaelium itself but had the black appearance of midnight. This metal was used to create weapons that had a deep midnight black appearance and armor as well that had a deep midnight black appearance, while odd at first, the weapons and armor made from Shadow Iron had the power to be highly flexible and malleable as well as being smooth and cool to the touch. The metal was as hard as normal steel but could absorb light, making the wearer invisible in the dark and since the weapon had the same color, it too couldn't be seen, and with the right enchantment, the weapon and armor could even be invisible in daylight, with no ill effects to the user.

The next metal was known as Frozen Steel, the metal had to be forged through pure muscle power and through magical means when being enchanted, but when done so in either fashion, Frozen Steel could release a powerful freezing aura that would slow down the movements on an attacker. The metal was as cold as ice to the touch and needed a special sheath to be contained, thus it was not useful as armor but with it's abilities to freeze it's targets without quick harm it could be used to restrain foes on contact or can be used to freeze them and cut them down as well. A deadly way of combat in most regards, but it would work well. With the right enchantments, weapons forged using this metal could also be able to bypass the defensive power of certain spells and also the natural defenses of other creatures who were under the service of Death Fang.

And the last metal was known as Dragon Steel, this metal is the hardest metal that Naruto had to work with as it was from the bones, teeth, claws, and scales of deceased dragons themselves and seeped deep in Dragon Fire, literally pulsing with large amounts of energy. Holy Talon was made from Faldren's metallic claw and a piece of his scales and thus was very powerful and while the materials Naruto had with him came from lesser Dragons, the powers they had were very strong indeed and contained a vast amount of pure Dragon Fire. The weapons and armor made from Dragon Steel could prove to be truly powerful and would no doubt be the edge that Konoha needed. However, Naruto knew that his training in the art of being a blacksmith, and artificer was nowhere near enough to create the wondrous weapons and armor made from the material and thus he would have to limit his creation of the weapon, armors, and also anything else that could be made using the rare metal substance, not to mention it's rarity meant to him that making such weapons was for very rare moments.

Apart from weapons and armor, the blonde Chuunin was also given the training on how to create other forms of equipment and tools as well. Most of which took the form of jewelry and other items. These items could prove useful in the long run for most of the people in Konoha who needed them apart from the ANBU and the Konoha ninjas, of course, he was assured to keep a contract with those said allies who were going to receive the items he was going to forge and create. This also included devices that house a small and self renewing power source in the shape of crystals that could be fueled by either chakra or Dragon Fire.

Apart from learning the art of being a blacksmith, the blonde ninja needed to learn how to be an enchanter and artificer as well in order to make very wondrous and rare items, and using the knowledge he gleamed from Holy Talon in the art of Transmutation and also from his elven and dwarf teachers, Naruto was proving to e a good student and used his Kage Bushin in order to speed up his training more effectively in the various arts.

Naruto also took the time to improve on other things apart from what he was already trained in doing. To keep himself ready for battle and for the missions he would be taking with his team as well as the kinds of missions he would be undertaking as a Chuunin.

His training with Wind Chakra was proving to be highly advantageous though Kakashi knew that Naruto needed more time and years in order to get better in the art of mastering his Wind Chakra, but he was more than getting a good head start on the matter. His training in Taijutsu was working well enough and he was as dedication to his training as ever before and it was paying off. That also included the fact that as a Chuunin, he took higher paying missions and the fact that he had a higher degree of recognition was nice and it brought him closer to his goal of being Hokage, of course things had changed for him in many ways.

Back in the past, he wanted to be Hokage just to be recognized, but now he wanted to be Hokage in order to protect his home, his friends, those he considered family, those he loved and cared for, and more besides. The death of Sarutobi was a lesson he would not forget, as well as the examples of the many Dragon Champions who fought, bled, and died to defend what was good and just in their world. That was why he still wanted to be Hokage, to defend the people and the place he called home. And the fact that he would be getting lessons from others in the village certainly helped.

Jiraiya was still around and would give him a good chatting on various matters, namely on things involving women and while some of the stuff the young again pervert was too much for his ears, the rest was very insightful advice and the blonde wondered just why had his sensei of the pervert had not found a woman yet who could finally keep him occupied and out of trouble. But Naruto knew that it would take one hell of a powerful and patient woman to deal with Jiraiya's antics when he was about and also to hold the pervert's attention full time so as to avoid getting into some serious martial spats that were no doubt going to end up tearing the village a new set of holes all over it.

He also had to contend with other details as well. He had worked with Telis, Liara, Coryin, and Valeena on the projects that they had with the green house and also with other matters, the Silver Star Mage was busy on teaching Naruto a few spells that could prove to be very helpful in the long run for him when he began to work on the weapons, armor, and equipment that the ANBU forces were going to need.

Naruto also used the designs handed to him by Koyuki in order to produce a number of new weapons and armor, the chakra enhancing armor of Koyuki's country proved a good challenge to make and he was more than ready and willing to take the challenge on designing Konoha's own variant of the armor. He also took the time to study the kunai thrower system and as soon as he worked in the key details of the weapon systems, he went to work as quickly as he could. He would need to show the prototypes in a short time.

He had taken some ideas from the weapon used by Koyuki's uncle as well as an idea he had gained after seeing his Fire Heart Archers in action as well as the Falcon Rangers. It was not a new concept per se, but in his mind it placed a whole new spin on the idea of rapid fire weaponry that could be a difference maker in the hands of experts in a fight.

--------

Two weeks later…

The ANBU gathered in the testing grounds as Naruto displayed his first creation, it resembled a simple crossbow, unless one overlooked the fact that it was constructed entirely of Orchaelium and was extremely light weight and could be easily hefted by the blonde Chuunin, Naruto had taken the design of the kunai thrower and had scaled it down to much more portable version and then had taken it further by making it as a crossbow that had the bow arms folded away and there was a small drum below it that seemed to have a store of metal bolts. There also appeared to be a glowing crystal in the weapon that radiated chakra.

The ANBU Captain then spoke to Naruto.

"What sort of weapon is this Naruto-san?"

Naruto smiled as he pressed a switch and then the arms extended and clicked into place and the rope that would fire the bolts was taunt and ready, the blonde spoke to the assembled ANBU.

"This was something that came up when I studied how the ninjas of Snow/Spring Country used mechanics to fire kunai, and also from crossbows that we have here in our land as well as from others, the weapon is what you can call a repeating crossbow and the crystal here is powered by a custom made crystal that produces its own supply of chakra to power the whole crossbow. The weapon can fire and load itself automatically so there is no need to pull the rope back like in a normal bow. The crossbow can even fire a single bolt, or more than one at once with the push of a switch."

Naruto then demonstrated the principle as he had a foot thick plank of hard wood shaped as a human prepared at least 200 yards and clicked a switch and with a press of the trigger, the crossbow fired a single bolt of pure tempered steel which was specially crafted and imbued by Naruto's training in Transmutation at a very high speed and to the surprise of the ANBU, the bolt easily tore through the wooden plank as if it was butter and then was buried halfway into the stone wall behind it.

Naruto grinned as he switched the firing mode once more and then he pressed trigger and held it….and the ANBU were surprised as the crossbow unleashed a hail of specially tempered and enchanted steel bolts into the large plank of wood and in moments, the human plank had at three dozen holes in it and in the back was over three dozen steel crossbow bolts. In less than a minute, Naruto had fired so many bolts that no normal crossbow could ever hope to fire.

The ANBU were impressed and Naruto then spoke.

"The crossbow itself is specially made in order to ensure that it's bolts are able to travel at very high distances and the chakra crystal inside of it ensures that the speed it can fire the bolts will allow the bolts to have enough force to punch through even armor."

Naruto proved his words when he aimed for another figure, only this time it had a sheet of thick iron plating on the chest and the figure itself was made from the same hard word and Naruto made the crossbow fire a single bolt and the bolt tore through the armor and the figure easily and then he unleashed another storm of steel bolts that reduced the armored figure into a hole ridden mess and then there was a loud click and the drum was empty. Naruto nodded and pressed another switch, only this switch was located above the drum and then the drum was released and Naruto spoke as he took another spare one that he had spent crafting.

"The drum contains at least a hundred and twenty of the steel bolts so you can have plenty of rounds, the drum itself is made from Orchaelium and the steel bolts have been enchanted to have half their normal weight so you won't be weighed down by them. I can also fashion special bolts that can be able to have various effects, but keep in mind that this is a prototype after all and I have to yet work on some bugs in it as well as perfect it a bit more so it can be ready for use."

The ANBU nodded and the Captain hefted the weapon, finding that despite the size and shape, it was near weightless and with Naruto's directions, the weapon was able to fold it's arms as well as the stock and the trigger assembly, reducing itself to a small plank of metal, allowing the weapon to be easier to carry, the bolts were about a foot long and were razor sharp at the tip and could prove useful for some ranged firepower in the event of an attack on Konoha or when range was needed and kunai as well as shuriken were not going to be up to the task.

The ANBU Captain smiled at the results and spoke to Naruto.

"This is a good weapon Naruto-kun, however, we still need to take these through a very important test to make sure that they are worth the effort, and that is in a combat condition, can you make a small number in a few months for a few of us to take on a mission?"

Naruto thought it over and nodded.

"It might take me some time but I can make a few units for you and the other ANBU, but give me time to do so."

"Take as much time as you need Naruto-san."

Naruto smiled as the Konoha Council arrived, and at the head was Tsunade as well as Shizune, Naruto smiled and bowed at them as he decided to redo the demonstration for the Konoha Council and even Danzo who was with them had to admit that the weapon was certainly not something to discard, especially when it folded nicely into a lightweight weapon pack. Naruto then revealed another item which was a set of armor that he had developed using the blue prints given to him by Koyuki.

The armor was crafted directly from Orchaelium and it was very light as well as strong as some of the ANBU tried them on. The armor was able to channel chakra more effectively as well as being able to store chakra in small crystals so the ANBU could draw from a reserve when using too much of their own personal reserves of chakra. He also created special bracers that copied the same powers of the bracelet that he gave Tsunade, these would look like normal bracers, but with the special properties of healing magic that would serve to heal mild to severe injuries that were not critical in nature, this would allow ANBU to remain in the battle field when a Medic Nin was not part of the squad, he also created special magical bags that would serve to store a large number of items despite the fact that the items in question were normally too large for a normal sized pouch to carry.

Another item was light chainmail shirts made from Orchaelium and as such could be worn as extra protection underneath the already present armor worn by the ANBU and since it was as light as cloth but very durable and strong, they would not weigh down a ninja team in battle. Tsunade assured the ANBU that since she had her own suit of Orchaelium Armor that Naruto's two dwarven friends, she was very familiar with the abilities the armor gave the users. Having worn the armor in the battle with Kagura as well as with the Wraith Knight's forces before, she knew the value of the armor itself first hand.

Along with the armor, the crossbow, as well as the bracers for healing, Naruto also had several other bracers that were able to enhance the physical strength as well as the striking speed of the user, the one that granted strength could increase a user's overall physical power, allowing them hit harder and carry things that would normally require strength levels that were not the norm. he had also given a pair of the strength enhancing bracers to Tsunade who found her already existing strength to be boosted to the point she could easily reduce a stone to powder in her grasp as well as her punch being strong enough to bend even a single bar of pure Orchaelium or crack even finely tempered steel. The other bracers increased the movements of the hands and even could be used in the feet. He demonstrated these in action and he was able to cut down a pair of tall trees as well as a massive boulder in a flash.

The bracers had boosted his attack speed to the level of when Lee would remove his weights and that was an impressive sight to the people before them, even Inochi, Chouza and Shikaku were looking on with interest as this would prove invaluable in a close combat fight. Naruto then took out another set of bracers that shimmered and released a powerful yet faint energy that quickly bathed him in light for a brief moment and he then used a kunai as well as a sword on himself and to the surprise of everyone, he was not easily harmed, either weapon didn't come close to an inch of his skin, showing that the bracers released a strong and near invisible shield of energy around Naruto's form, he then explained that the bracers he had with him would grant a limited but useful level of physical protection to the user in combat.

The items he brought with him were certainly attractive to the ANBU and they were eager to get their hands on them and put them through their paces. The Council themselves expressed some degree of interest in the results of the weapons and equipment while Homura, Kohane, and Danzo looked on, silent and evaluating the outcome before them as Naruto showed the effects of the items he had been working for some time for the arsenals of the ANBU. The three of them didn't have much faith in Naruto but apparently he was proving to be a strong aid to the village and seemed to be focused on doing his best.

Tsunade looked on with pride in her heart, Naruto was a lot different now and seemed to be more concerned for the betterment of the people of the village than most. It made her think that his decision to take his ninja training seriously to be perfect for him and the fact that he was able to fight toe to toe with some of the strongest foes she had seen him fight yet, he would prove to be a great ninja yet, and even better than a certain person who had a deep tie to Naruto and to the village of Konoha itself.

--------

As Naruto went to work on the weapons, armor, and equipment that the ANBU ordered he wondered just how his life had gotten so complicated. He had been visited by a number of men who were giving him the look, and it was only due to the fact that he was already a powerful ninja that the ones who were hostile didn't try anything, however, the other men were reacting differently, some of them were asking him how it was like being with Koyuki in bed while others asked him how he was able to make such a performance.

It boggled his mind at times and when he left his home and headed into the village to buy groceries and the like, he would be greeted with whispers, blushing looks, looks of envy, jealousy, and more besides. The women who were about the mid teen stages would give him hungry ogling looks, as well as blushes, while the older women did the very same thing which was making him all the more nervous. The men would also give him glares that made him a bit more nervous, while some of the younger men would approach him, some with bad intent barely controlled, while others were willing to talk to him and ask him question, those of course made him wish that he could just cover his ears and drown them away before they started putting crazy thoughts in his head. Some of the older married men would try to keep their daughters from looking at him and he couldn't blame them in the least.

The only men who were not in a complete hostile mood, amazingly enough about his escapades, were Ginji, Hiashi, Teuchi, Inochi, and Tenten's father. Apparently they were informed of the circumstances that led to the event of Naruto being in the film and in the scene with Koyuki, after all as ninja themselves, they were familiar that not all missions involved combat and the like, sometimes seduction and sex as involved as Kunoichi and Shinobi had to learn that in order to be better ninja, they had to be ready for the situation. This was something that thankfully kept Naruto from a severe beating from the men in question, they respected him well enough and knew that he had been in a situation which most ninja would eventually find themselves in at some point in their lives and in their line of work. The only good thing that came out of it was that sometimes romance might bloom as well as getting the chance to be a normal young man..

Asuma and Kakashi were the ones he got the support from as well. Asuma was grinning and told Naruto that it would happen to any ninja eventually, the Jonin sensei of Ino, Chouji, and Shikamaru even told the blonde Chuunin that when he had gone off on his own from Konoha when he was younger, he had run into that situation before especially when he took up being a member of the Feudal Lord's Twelve Guardian Ninja, thankfully he knew a jutsu that helped reduce the chance of him getting a woman pregnant. The last thing one needed in the wrong time was a wife and a child, not that it was bad, but it could have made things harder for one to deal with on a very regular basis.

Kakashi himself said that it happened to him growing up when he was younger as he was a Jonin at a very young age and informed Naruto that after all that had happened, he was going to have to get used to the fact that his face was no doubt going to be easily recognizable the very second he was out on a mission, which might require him to wear a mask like he did. Naruto was surprised by this and wondered just what other secrets his Jonin sensei was hiding from him, but decided not to prod too deeply on the matter before him as he respected Kakashi well enough not to ask….not to mention the fact that since finding out that his sensei was a former ANBU Captain, the stories he would have told him if he went too far would no doubt have been rather….unpleasant.

As he worked on more of the designs, he decided to go out for a walk from his forge and his home, as he made his way on the village via the roof tops dressed in his regular clothes, no armor and Holy Talon on his back, he looked about to see the reconstruction still going on, Kagura's attack had halted construction and caused more damage, but since his Golems had stepped into the fray, the damage was not as extensive.

As he made his way through the village he spotted Shizune heading home and even though he was moving about, he could tell that she was tired and he spotted the papers she had in her hands, it was not nice in his mind for her to be working so hard all the time. With that in mind he decided to pay the Jonin a visit to help cheer her up as well as help her relax and enjoy the day. For now he decided to just enjoy the warm sun as well as grab a bite to eat for lunch, a light lunch as well since he would need to head back to his forge to work on the gear even more.

--------

In Shizune's home…

Shizune was busy working on some left over papers that she had to bring home and it was quite tiring for her at the moment and she then heard a knock on the door and she walked over to see who would be at her home at this time of the day.

(I wonder, is it another request from Tsunade-sama?)

The thought of seeing Tsunade again was not bad in her mind, it was just that she wished to have a bit of a break for herself for the time being. However she was also thinking about the beautiful bracelet that Tsunade had gotten from Naruto, when Tsunade showed it to her she was awed that Naruto would make something that for the Hokage and her teacher, and hearing that it was meant to shield her from harm and pain, made her smile as well as Tsunade did, the bracelet never left Tsunade's arm and it made her wonder if Naruto would make something for her as well, it would be nice for Naruto to be the one asking her out on a date and then giving her a gift that was not only beautiful, but effective and helpful to her at the very same time. But considering the situation he was currently in, she was going to have to wait and see how things will turn out.

Like Kurenai, Anko, Hinata, Temari, Tenten, Sakura, Ino, Ayame, and Kin, she had been informed by Tsunade of what had happened with Naruto and Koyuki with Sakura and Ino providing the details, needless to say they were all very surprised by the news and they were not happy, but they were very familiar with the fact that as ninja, there would be assignments that would require them to go things with the opposite gender, apart from female ninja, it would also apply to male ninja as well, though no doubt the women liked it.

The fact that Koyuki Kazahana enjoyed it greatly when she and Naruto had done it together told them that there was a chance that she was going to be after Naruto soon enough. While they were not very comfortable with the idea at that moment, they decided to see just how serious Koyuki was in chasing Naruto. Tsunade and the others knew that as ninja they would have to be ready for most things and in the ninja world, female ninja had to be ready to sleep with a target or a VIP at times when it was necessary or they would have to be prepared for, that was why they had taken birth control medicine and a special jutsu to prevent pregnancy as the last thing the female ninja needed was to be pregnant when in the line of duty

Of course that certainly didn't mean that they were adverse to the idea of being pregnant, as the apprentice of Tsunade began to have ideas involving her and a certain blonde Chuunin…

(No….I must not think that right now, I have a lot of things that I have to do before I think of them at this time.)

However. As she opened her door, she quickly found herself seeing the one she had been thinking about in question.

"Naruto-kun? What brings you here?'

The blonde Chuunin and Dragon Champion smiled and replied.

"What's so wrong about me coming here to greet you Shizune-chan?"

Shizune blushed at the endearment that Naruto said and she allowed him into her home. It was not much, but she had been the kind to carry the bare essentials, though she did have some of her female vanity with her as she had a makeup kit and a number of beautiful clothes to use as well when she needed to use them for any important functions. The blonde smiled at her home and he then turned to face Shizune who was happy to have some company in her home as she didn't have many visitors.

"How are you doing Shizune-chan?"

"I've been busy and the paper work I have to do right now is going to keep me busy for a while longer."

Naruto could tell from her voice that Shizune was tired and he decided to give her something to help her relax herself while she was working.

"You want me to help you out Shizune-chan?"

Shizune was surprised by the offer and while she wanted to do it herself, she was very much eager for some help this time to deal with the current workload that she had to deal with today. And the fact that Naruto was willing to help her was a gift she was not keen on turning down, he was quite capable now as a young man and she knew that she could trust him well enough to be able to hold his own when the situation called for it. That and the fact that he had been taking lessons back in the Academy on the subjects he had flunked before as well as getting important lessons from Tsunade was certainly helpful in giving him an edge.

"I would appreciate that Naruto-kun!"

Naruto kept his promise and helped Shizune out as best he could with the paper work, with the use of Kage Bushin to ease the work load, he even made Shizune's favorite drink for her while helping her out. It was not long before Shizune was finally able to feel a lot more relaxed than before, she was able to finish her work with Naruto's help in record time and she was enjoying her favorite drink while Naruto was busy massaging her shoulders and neck.

"Mmmm….you're very good at this Naruto-kun…."

"You're welcome Shizune-chan."

Shizune smiled even more at the endearment that Naruto gave her, it did her heart good to know that despite the fact that she was older than him, he found her attractive and the memories of her times with him in bed were more than enough to make her very happy that she knew him and that he was this nice to her. It was then that the Jonin apprentice of Tsunade had a very wicked idea that seemed outright scandalous, but with her paperwork done and plenty of free time on her hands, she decided to make the most of it before she reported back to the Hokage Tower. With that in minds she decided to stand up and guide Naruto to her room.

"Come with me Naruto-kun."

Naruto naturally obeyed and he took off Holy Talon and placed the sword aside but not before having a mental conversation with the living sword.

(("It seems that you're going to be in a more intimate situation with Shizune Master Naruto."))

(Does it bother you?)

(("No, it doesn't bother me all that much, I have had Master before you who were more than willing to do these things."))

(I guess.)

It was then that the Kyuubi was quick to get into action as the Demon Fox spoke.

((You know something brat….you've got a very interesting life, at least this is not boring.))

(I didn't know you cared all that much Kyuubi)

((At least you keep yourself busy, besides I've got plenty to see in my free time here.))

(You perverted demon.)

((Whatever, you better hurry up brat, you're going to be late.))

Naruto agreed with the Kyuubi and moved into Shizune's room to find that the Jonin had taken off her kimono as well as her pants and was lying on her bed on her stomach, Shizune smiled as she looked him while blushing as well.

"Naruto-kun, can you give me a body massage?"

Naruto gulped as he looked at Shizune's form, while she was not really naked due to the fact that she had on her bra and panties of black material he had very vivid memories of Shizune without a stitch of fabric on her and it was making it hard for him to get his brain to move and order the rest of him. He managed to get his thoughts organized in a relatively simple manner and moved to fulfill Shizune's request.

As he sat down and started with Shizune's shoulders he did his best to see how his work was affecting the Jonin, he then could tell that Shizune was enjoying the way he moved his hands on her body, he then used his chakra to make sure that he was able to hit Shizune's pleasure centers in order to make sure that the stress Shizune was under would finally be gone for the moment. The Jonin's moans or approval grew as Naruto moved from her shoulders to her neck as well as her shoulder blades, he used his already very intimate knowledge of her body to find the right spots to touch in order to make Shizune feel even more relaxed as well as loosen the tension. HE also sensed the cramped up muscles that were there on her shoulder and back, telling her of the hard work that she was dealing with in helping Tsunade run Konoha for the time being.

"Naruto-kun…..this feels good…."

Naruto then moved to her head and gently rubbed her temples with his chakra, gently massaging the nerves as well as the muscles, further removing the strain he felt in Shizune, he made his way back to her shoulders, then her back, all the way to her stomach as he rubbed the muscles on her sides as well as her spine, aiming for the nerve clusters there to help her be free of the strain, he then moved his hands gently on her still covered butt, making Shizune giggle at that and he reached her thigh, he then massaged them gently, hoping to keep himself objective in helping Shizune ease the tension from all of her hard work.

She also began to get very eager for something far more pleasurable and while her practical and hard working side told her not to think about such things at the moment, the rest of her female mind was telling her to go for it and grab Naruto right now to really release the tension. The female side also happened to be wining the argument as well. It was not long before the war between her practical and serious side and her playful, and seductive feminine side had winner…

She felt her body relax and as soon as Naruto told her that he was done with massaging her body, she turned and was now on her back, allowing Naruto to see her in the front. She smiled as Naruto blushed at the sight before him, and the fact that she could make Naruto blush bright red even when she was still clothed in her undergarments was something she enjoyed greatly.

She then decided to tease the blonde Chuunin.

"So Naruto-kun, how do I look with my bra and panties on?"

Naruto gulped as he studied Shizune's form, the memories of seeing her utterly naked before him and being able to feel, kiss, lick, and taste her body and all it's secrets was fresh in his mind and while they were not currently in the nude, he was already getting affected as Shizune posed before him on her bed with only her undergarments hiding her other feminine attributes. He managed to get his thoughts back and spoke.

"You….you look very beautiful Shizune-chan?"

Shizune smiled at that and before Naruto could say anything, she reached out and pulled him to her as he was now on top of her, Shizune smiled deeply at the feel of having Naruto on top of her and she moved to kiss him, Naruto replied in kind as he kissed Shizune back, the kiss was chaste at first, but it was not long before the two were kissing one another hotly. Naruto moved back after a deep three minute lip lock with Shizune and he began to remove his clothes in order to allow Shizune to see his form, He didn't take too long in removing his clothes as Shizune blushed as well as whistle deeply as she got to see his well formed and chiseled body, she ran her hands on Naruto's chest as well as his arms, moaning gently at the feel of his hot skin as well as the muscles underneath as well.

Shizune decided to be fair to Naruto as she reached behind her neck and untied the knot that held her bra together at the neck, as soon as that was out of the way, Shizune then moved to prop herself on one elbow and she then reached behind her to unhook the latch to her bra, as soon as that was out of the way she was now half naked in front of Naruto as she moved upward as Naruto moved back to allow the Jonin to sit up. They looked at one another for a brief moment as they blushed at one another. Shizune then spoke to Naruto.

"Naruto-kun….you know that compared to Tsunade-sama after you used the Rebirth Flame Spell, I am older now than the others who are close to you….do you mind being…."

Naruto shook his head and replied.

"You are beautiful in your own way Shizune-chan, no matter how old you are right now, you are a beautiful woman."

Shizune blushed even more and gave her response to his praise by rubbing her body to his as well as kissing the blonde Chuunin deeply as Naruto responded in kind, kissing her even deeply as well as running his hands on her back as well as her shoulders, he used the chakra in his hands to rub all the areas where Shizune's pleasure centers were.

However, just as things were going to get good, the clock hit the mark of one o'clock in the afternoon and Shizune sighed as she moved away from Naruto….very reluctantly as she knew that she still had duties to take care of and she couldn't very well leave Tsunade to do all the work, she was about to apologize to Naruto but the blonde smiled at her and replied.

"You don't need to say anything or apologize Shizune-chan, you have work to do with Tsunade-chan to keep Konoha in good condition as well as working, I understand that and I have to agree that this is a better choice."

Shizune nodded, happy that Naruto understood the situation and was not giving her problems about her need to get dressed and head back to the Hokage Tower, as she got dressed, so did Naruto and as he left the room he made his way to make her something to eat which was hot bread with some butter, Shizune thanked him and ate what she could until Naruto decided to ask an important question to the Jonin.

"Shizune-chan, do you have any free time in this week?"

Shizune thought about that and recalled that four days from now was a good enough day for her to take a break, despite the fairly recent damage done to Konoha by Kagura's attacks, the repairs were very much underway and the recruitment of new ninja students was going well, the fortifications of the village was also growing stronger, and with the new gear, weapons, and armor made by Naruto himself being given to ANBU, things were becoming easier and she would be able to take a much needed break just like Tsunade herself as well.

"Yes, in four days I will be able to take a vacation, why do you ask Naruto-kun?"

Naruto blushed a bit and replied with a very serious but cute way.

"I…I wanted to ask if you would….go out with me….on a date."

Shizune was surprised and she couldn't help but feel very happy with the news given to her by the blonde Chuunin, in fact this was the very first time in her life that she had ever been asked out on a date by ANY man, and that fact as well as the fact that it was someone she loved and cared for who asked her to go out on a date with him made Shizune smiled even more and she answered Naruto with a slight tear in her eye.

"Nothing would make me happier Naruto-kun! Where will we meet?"

"How about here in your house? I will be paying for the whole thing if that is all right with you Shizune-chan?"

Shizune was very happy with the invitation, and decided to help with the events, she had saved a good deal of money ever since she and Tsunade got back to Konoha as well as taking the missions that she had undertaken when she was asked to by Tsunade, so Naruto didn't have to spend too much of his hard earned money, and since she was a Jonin her pay check was higher than Naruto so she could handle it.

"Why don't we both spend on our date Naruto-kun?"

"All right then, I'll pick you up at two in the afternoon here at your home Shizune-chan, is that all right with you?"

"Of course!"

With that done, Naruto decided to head back to his forge, he still had some work to do, but now he had to provide Shizune with a wonderful gift in order to make her both happy and protect her the same way his present to Tsunade would shield the Hokage from harm if she was ever attacked. But it would have to be different in some regards in order to show how unique his relationship was with Shizune and he had a feeling she was going to need something very special from him in the near future.

--------

Four days later…

Naruto tidied himself up with his white, long sleeved kimono top and his comfortable grey-black pants which worked well enough with his black sash, he then checked his hair as well as his smell and saw that he was ready for the date he promised to take with Shizune today. With his clothes ready and with his sandals on, he checked on the gift he had been working on for four days and left his house, but not before locking down not just his home but also his work place, his forge and the shed that had all of his newly created gear.

As he finished getting ready, he spoke to Holy talon as the sword's eye was open and looking at him as it stood on the special sword handle that held the sword by the hand guard.

(How do I look?)

(("Not too bad, at least the outfit is different, but it should do for your needs."))

(Thanks, I was kind of worried about dressing up in the same outfit, I think I should get going soon.)

(("it is a bit early for you to be on your way isn't it Master Naruto?"))

(Better this way, I want to surprise Shizune just a bit.)

(("I suppose, good luck, I will keep watch of your home as well as Konoha, enjoy yourself Master Naruto."))

(I will.)

With that done, Naruto was well on his way to go and see Shizune, with his gift already with him to give to her at the conclusion of their date together.

The days had gone well enough and so far since there were not that many missions that he had to deal with that Tsunade had handed to him, he had plenty of time to craft the gift he had in mind to give to Shizune at the conclusion of their date this day, he decided to go ahead to the home of the Medic Jonin, he knocked on the door to see if Shizune was there and he heard the voice of the Jonin who was apparently very busy for some reason.

"Yes? Who is it?'

"It's me Shizune-chan!"

"Oh! Naruto-kun, you made it just in time! I'll be right out."

Naruto didn't have to wait long as Shizune opened the door to her home showed herself before him.

Shizune was dressed in a more elaborate variant of her traditional garb, though in this case her kimono was soft blue with yellow lotus blossoms stitched into the clothing itself she had a well made deep white sash with specially woven thread wrapped on her waist and while she had short hair, Shizune did her best to decorate it with a hair clip that had a beautiful rose like design on it. She wore comfortable sandals and had a light application of makeup to compliment her natural looks which Naruto admitted were very much attractive, she also carried a small purse with her that had her supply or ryo from all the missions she had undertaken.

The fact that Shizune looked very attractive in this made Naruto wonder why was that Shizune never got the chance to have a boyfriend long before he came, she was very attractive, skilled in the ninja arts, a talented medic nin having been trained by Tsunade of all people, as well as being hard working and practical, why no man ever asked her out was beyond him…though he did consider that fact that she was with Tsunade all her life could contribute to it as Tsunade was very attractive in her own right.

Despite that line of thinking however, he was happy to be with Shizune for this date, the female ninja then turned around to let her date for the night see her in her dress as well as get an opinion on how she looked in the way she dressed.

"So Naruto-kun, how do I look?"

Naruto looked at Shizune and replied with a smile.

"You look wonderful Shizune-chan."

Shizune blushed, she had worked hard for this moment and Tsunade was more than willing to help her when she informed her sensei of her plan to go out on a date with Naruto, Tsunade said that it was time for Shizune to catch up on all that she had been missing ever since they started traveling together and she was happy for her chance to finally be able to be a woman in all ways. Shizune was happy for this and vowed to do her best to make this date with Naruto a very special one for the both of them.

"Thank you Naruto-kun, shall we?"

As the two went on their date, they traveled to the parks as well as several other areas that Shizune knew well despite having not been in Konoha for many years since leaving the village with Tsunade after her uncle died. Naruto and Shizune spent time to really get to know each other and Shizune couldn't help but feel great sympathy for Naruto. While she knew of his status as the container for the Kyuubi she knew that Naruto was no demon, he had grown into a fine young man and she could see why Tsunade would give him her necklace, which Naruto continued to wear to this day.

She couldn't help but laugh as Naruto told him about how he used to pull pranks and even paint on the faces of the Hokage statues as well as do his best to defy authority, but she also was told about how much his team meant to him as well as everyone in the village, he admitted that long ago he sought the position of Hokage to be recognized and respected, but now….after all he had been through, he vowed to become Hokage to protect those dear to him as well as being a leader who can be trusted and loved.. Naruto admitted also that the time he had acquired Holy Talon, he had learned just how great a legacy he had….to be one of those who had wielded the divine sword to defend others, it filled him with pride and also a sense of duty and responsibility, to not only defend Konoha, but to uphold and honor the traditions and sacrifices of the previous Dragon Champions who were there before him.

He also began to admit that he didn't regret learning the truth about the Kyuubi, and that was something that surprised Shizune. Naruto then replied that if he had been in the Fourth Hokage's place, he would have been hard pressed to do what he did. He still disliked the Fourth for sealing the Kyuubi in him, but at least he could use the Kyuubi's power for his own reasons and he shuddered at the thought of how it would have turned out had it been different.

Despite the seriousness of the conversations they had while being on their date, Naruto and Shizune were able to have a great deal of laughter as well as Naruto told her about the other things he had done, and she in turn talked about her own childhood.

It made Naruto sad to know that Shizune lost her parents when she was young as well and had to be raised by her uncle Dan and then left with Tsunade when the blonde Sannin left the village to be on her own due to all she had seen, and Shizune was happy to at least be there with Tsunade. She then was happy to be able to meet him alter in life and that made Naruto smile even more.

They stopped by the barbeque restaurant that he had been with Asuma and his team as well as his own group when he and Shikamaru became Chuunin; the two paid for each other's meals and enjoyed the calm atmosphere as well as the beauty of the day as time wore on for the two of them. Shizune and Naruto enjoyed their food and Shizune got to see Naruto appetite in action and couldn't help but laugh at how cute Naruto looked once he felt full, it also allowed her to see just why Iruka would pray whenever he treated Naruto out for food.

As they reached the end of the night, they knew that dinner was no longer needed as they were very much full and as Shizune and Naruto reached her home, Naruto decided that not was the right time for him to reveal the gift that he had made for Shizune. The item in question had taken some time to make as well as enchant with the right spells that he knew and felt that it would help protect the Jonin apprentice of Tsunade.

"Shizune-chan?"

Shizune turned and she looked at Naruto with some surprise.

"What is it Naruto-kun?"

Naruto then took out the small container in his pocket and he then spoke to Shizune with a warm smile. He knew that he was still getting used to the idea of giving gifts, but after his experience with Tsunade on their date, he would be a lot better off in doing this with Shizune, and eventually with the others as well. For now he wanted to give this gift with all he had to make sure that it would be good for Shizune to have.

"Here, I made this for you as a gift Shizune-chan. It took me four days to make this will all the work I had to do for the ANBU, but I hope you will find this to be very helpful for you."

The Jonin was surprised and opened the box to see just what was inside the box itself and she couldn't help but gasp a little at the sight of the item before her and she took it out to admire the item in question that Naruto made as a gift for her.

It was a necklace, but totally different from what would call a regular necklace, it was unique and very beautiful in design and appearance.

Shizune touched the beautiful necklace that had a beautiful emerald in the middle, surrounded by a pair of dragons and there was the symbol of Konoha on the outer rim in gold leaf. The gem glowed beautifully and the golden chain that held the necklace also glowed with beautiful rune characters and she felt a great deal of warmth in it. She smiled at her companion, friend, and loved one.

"Thank you Naruto-kun."

"You're welcome Shizune-chan, that necklace is also not just for decoration, it has powers as well to protect you."

"Really?"

"Yeah, the gems can create a very powerful mental shield that will make sure that will prevent anyone from trying to pry into your mind and like Tsunade-chan' gift, this releases a flowing energy that heals wounds and counters poisons. It also has the power to create a mystical barrier that acts like a suit of armor from magical attacks as well as some chakra attacks."

Shizune was touched at how much Naruto wanted to keep her safe, it was very heartwarming to get such a precious gift as Naruto had no doubt struggled in order to create this necklace for her to keep and use if ever she needed greater protection, and she still had the Orchaelium armor that she had been given when they fought with the Wraith Knight as well as the weapons given to her.

The Jonin apprentice of Tsunade hugged Naruto and as he hugged her back, she whispered into his ear.

"Thank you so much Naruto-kun, I will keep this close."

As she moved away, she decided to have some free time with Naruto for herself this time as she wanted to take some time off, with all of the work done for the day, this was going to be her time off and she was very much happy that she was going to be with Naruto in order to spend that time wisely. Shizune then grabbed Naruto by the collar and dragged him through the door of her house.

Naruto didn't have time to ask Shizune just what she had in mind but he had a fairly accurate idea as the Jonin apprentice placed the necklace down and hugged him once more. As soon as she was done holding him close to her, she removed her sash and parted her kimono as she kissed him and did the very same thing with him as well. Naruto took the invitation as he closed the gap between him and Shizune.

As soon as he was close, he removed his clothes and now they were back to the same position they were in four days earlier, only this time they were not going to be interrupted. Naruto and Shizune were now more than ready and eager to have their fun this night.

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(The lemon for this will be in the Lemon Story board for Naruto Dragon Champion so wait for it there!)

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The next day…

Naruto woke up in an unfamiliar room and in an unfamiliar bed, he shook his head trying to recall what happened and where he was until his memories came back and when they did he blushed at how Shizune showed her deeply passionate side as well as her more adventurous personality when it involved intimacy.

((So the conquering hero decides to wake huh?))

(Kyuubi….)

((Don't waste time asking me questions, go get out of bed and go see your lady friend.))

Naruto did so and he was able to put on his boxers at the moment, as he left the room, he moved to the living room/dining area and there was Shizune wearing a simple robe and placing some hot food on the table and he couldn't help but speak out to Shizune.

"Shizune-chan!"

The Jonin smiled at Naruto and walked over to hug him tightly as she felt happy that he had finally decided to wake up, she was already wearing the necklace that he had given her for her gift as well as something that could help protect her from harm.

"Good Morning Naruto-kun, I managed to cook some food for both of us, I was hoping you would wake up so you and I can eat together."

Naruto smiled and replied.

"Sorry for being late then, now let's get down to having a good meal together."

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Two months later…

Naruto was smiling as he finished the last touches on the array of swords that he had crafted for the ANBU from all the metals that he had on hand, the pride of his work however was his first Dragon Steel katana….the weapon was not perfect as the metal was VERY hard to mold and forge properly, but it would be a good test bed for his other projects involving the extremely rare metal. Rumkil and Thorell had told him much about its powers as well as how hard it was to make and while they admitted that his work was crude, it was a surprising result considering that he had little training on how to forge the metal properly as well as how to properly temper it in his forge as Dragon Steel required a temperature that was harder than most to get with normal fire, making Naruto resort to using raw Dragon Fire to forge the weapon and that was hard.

Holy Talon had taught him how to harness Dragon Fire in its raw form a week before and the results were impressive indeed, while normal Fire Spells were quite potent, raw Dragon Fire was much harder to use and it took some time before Naruto was able to fashion a massive orb of burning Dragon Fire to for his first Dragon Steel katana. It had been very hard work and had it not been for his enhanced body as well as the Kyuubi's still distributed chakra, he would not have the needed stamina, strength, and power to forge the sword. It was still like a normal katana and was actually able to block Holy Talon's own strikes as it was made from the same material, but since it was not properly tuned with the use of spells, it was not able to be used in the same way as Holy Talon and was not a sentient sword, thus it was a regular katana.

As he looked the blade over while sharpening it with a powerful and hard whetstone along with a spinning roller to further sharpen the edge, he looked it over and was happy with the current balance. He could work on the sword at a much better time and since it was not like iron or steel that would rust, he would not need to worry about it all that much when he would leave the blade outside.

He then placed the blade into the sheath as he had finished working on the hand grip and it was comfortable to the hands despite being wrapped only in cloth, he then placed the weapon on a nearby sword stand and got up to stretch his limbs as well as work on the kinks in his body. He would need to present the blades to the ANBU while his first Dragon Steel Katana was going to be a support weapon as it was his very first test and after he got the needed training in order to be better at forging another, he would perfect it more, just like he had worked on Kakashi's own sword.

He then decided to go to the shed that he had built and there in racks were the swords, daggers, light armor, kunai, shuriken, spears, chakra enhancing armor, and more in stock. Apart from weapons and light armor, the blonde Chuunin had been making special armor pieces that could be used by the ANBU to further increase their combat abilities Naruto's created shed was sealed off by a special chain forged by the dwarf brothers that only unlocked when Naruto touched it, and to further ensure that security was strong, the blonde Chuunin had imbued the stone walls of the shed with powerful wards to strengthen the stone. He used his power to unlock the chain and entered the room, there was more weaponry here than before and they were for the ANBU.

He smiled at them all and he left it and returned the chain just as Sakura and Sasuke arrived.

"Naruto-kun!"

He turned to his team mates and smiled in greeting at Sakura and gave a smile of respect to Sasuke who merely nodded in reply. As they reached Naruto, he spoke.

"Hey, you guys are here in an unexpected time, we have a mission or something?"

"Not really, just checking all the weapons that the ANBU had ordered from me, making so many weapons is hard as hell, but these will pay off big time when they are used."

Sasuke then turned to see the shed, and while he tried to act dismissive, he was very curious on what sort of weaponry the blonde had made, it was then that he spotted a katana in a nearby stand in the blonde Chuunin's forge. He made his way there and spoke to Naruto.

"Hey Naruto….what's this thing?"

Naruto walked over and replied.

"It's one of my new prototypes, it's a katana made from Dragon Steel."

"Dragon Steel? What's that supposed to be?"

"It's similar to the material that makes Holy Talon, so this is one of the few weapons that can stand up to Holy Talon in combat since they are made from the same material, to a degree anyway. It's not forged in the same way Holy Talon was so it's not alive and it's inner power is still unfocused so it can't cast spells."

Sakura looked at the weapon and due to the fact that she had a portion of Dragon Fire in her body as well as her blood, she could feel the power of the sword, but even Sasuke could feel it as he felt his skin crawl a bit. Sakura then turned to Naruto who smiled proudly at his work.

"If its incomplete as well as crude, why did you make it Naruto-kun?"

"To see if I could, it's already a good looking weapon and very powerful indeed, but it still needs to undergo some changes to be more powerful and effective. But that's for another time since I've got to have the rest of the gear ready for inspection by the ANBU since this stuff is for them."

Sasuke raised an eye brow at that.

"You're giving all that to the ANBU?"

"Yeah, it was a request from their head Captain so I surely can't turn that down even if I wanted to, besides, the extra weaponry and gear wouldn't hurt too much. Say, you want me to make you a sword Sasuke?"

Sasuke looked at Naruto and shook his head.

"I don't need one yet."

Naruto shrugged his shoulders and then he was surprised to see that Kakashi as well as Kaelyn had arrived on the scene and he swore that the two were close, making him raise an eye brow and a foxy grin as he had a very sneaky thought in mind, he had seen that the two had gotten close and it made him feel happy for his sensei that he finally got a lady friend.

"Hey Kakashi-sensei!"

"Yo, Naruto-kun, how are you doing?"

Kaelyn gave a ritual greeting of bowing with her right hand and her chest and Naruto replied in kind as Kaelyn looked over his home. The blonde then decided to be a gracious host to his new arrivals and quickly guided them into his home. As soon as they got there, he checked his fridge and saw that he still had a good number of groceries as well as plenty of ramen packs left for eating, Naruto decided to busy himself in making his guests comfortable as he got them some food and drink.

Although Sakura had been in the house before, she still found it nice to explore while Sasuke was till himself and merely glanced at everything, as well as Holy Talon which was currently resting on its stand nearby. Kakashi looked the house over with Kaelyn alongside him to explore the house while Naruto busied himself in the kitchen. He was not a world class cook like Teuchi, but learning how to cook was something he had to learn, plus learning some new cooking recipes from the summoned beings was something he would get used to.

As he finished the light meals, he wondered just how far had Kakashi and Kaelyn gone, he would never dare ask his sensei while Kaelyn was about and he doubted his Jonin sensei would just blatantly say how it was for him, but the blonde hand no doubt he would find out eventually. He looked at Kakashi and Kaelyn who were close to one another in a very telling fashion, though they were very good at hiding that fact from the others, but the blonde Chuunin and Dragon Champion was not something who was easily fooled, not like when he was still younger.

All he could think of was how lucky his sensei was to be with someone who liked him back.

--------

However, Kakashi was not the only ninja of Konoha who was going to do his best to be able to score lucky with one of the women from Holy Talon and Death Fang's world. Of course he was a bit more patient with his approach with the said woman in question.

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In another part of Konoha…

Asuma was busy getting some flowers from Ino as he was currently in the flower shop owned by Ino's family, the female Genin smiled at her sensei and asked him a question.

"Hey Asuma-sensei, how is Vlana-san?"

"She's doing well, she usually studies all the books and scrolls in the libraries, she seems to want to learn everything there is to learn in our world, to be honest, I've never seen anyone dedicated in reading the way she is, plus she's applying as a teacher for the younger Academy students."

"I see, well then, that will be twenty ryo."

As Asuma gave the money, the young Kunoichi spoke to him.

"By the way Asuma-sensei, say hi to Vlana-san when you give her those flowers."

Asuma sighed and nodded as he left the building, shaking his head as he recognized that Ino had easily determined that the flowers he had purchased were meant for Vlana in particular, he had retained a good friendship with Kurenai but found himself being attracted to Vlana as the young woman was certainly different as despite her scholarly pursuits, she was more than capable of fighting well on her own if the need came to that.

As he made his way to the library he was greeted by the curator and guided to where Vlana was, she was not in class at the moment and was currently reading on the second floor of the library. As soon as he got there, there was Vlana dressed in a simple long sleeved shirt as well as a long skirt with pants along with a pair of sandals, with her silver hair tired in a simple bun with a pair of chopsticks holding in place as well as a long tail of her hair on the side. The young Silver Star mage turned to look at Asuma and she smiled at him as well as the flowers.

"Hello there Asuma, are those for me?"

Asuma blushed a great deal and nodded as he handed the flowers to the young woman. Vlana gave him a very happy smile as she took the flowers and sniffed them deeply, liking the fragrance and when she placed them down, she spoke to him.

"Thank you for the flowers Asuma, I don't get that many flowers back in my world."

Asuma was surprised at that as he knew that with her looks, Vlana would have no trouble snaring a man and he was very curious as to why that was the case, until he recalled that considering the way she looked, she was no doubt being targeted by lechers as well as perverts, that made him somewhat angry at the prospect of her being subject to such scrutiny, though he privately admitted that he was not exempted from that as he also found himself staring at her direction more than most.

Vlana noted that and replied.

"It's due to the fact that most of my fellow Silver Star Mages are usually studying and gathering magical artifacts and training with our spells, so we don't go out much unless there is a battle where our powers are needed. I have gotten praises but not that many. By the way Asuma, how are you doing? Have your missions gone well?"

Asuma nodded and replied.

"I'm in good straits, I still miss my father the previous Hokage but I am fine, as for the missions, they are not that hard, but since we're somewhat shorthanded here in Konoha after the attack of Orochimaru and his forces of Sound and Sand, we have to make due at the very least. By the way, how goes your own efforts?"

Vlana smiled a bit as she looked at the collection of books and scrolls before her as she spoke.

"These books have helped me a great deal in learning all there is to learn about your world and it's customs, as Mages we always seek knowledge and learning about these jutsus that exist in your world. It's nice to learn a lot of things while one is still young."

Asuma nodded and then he decided to try something to get to know Vlana a lot more, after they had first met, he had taken it upon himself to help her adjust to being in Konoha and after several months it seemed that his efforts had finally paid off. He could see that she was tired and needed a chance to take a break, however he wanted to ask her properly if she would mind coming with him for a chance to grab some good food to eat.

"Vlana, have you eaten anything recently?"

Vlana was about to reply when the two heard a slight growl from the Silver Star Mage's stomach, that was enough to answer his question as Vlana blushed a bit, her face becoming somewhat red that matched her own blood red eyes as well as her silver hair.

"Sorry….I get so immersed in reading as well as study that I forgot to have something to eat."

Asuma sighed a bit and replied.

"It's all right, by the way, there's some very good places here in Konoha where you can eat to satisfy yourself, I could pay for your food if you like?"

Vlana shook her head with a smile and replied.

"I couldn't possibly distract you from your duties as a ninja Asuma, it would seem like I am taking advantage of you. Besides, shouldn't you be out with your team?"

Asuma shook his head as he took out a cigarette and lit it as he smoked and replied.

"We don't have any mission lately and things are settling down well enough, besides, I have already a considerable amount of money stored away so I can afford to use some of it, besides, it would be rude for me to let you go hungry like this when I can help."

Vlana smiled at that and replied.

"All right, I'll take you up on your offer, thank you Asuma."

The two left the library and headed off to the rest of Konoha and along the way, a number of people, including some out of village workers commented on Vlana as she and Asuma walked by, they commented on how different she looked as well as how strangely attractive the silver haired and crimsoned eyed woman was, and apart from them, there were other men in Konoha who were also commenting on how she looked.

Vlana was very much eager to try out the food before her as soon as they arrived in the restaurant and Asuma, true to his world paid for the meal and commented that this was a bit easier since feeding Chouji after their missions was usually a bit of a strain on his wallet. Vlana dug into the food which was sushi and tempura, marveling at the food as she had not tried this before in her younger days and wondered just why that was the case. Asuma then explained Chouji's appetite as well as Chouji's family background as a member of the Akamichi Clan, Vlana had to admit that it was surprising and she asked Asuma to describe the rest of his group, he agreed and told her about Ino Yamanaka, her clan's special abilities of Mind and Body Manipulation that Vlana found both interesting and very surprising, as well as Shikamaru Nara and his clan's special abilities which Vlana also found to be very interesting as she continued to eat the food placed before her.

"My Goodness, you have quite a team, a young genius with shadow manipulation abilities, a woman who can control minds, as well as a young man who can manipulate his body at will."

"Yeah, though I consider my team as being comprised of a slacker, a glutton, and a loud mouth, but I would never have them in any other way, I have to bribe or trick them into doing what I want, but when push comes to shove, they are excellent together, though I mostly do the bribery and trickery on Chouji more than Shikamaru and Ino."

Vlana laughed at that and so did Asuma as they continued to discuss things about themselves, it was then that Vlana decided to tell Asuma about herself as well to be fair to him.

"I was born in a simple village in the Northern lands, I had a sickness then which made it hard for me to walk, thankfully a healer was able to correct my weakness and that was where I was discovered to be skilled in using Magic, namely the arcane form of magic."

"What's the difference with Arcane anyway?"

"Well, Arcane magic deals with the use of elemental powers for offensive and defensive combat, so arcane users like myself are better suited for attacking than healing, unlike the Dragon Clerics who's powers over magic are more inclined to healing, restorative, and curative arts. When I was able to use some basic Arcane spells, I entered into the Academy after I fully recovered, normally we don't train as heavily in the combat arts than most warriors, but we do get some basic training in combat, and that is something I wish to thank you for."

Asuma smiled at that and replied.

"No problem Vlana."

As time passed, the two of them left the restaurant and they headed back to the library, and it was then that Vlana decided to speak to Asuma about something important.

"Asuma, I want to know something, considering how much time you are spending with me are you asking me out?"

Asuma blushed at that and Vlana laughed a little bit and she spoke to him in a very friendly way.

"I see….well then, when you have no missions that will take your time, pay me a visit and we'll see how far we can go all right?"

Asuma nodded a bit and before he could say anything, Vlana moved closer and kissed him on the cheek and walked back into the library, leaving the male Jonin shaking his head. He then smiled and wondered just how his nephew was going to handle it if he found out that he was going out with one of the women. However fate had other ideas for at that moment.

"Asuma-haku!"

Asuma gulped mentally and turned to see none other than his nephew Konohamaru with his friends and a very wide grin on his nephew's face, and before he could say anything, the young Academy student spoke.

"Are you going out on a date with her soon?"

Asuma wondered just what he was going to say to his nephew, he knew that despite his childish nature, Konohamaru was a fairly sharp minded youth and was not the kind to be easily convinced of something that that what he had seen already was not the truth. With that in mind, he replied to his nephew's question with a grin.

"And if I said I was, what will you do Konohamaru?"

Konohamaru grinned and replied.

"Oh I have my ways…."

Asuma slapped his forehead and laughed a bit, he then told Konohamaru to come with him since he looked like he could use a bit to eat, that was enough to convince Konohamaru to drop his interest in his uncle's love life and join him for a meal, Asuma however knew that Konohamaru was not going to give easily in seeing just how he and Vlana would go. Despite the fact that Konohamaru wanted to be his own man and not to be recognized as the former Hokage's grandson, he had one trait that was very much present with his grandfather and that was his grandfather's secret perverted nature. That fact was something of an object of amusement and exasperation for Asuma for as long as he could remember but he couldn't help but let it be….after all, Konohamaru was still young and who knew what he would be like once he grows up.

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Two weeks later…

Naruto was very busy as he had finally completed his latest creations and these were for a close person to him, he had every intention to give a present to several important people in his life, one of them was Tsunade who treasured his gift to her, and Shizune as well who showed just how happy she was that he gave her a beautiful and useful gift as well.

It was already in the afternoon when he had finished with the last requirements and with those done, he got ready to be on the move.

He then thought about the need to give the others some gifts, currently Kurenai and Hinata were with Kiba, Akamaru, and Shino on a mission, Ino was going with her team on a routine job with Shikamaru as well as Chouji and Asuma. Ayame was busy with her father doing a lot of routine deliveries and Kin was out on her own missions with her team of Haku and Zabuza. Anko was currently on her own mission as well and the only team that was not moving around at the moment was Team Gai.

He then thought about how Neji and Lee had changed, Lee might still have his friendship with Sakura, but he currently had a strong deal of attraction to the elven Fire Dancer Valeena, while Neji seemed to be content with hanging out with Coryin, of course he still kept his friendship with both Lee and Tenten. The thought of the female member of Gai's team then reminded Naruto who he made the new weapons for.

Tenten was a skilled weapon user though he had no doubt she could handle herself well enough in a close combat fight with her other weapons as well as her own Taijutsu skills but he wanted to make sure that she was going to be all right when the time came, he had a feeling that Tenten, being a tough minded woman, didn't like the idea of being weak to others and she would want to prove that she could hold her own in a fight without any assistance, she did have a softer side to her tough personality which Naruto found to be very appealing in his mind and he decided to make the items two weeks before. His skill in the art of forging had grown well enough and he was proud of his work at the very least.

With that in mind, he decided to pay Tenten a visit to see how she was doing and he placed his items in a container. He left his house and was able to reach Tenten's residence, his fears on the possibility that she would be on a mission proved to be unfounded as the young Kunoichi was currently working in the front of her family's home. She still wore her usual choice of clothes so she was very easy to spot.

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Tenten was currently working in the front yard of her home when she spotted Naruto coming towards her with a smile on his face and she decided to greet him with a wave of her hand as well as some words.

"Hey Naruto-kun!"

Naruto smiled back and waved as well as he faced Tenten, he looked about and wondered just where Tenten's parents were at the moment. He had expected them to be present in their home with their daughter. Tenten noted that mode of thought well enough and decided to explain just where here parents had gone recently.

"My mom and dad were on a special trip to but some new materials and tools for their work, that's why I am here in the house and since no missions have come up, Gai and Lee are currently on another training session and Neji-kun is training with his uncle Hiashi."

"I see….I guess that answers the questions I was about to ask you. How are you doing today Tenten-chan?"

"Fine I guess, though I have to admit, I kind of miss the excitement I get when my team is around, doing nothing is really becoming quite a pain Naruto-kun."

"I can understand that, but even doing nothing can be a blessing sometimes, I need to take a break from all my work since the ANBU are really driving me to do my very best work for their armories, not to mention the fact I've got to work on some brand new models for them as well to take into the battle front at some point in time."

'I guess…say, what brings you here?"

Naruto then replied as he revealed the items he had with him at the moment.

Naruto smiled as he handed over the weapons to Tenten, he knew that Tenten loved good weapons and these were certainly his best work for her as they were good to her skills as a weapon mistress.

Tenten looked at the specially made set of kunai that Naruto gave her as a present and will these kunai were certainly attractive and strong looking, she could tell that they were more than just good looking weaponry, she didn't know why, but she could feel a slight wave of energy coming from the weapons as she touched them. The kunai were different despite all of them being deep silver white in color, one had a green gem in the middle of the blade near the handle, another had a deep blue sapphire in the same location, another had a ruby in it, the next had a deep white diamond, and the last had a deep brown gemstone. She then noticed there was a smaller grove in the handle as well.

She looked at Naruto as he gave her yet another gift wrapped present and Tenten took it and unwrapped it and found herself looking as a katana that was straight in appearance and the blade looked to be made of pure Orchaelium, having seen Naruto use his own pair of Orchaelium katanas in conjunction with Holy Talon, she was familiar how powerful this weapon was in combat, she then notice an empty loop at the pommel of the sword and she looked at Naruto.

"Thank you Naruto-kun, these look lovely."

Naruto nodded as he decided to explain to Tenten her gifts.

"The kunai are very special Ten-chan, the silver kunai is made from Arcane Silver so it had a deadly bite against certain foes that you might face in the future and it is fused with a special surprise. Place a drop of your blood on grove."

Tenten nodded as she bit her finger to draw blood the same way one would when using it to use a Summoning jutsu, she then allowed a drop of her blood to fill the grove and watched as the blood turned into a small crystal. She then looked at Naruto who explained.

"That kunai and the others like it are gifted with a recalling spell, and the blood that was crystallized allows them to return to their master. Try throwing it and then focus your chakra and will the kunai to return into your hand."

Tenten did so and as she fired the kunai at a target, she summoned her chakra and to her surprise, the kunai faded from sight, until she looked to her hand and found that the kunai she released was back in her head. She had never seen this before and it made her smile at her boy friend.

"This is a great gift Naruto-kun, what are the gems for?"

"The gems contain special powers that can be similar to the five elemental chakra types so they can be used for attacking in the same way as using elemental jutsu, these are all made of Orchaelium so they are near weightless and strong for use in combat in both long range and short range."

Tenten smiled and tried it as she threw one of the kunai and focused on fire, the move worked as the kunai was quickly coated in a fireball and when it struck, there was a small explosion of flame with the kunai utterly unharmed and she quickly summoned it back, the kunai quickly returned to her and she decided to get some much needed practice with it as well as it's fellow kunai, she then directed her attention to the sword as she drew it out, admiring the balance and weightlessness of the sword due to the material that it was made from, as soon as she was done admiring the weapons she hefted, and swung it a few times.

Naruto then handed her another small pouch and when Tenten looked inside, she saw the same gems there with the very same symbols of the five elemental chakras. She quickly got the hint and took out the gem marked with the symbol of Lightning and placed it into the hole in the pommel and then spoke mentally the element of Lightning and the blade was quickly coated with a field of pure crackling lightning, making the weapon fairly impressive in it's abilities.

Tenten then decided to train with this weapon in a much better time and she sheathed the sword. The weapon mistress of Konoha then kissed Naruto on the cheek as she hugged him.

"Thank you Naruto-kun, I will cherish these gifts greatly, plus I will put these into good use."

"No problem Tenten-chan."

Tenten smiled at the endearment and decided that since he had given her some gifts she might as well treat him out, this could very well be a date for her, with that in mind she decided to go to his home and give him some reward for such interesting work. With a plan in mind as well as knowing for a fact that the day was not over yet, she placed her thoughts into action.

"Naruto-kun, I need to put these in my home, can you wait for me?"

Naruto had no idea what was it that Tenten had in mind, but he was not going to stop her. With that in mind, the young blonde Chuunin nodded.

"Sure thing, I'll be here."

Tenten smiled as she moved back into her home and deposited the weapons and made it back to. She made it back to Naruto and the two of them moved to the restaurants and with the money she had earned in several missions with Gai, Lee, and Neji, she bought some very delicious food items and as soon as they were done, they made their way to Naruto's home.

As soon as they arrived in Naruto's house, Tenten and Naruto decided to eat their food, since Tenten's family were currently on a traveling journey to gather new materials for their work place, the young Kunoichi had the key to her family home and the security that was there would help discourage any potential robbers. As they relaxed in his home, the Kunoichi decided to make her move as she walked over the blonde Chuunin and they moved to his living room.

As soon as they were there, Naruto decided to relax on his sofa, but it seemed that Tenten had other more interesting ideas for relaxation between the two of them as the Kunoichi moved behind Naruto and began to massage his shoulders and Naruto smiled at the pleasure.

"Tenten-chan….you don't have to do this…."

Tenten however replied in a very serious but yet playful tone.

"Don't argue with me Naruto-kun, just enjoy the fact that I'm doing this for you."

Naruto decided not to argue with Tenten and allowed her to do her thing. All the while they talked about several things about themselves, Naruto told Tenten about how he had started out as a Genin while Tenten talked about her missions when she and her friends graduated a year ahead of the others of the Rookie Nine as Naruto and his school buddies were called back in the day, she even told him about how hard it was at times to deal with Gai and Lee's antics.

Naruto himself was surprised at this and also asked how she found the way Lee and Gai acted together, and much to his surprise, Tenten was quite entertained with the hilarity that the two would usually conjure up and she told her lover about how Neji would react when his Team mate and his sensei would do something foolish that brought him a great deal of embarrassment. However she admitted that with her team, it was very exciting and despite his antics and off the wall personality, Gai in her mind was and still is a great teacher to them all. Plus the fact that he was already quite a deadly ninja in his own right made it fairly clear that he was not to be underestimated.

Naruto agreed with that and even told Tenten of how Lee and Gai had shown themselves before him and his team during the early part of the Chuunin Exams

As time passed Naruto was getting to be very relaxed and Tenten decided to make her move as she moved away and straddled his lap and kissed Naruto deeply in the lips, Naruto was by no means totally relaxed just yet as he responded in kind as Tenten moaned into the kiss as well as Naruto did. The two parted from one another for a brief moment or two and then Tenten decided to remove not just her Konoha forehead protector but her upper clothes as well. Besides this was her night in this sense.

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(See the lemon in the lemon story board for this fanfic!)

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The next day…

Naruto woke up as he found himself in his bed and feeling tired and yet happy, as he got out of bed, he moved to the living room and saw that there was some food already there, he smelled it and it was delicious, but decided to hold off the eating for the moment and looked for Tenten as she seemed to be nowhere in sight, that is until he spotted her in a simple shirt and pants training with her newly acquired weapons in his outer yard. The blonde decided to take a look and see Tenten in action. Despite that fact he had seen her in combat with Temari in the Chuunin exams only a few months before, seeing her in actions was still something of a subject of great interest.

As the Kunoichi continued to fight with her weapons, the blonde looked on without bothering the Kunoichi; Tenten was deadly accurate with her kunai and made that fact very clear to him as she continued with her training with the weapons. She then stopped and smiled at his direction.

"Morning Naruto-kun I thought you would never wake up."

Naruto scratched the back of his head and replied.

"Sorry about that."

Tenten however replied in a friendly fashion.

"That's all right Naruto-kun, you needed your sleep anyway. By the way, why don't you and I spar for a bit, I want to see how much you have grown as a ninja since becoming Chuunin."

Naruto could tell that Tenten was being serious and he agreed. He unlocked the shed and took out some of the weapons that he had previously made but kept in storage, of course the Dragon Steel katana was something he was not going to use at the moment so he took out a very strong tempered steel sword. Tenten took out her own sword as the two faced each other, this was not to wound our kill, but to see how well they had each grown as ninja.

Tenten was not keen on hurting Naruto….not after they had been through as well as that fact that last night still made her feel more alive than before. She and Naruto looked at one another seriously and got into position with blades drawn…and they began to spar with one another with their swords ringing out in the air.

The two ninja enjoyed this as they traded blow after blow while evading and dodging each other's strike, Naruto learned from his spirit trainers in the ways of the Sword Adepts, the War Blades, The Zealots, the Falcon Rangers, and the Wild Forest Warriors that a warrior was able to learn how another foe fights by observing the enemy in action and that was enough to tell him that Tenten was currently at her very best.

The two trained for the better half of the day until they took lunch together and Tenten went home with a smile on her face while Naruto went off to take yet another mission with Sakura, Sasuke and Kakashi. After the simple mission was over, the blonde Chuunin went back home and decided to get an early night's sleep in order to be at his best for the duration of the day.

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Enjoy the rest while you can Naruto…

"Master….the forces you have requested are ready…."

((("Good, the news is good to hear…now I believe that we should make sure that they were ready for the soon to come battle with Naruto and his allies. However, I believe the time has come to allow a few of my other pets to have a go at this world.")))

Death Fang glowed with dark power as it was in yet a new lair….far away from where it had been found by Pain and Konan, and as the living, evil sword glowed in it's dark glory with it's servant before it, a massive bolt came from the blade and it formed into a man, covered in black as well as blood red tattoos who bowed before Death Fang and said no word.

((("Rise….I want you to and cause all manner of slaughter, seek out worthy prey and consume them and make an army to threaten all who dare to oppose you, I wish to see how well my foe has grown since our last meeting. Now, show me your pure form")))

The tattoos on the man came to life and covered him in a deadly mix of black and red, and a moment, the man changed completely. Before Death Fang was a massive seven to eight foot tall humanoid wolf, with razor sharp claws as well as large teeth with a pair of enlarged canines, the creature was covered in dark fur and had blood red eyes as it howled and bowed before it's master. As soon as it bowed before it's master, the werewolf turned and with tremendous agility and speed, left the lair to begin it's deadly and no doubt, blood thirsty mission.

Death Fang laughed as the now transformed lycanthrope warrior moved through his lair, eager to see the carnage his new pet would unleash into this world.

Outside of the lair, the dark furred Alpha Werewolf looked at the silver moon and howled in primal hunger and fury….it's howls filling the sky and sending waves of ear into the night sky.

The Hunt was on….

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To be continued…

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Author's Notes:

Sorry for the long delay, but things are kind of hectic at the moment, but as this story is coming to a close, that certainly does not mean that it will be quiet. I will see what else I can add to the other fanfics for this time and GunDread SEED The Second Stage will not be on hold for long, I just need time to get back into writing it so I hope for those who have read GunDread SEED The Second Stage that you a;; can wait and allow me to have the time to do it all right.

This chapter is finished and that is a good sign that I was able to finish it in a good amount of time and that is a good thing in my mind as well. This chapter is not too long or too complicated; at least I hope it isn't and it will be something as a preview to fro more stories to come.

It seems that Shizune is the lucky girl to get her own gift this time and it seems that the women who come from Dagern are also doing their part to help Konoha in their own fashion and it seems that they will be very busy at this moment. And it will not be long before the other couples get a shot, namely a certain trench knife wielding Jonin and a certain red eyed and silver haired Silver Star Mage. Of course it seems that Tenten got her own gift as well and it seems to suit the young lady as well.

It will not be long before more things happen, we will have Death Fang's latest trail for Naruto and then comes the part everyone is aching to see, Naruto and Sasuke fighting one another, but considering the fact that Naruto has received a higher degree of training at the moment, one can bet that the blonde ninja will not be so easily beaten as he was in the canon anime and manga.

The collapsible crossbow was inspired by the one used by Hugh Jackman in the movie Van Helsing. I am a big fan of the movie and as you can see….Naruto has plans to incorporate much larger versions for the defense of Konoha as well as several attempts to fortify Konoha's walls and reinforce them with magic to complement the Golems that he had previously created in order to safe guard Konoha. Also the crossbow gathers the folding concepts from both the movie as well as the game Mass Effect

The katana Naruto forged from Dragon Steel will play a key role in the coming chapters as well as make it's appearance in the second story section so expect that this will see action soon enough, but on who's side will this sword in particular be? That remains to be seen in the soon to come chapters in Naruto Dragon Champion.

There is also going to be the chance that Naruto would distribute a handful of his creations to the village of Suna in a much later date, to further reinforce the alliance with Suna and Konoha, how will the village of Suna fair now that they have access to Naruto's arsenals in the near future? That will also be seen in the coming story board so hold on to your hats and get ready for a ride!

It seems that Naruto gets lucky with both Shizune and Tenten, he gets a chance to be with Shizune twice. Thought the first was interrupted, and then once with Tenten, not a bad start. And it seems that Kakashi and Kaelyn are close now, is there a chance that we can be expecting a Kakashi Hatake junior in the near future?

And what of Vlana and Asuma, will their respect and friendship blossom into something more in the near future?

We shall see now won't we? Also for the fans of this fanfic, a new chapter will highlight the growth of the relationships of Kakashi And Kaelyn as well as Asuma and Vlana as their teams will be sent to deal with a new threat from Death Fang and they will be joined by Gai and his team with Coryin and Valeena coming into the fray as well as Meer and Shana. How will the female Zealot, Steel Lancer, Falcon Ranger, Fire Dancer, War Blade and Silver Star Mage work as a team in combat?

This coming chapter will be a very interesting situation indeed!

Also, the polls will soon close and soon the highest votes females will soon make their appearance into the story, so expect Naruto's love life will get a hell of an upswing. Not to mention that Konoha gains an alliance that will further reinforce and strengthen it as a whole.


	39. Into the Lair of the Wolf Part 1

Naruto Dragon Champion

Disclaimer: I don't have any ownership of Naruto or any of the sort in the anime and manga, so don't ask me if I do.

Chapter 28

Part 1

Into the Lair of the Wolf

( ): Thoughts

((" ")): Holy Talon's voice

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In Konoha…

Naruto was currently training with a long spear with Meer as he and the Steel Lancer and the Dragon Champion were deep in training as the blonde Chuunin had some free time on his hands and needed to work out some more of his new moves as well as perfect a few of the older ones that he learned. With Holy talon's power limited and therefore limiting his ability to summon the essences of the previous Dragon Champions, he would have to rely on some more physical training in order to match up with a real Steel Lancer.

Meer lashed out with a powerful stab aimed at Naruto's face as Naruto leaned aside to avoid the strike and he ducked as she followed through with a powerful swipe and he twirled his own spear to block a secondary strike with the axe blade end of the halberd that Meer lashed out with, Naruto attacked with his tri bladed spear at Meer as she easily dodged and then blocked the secondary strike with the shaft of her weapon and then she moved the weapon upward to throw Naruto's weapon upward and she lashed out with a stab that Naruto managed to evade by leaping backwards and bringing his spear down to stop that attack, Naruto pulled the spear back and spun it with the middle area in his hands and the weapon spinning around him like a shield and that forced Meer back and be on the defensive.

Naruto then lashed out with a direct stab that Meer avoided well enough, until Naruto moved the blade up and attacked with diagonal strike with the blade head moving behind him and then attacking Meer while pinning to add extra force with his attack.

As the two continued to spar for a bit longer, Naruto and Meer were being observed by several people, one was his fellow Chuunin from the Rookie 9, Shikamaru as well as Asuma and Iruka. They observed how the two moved and fought with one another and Asuma commented on the sight.

"Naruto's getting better with that spear of his."

"I agree, he's not usually the kind to use weapons all that much, but he's learning fast."

Shikamaru agreed with Iruka as he observed his fellow Chuunin fight it out with the female Steel Lancer and the fight seemed to be reaching it's climax as Meer pole vaulted over Naruto and landed down to the side and unleashed a massive barrage of spear stabs at Naruto who retaliated with a spinning and dodging maneuver, that used both ends of his spear to block and push the attacks away as well as his body movements allowing him to avoid the attacks, both of them then attacked one another with a pair of thrusts that both evaded and the clashed against one another.

Meer nodded and Naruto did the same and both of them relaxed one another and both bowed, the Steel Lancer then spoke to the blonde Chuunin.

"Not bad, a bit more practice is in order though."

"I guess."

As the two relaxed, they were approached by the other three Konoha ninja with Asuma speaking first.

"Not bad you two, that was some pretty good moves with those weapons of yours."

Naruto smiled and so did Meer as she bowed to Asuma and then looked at Shikamaru, making the Chuunin looked back at the woman as she grinned.

"What?"

"How good are you with a staff weapon Shikamaru?"

The son of Shikaku gave the Steel lancer a very curious look and shrugged his shoulders in reply. He had no prior training with the use of spear like weapons and certainly in the level that Meer and Naruto had between them . His only skill with weapons were with kunai, shuriken, light bombs and a few others but never a staff style weapon

"No I don't actually. It's sounds troublesome to me anyway."

"Really, I certainly doubt that, a bit of a spar is in order then, I want to see how good you are in combat without that technique of yours."

Asuma looked at Shikamaru as the Chuunin wondered just how he was going to answer that challenge given to him by the Steel Lancer and Naruto himself was actually keen to see this happen for the time being, with that in mind, he took out a staff from his special magically enchanted bag and handed it to Shikamaru and his fellow Chuunin spoke as he looked at Naruto as he took the staff from the bag itself.

"Just where were you hiding that Naruto?"

Naruto grinned and replied.

"Sorry, that's a secret, don't worry about a thing Shikamaru, just try it out and see how you do."

Asuma also agreed.

"You should try it out Shikamaru, this might come in handy if you ever find yourself in that kind of situation and the battle field is unpredictable indeed."

Seeing that he had few choices and truth be told, he was actually interested to see how he might stand up to the Steel Lancer in a straight up fight despite his specialization of Shadow Manipulation, Shikamaru agreed and took the weapon as he faced off with Meer who smiled warmly at this chance to see how she would fare with Shikamaru now that he was not going to use his Shadow Binding Jutsu on her.

As she spared with him, Naruto decided to ask Asuma and Iruka a few questions about the current standing of the other women from Dagern, he knew that Coryin, Kaelyn , Valeena, Vlana, Tellis, and Liara were doing all right, but the others who were here in Konoha were also people who deserved his attention at the moment.

"How are the others doing Iruka-sensei?"

Iruka thought about that and told him as much as he could recall, so far, Shandra had gotten used to being here as the female Zealot was learning the tricks of the trade here in Konoha, while she was not a full ninja she had considered being assigned a more unique position here in the village where her combat talents could be of a much better use in defending this new home.

Naruto then turned to look in a very sly way at Asuma. This got the Jonin's attention and he spoke to his student in the art of Wind Chakra usage.

"What is it Naruto?"

"How are you doing with courting Vlana Asuma-sensei?"

The Jonin gulped a bit and scratched his head on how he was going to answer that particular question without embarrassing himself. He had developed an affection for the silver haired and red eyed woman and it seemed that she was interested in him, however, he was not all that sure just yet and he decided not to act on it until he was sure to some extent on how he should proceed.

"Well…I haven't…"

Naruto then had an idea.

"You want me to help you in that regard Asuma-sensei?"

Asuma looked at the blonde Chuunin with some level of curiosity and decided to take a shot at finding out all he could about the woman from Naruto. The reason being that since Vlana trained Naruto in some of the use of the powers Naruto began to develop on his own. It was a long shot but what was the harm? However, as a trained and experienced ninja, Asuma had to be wary, he knew Naruto's reputation as a prankster and while he had not been pulling pranks as of late, the Jonin was wary of Naruto's intentions on this matter, not to mention the fact that despite his physical growth and changes, not to mention his maturity ever since gaining Holy Talon

"How exactly do you plan to help me Naruto?"

"Asuma-sensei, you doubt me?"

"It's not that I doubt you or anything, it's just that you don't exactly have the look of a relationship expert."

Naruto mock glared at Asuma and replied.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well…apart from that time with Koyuki-hime of Snow/Spring Country, and those days you have with Hinata and Sakura, I haven't seen you go out with other women, and the only time you are with Vlana or the others is in training."

Naruto was quick to get the idea on what exactly was Asuma saying, since he and his lovers managed to keep things fairly discreet for a number of months now, not everyone was aware of his escapades with a number of attractive females, even their Hokage though each relationship was very much loving in private in more ways than one too. This actually gave him an understanding on women in ways that most men would only dream of, though he knew that he would never boast that out in public.

He also knew Vlana well enough to know some important things in which Asuma could use to his advantage if he was indeed serious with approaching Vlana and getting her attention, and he knew for a fact that Vlana liked Asuma despite her slight dislike of him smoking a lot.

"Just give me a chance to prove to you that I can help you Asuma-sensei, I also swear that I will not pull a prank on you and Vlana if you two decide to get all serious about going out together."

Asuma nodded and decided to see for himself how Naruto could be able to help him as Iruka looked on, wondering just how Naruto was going to help Asuma in dealing with being close to Vlana, as much as he wanted to stick around to see and hear what Naruto would tell the Jonin, he had prior duties to take care of. With the still present lack of manpower, it was vital that all able bodied ninja were ready for combat. And while he was an Academy instructor, he was still a good member of the ninja force of Konoha and therefore was part of the main ninja forces.

"I have to get going, I'll see you guys later."

"Where are you off too Iruka-sensei?"

"Work, It's my turn to be on patrol with the others."

As Iruka left the scene, Naruto went to work on helping Asuma get some idea on how to be closer to Vlana just as Shikamaru and Meer were getting into the spirit of things as they continued to spar with one another in the area of Naruto's home.

Later, Naruto was busy running through some of his own paper work as he reported into the office where most of the Chuunin were bound to gather, at the moment, his fellow Chuunin were still giving him the look that made him slightly uneasy while others who were a lot more open about the whole thing were chatting with him and being friendly, and not the fake friendship, but genuine friendship. He sat there and was currently catching up on some reports and had been there for only an hour or so when one of the Chuunin called his attention.

"Hey Naruto!"

"Yeah?"

"You've got a visitor, looks like the Sand Kunoichi with the iron fan."

Naruto realized who it was quickly, only one female ninja would register in his mind when it involved the use of an iron fan and that was his best friend Gaara's eldest sister Temari. He was a bit surprised by this and filed away his reports and carried Holy Talon on his back after he had placed the sword down on a nearby weapon locker when he arrived at the office. As he made his way to where Temari was waiting for him, he wondered just what was Temari doing here in Konoha, as far as he knew, relations between Konoha and Suna were very much smoothed over and there were no hostilities at the moment. He then wondered if it had something to do with a certain movie.

And sure enough, the very second he entered the building he found himself dodging the fan of a slightly irate Temari, the strike looked weak to the untrained eye, but Naruto knew that despite not showing a beefy build like most would expect, Temari had more than enough physical strength and ability to wield that fan easily. As soon as he was clear he spoke to Temari.

"What was that for Temari-san?!"

"For doing what you did with that actress! I can't believe you allowed that to happen to you of all people!"

"How did you know about….uh?"

"The movie that you had a part in of course! Tongues wag anywhere and if there is one thing I know for a fact there will be those guys and ladies who watch movies of that nature. Besides, your Hokage sent a letter to me telling me about your situation in that movie."

"She did?"

"Oh yeah, believe me, I was not happy, but I knew WHY you had to be in the movie….I just was not expecting you to do THAT in a movie."

Naruto felt some relief at that and spoke to Temari in an effort to help her cool her temper in order to avoid causing a scene, it would be one hell of a mess if any of the Chuunin walked into the office and saw that happen.

"Temari-san, I tried to say no but you know that I was on a mission and Koyuki-hime was my team's client and she had authority over the mission at that stage."

Temari nodded and placed back her fan on her back and walked over to Naruto who was a bit wary on what exactly was Temari going to do at this moment and he got his answer as Temari grabbed him by the collar of his Chuunin flak vest and then pulled him to her and she kissed him on the lips. Naruto was not expecting that and it took him a while to react and kiss Temari back at that moment. Temari moaned a bit and then as she broke the kiss, she spoke to Naruto.

"Now that was not an act Naruto-kun, I hope you don't get dragged into another movie like that again."

Naruto couldn't help but blush a bit and scratch his head at the words said to him by Temari and it was then that Temari revealed just why she had come here. Ever since the battle with the Reapers and the results, the village Council of Suna decided to petition that new weapons would be ordered from Konoha, all made by Naruto himself. This came in under the recommendation of Gaara himself as well as Kankurou and Baki, she reached into her pouch on the back of her dress and took out the scroll.

"By the way I already showed this to Tsunade-sama and she wanted me to get your approval since you are the one responsible for the making of the weapons."

"Really? What is this about?"

"It's a trade agreement from the Council back in Suna, after that episode with the Reapers and what we learned, we all in Suna are not planning to take any unnecessary risks when in the battle field. That was why Gaara put forward the request that you make a number of weapons for the ninja forces of our village so we have a much better chance in defending ourselves, not to mention the armor you make will certainly be welcome."

As Naruto read the document he couldn't help but wonder if Tsunade and Jiraiya had read the document with the rest of the Konoha Council in with it, there was no doubt in his mind that not all would easily forget or forgive Suna for what happened months before so there was a chance that this trade request would be under heavy scrutiny by the members of the Council, namely Homura and Kohane, as well as Danzo. The three elders of Konoha were the ones that Tsunade showed to have something to a tense and cool relationship, though he could see that there was some considerable hostility between Tsunade and Danzo, something that made him wary of the man when he saw him a number of times, not to mention that Holy Talon warned him about Danzo. That coming from the living sword made Naruto all the more wary of him, despite Danzo being a high standing member of the political circle in Konoha.

"Did this get reviewed by everyone in the Konoha Council Temari-san?"

"Yeah, so what about it Naruto-kun, is this all right with you?"

Temari waited patiently for Naruto's answer, the fact that the next room was filled with Konoha ninja was the only reason she had not decided to do it with him right here in the room. She missed him deeply and hoped that she would get the chance to have some quality time with her lover from Konoha. But she doubted that for the moment, as she had a lot to take care of for the time being.

Naruto read the document over and nodded.

"Sure, It'll be a while but I can made some test weapons that you back in Suna can use. You can then send me a letter asking for more if you like."

Temari smiled at that and she took her leave, stating that she has a lot to do for the time being in order to check up with the current status of the alliance between Suna and Konoha. However she would be hoping for her to have some quality time with him. That was enough to make Naruto groan somewhat, but not that he was not looking forward to the whole thing, in truth he was looking forward to it all, but not at this moment as he had something to deal with.

He had an intention of getting Temari a good gift soon. But for now he had to get back to work and send a letter to Tsunade that he had accepted the trade agreement with Suna. As he got back to work with the rest of his fellow Chuunin, he decided to also give some important gifts to some of the women he had already been intimate with, however some of them were currently on a mission, Shizune was helping in the gaps with the patrols, Kurenai was currently out on a solo mission as well as Anko, Ino was with her team mates on other matters, Kin and the others were also out on their own mission and so was Tenten with her own group, they all were going to be out for a while, at least a week or a week and a half. However he knew that Hinata and Sakura were not on missions and those two women were certainly deserving of some gifts that were both beautiful and useful as well.

As he thought about it all, he decided to get to work on those said gifts as soon as he was done with his work here as a Chuunin.

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A week later…

"There….that should do it."

Sakura stated as she used her healing chakra once more to heal a wounded rabbit perfectly, Tsunade watched in approval at how Sakura was doing at the moment, her decision to take in Sakura as her apprentice proved to be the right one as her chakra control was very good, in fact, Tsunade was even considering giving Sakura the training to summon Katsuyu at some point when she passed the rest of her tests.

The Sannin could already see that Sakura was getting stronger and better at what she could do as a Medic Nin and it would be good to pass on her Slug Summoning Contract to Sakura, Jiraiya had already done so with having Naruto use the Toad Summoning Contract though Naruto had yet to use the Contract extensively.

With that in mind she looked at the results and smiled at Sakura.

"You did well Sakura, I think you need to take a break for the time being, we'll move to your combat training soon enough."

"Hai Tsunade-sama."

As she moved to the inner lobby, Sakura took a deep breath and knew that she was going to be in for a long work out as Tsunade had every intention for her to use all that she had learned in the use of her already growing chakra control to be able to increase her strength, the results of the training were seen already when she and the others were on missions.

As she got ready to get back to training, her father came into the room, carrying a report and Sakura smiled as she greeted her father. Ginji smiled at his daughter and hugged her to show how much he had missed her, due to her duties as Tsunade's new apprentice, the young Kunoichi had not been at home as often as he and his wife would like, but they couldn't fault her for that part after all. As soon as they were done hugging one another, Sakura spoke to her father.

"Dad, what brings you here?"

"I had a report to hand to the Council about the recent actions of the rest of the nations out there, nothing new, and it seems that we're not going to be visited by any threat any time soon. By the way, Naruto-kun dropped by the house earlier."

Sakura raised an eyebrow at that and wondered just what Naruto did in her home while she was away.

"Was he looking for me?"

"Yes, he wanted to surprise you with a present, apparently the last few weeks he's been working on some sort of surprise present for you and decided to leave it at our house. It's with your mother so you can ask her where she put it."

Sakura smiled at that and decided to finish up her training with Tsunade so she could see just what was it that Naruto had sent her. She was aware of the fact that Naruto was currently on patrol at the moment so there was no doubt in her mind that it was something nice. As she continued her training a few minutes later, she did her best to do what Tsunade was asking of her and as soon as she was done with what she needed to do for the day, she headed back to her home.

She arrived and greeted her mother with a smile and it was then that her mother told Sakura that Naruto's gift was in her room and it was very nice to look at, prompting the pink haired Kunoichi to smile a bit more as she made it into her room

Sakura smiled at the gift that Naruto had given her and she examined the specially made leather bag as well as the small shirt made from Orchaelium as the blonde Chuunin smiled at her. The apprentice of Tsunade examined the items carefully, to the untrained eye the items looked ordinary but they were not ordinary in the very least. She had seen enough of Naruto's items to know that what she was seeing was not going to be something that was ordinary in any fashion.

The material resembled the Orchaelium metal that she had seen Naruto work on more than once , but Naruto had been able to make the metal very malleable so it seemed to be more like simple cloth than metal, however, Sakura knew that this armor could be a life saver when in a situation that was dire, after all, Naruto had worn this kind of armor and it saved his life more than once in the many battles he would be finding himself in and had found himself in already. To think that Naruto would give her something like this was touching.

The bag also was no doubt made to allow her to store more items like a storage scroll but in a much different manner than the scrolls, besides that, this would certainly help her in the near future so she decided to put it to good use when she and the others were going to go on yet another mission, that and she could finally put her medical jutsu training to use and help her comrades as well as use her strength to even up the odds in a fight when they needed her to put her chakra enhanced Taijutsu to use.

However she had a feeling that she was not the only person who was given a gift by the blonde Chuunin, and she didn't mind that to say the least, she hoped that who that person was she would enjoy the gift that Naruto would give her.

She then wondered just how she would be able to reward Naruto for making this gift to her that could be used in many things such as being on missions. She however had no doubts in her mind that she would be able to find a way.

--------

In the Hyuuga Clan Estate…

Hinata blushed as she looked at the gift Naruto made for her as she looked at the short arm bracer, it was made with great care, that much she could see from the construction. The metal was gold in color and also seemed to have a soft but undeniably light weight. The bracer also had several beautiful gemstones that acted as the outer ring to a beautiful white stone. She could feel that there was a great deal of power in the stones, while she had no idea as to why she would think that, she couldn't deny that when she looked at the bracer with the Byakugan she could see power there.

There was a note there and she managed to read the hand writing to know that it was Naruto's work and read the note.

'Dear Hinata-chan…

I hope that this gift will be good enough for you, the bracer is a special item I spent a week to make and it is armed with several special enchantments that can shield you from harm, it can cast a special barrier that will defend you from long range attacks and also help increase your own chakra supply so you can use your Clan's special skills as well as your own, it also helps you in resisting poisons and paralyzing illusions.

I hope that you will like this gift…

Naruto Uzumaki'

Hinata smiled and placed the note close to her heart and then placed the bracer on her right arm, a perfect fit in her mind and she decided to test it out as she began her usual training, it was nice to be training again for the time being and while she wished that Naruto was around so she could teach him more of the Hyuuga Clan's techniques, she knew that he had a lot of work to take care of.

As she continued with her training, she wondered just how she was going to reward her Naruto-kun for the gift that he had made for her.

--------

However….it was not going to be long before evil was about to rear it's ugly head…

The Chuunin guards who were currently watching the gate to Konoha were about to go and get themselves a good meal for lunch as the next rotation was soon to come, however their attention was quickly taken away from lunch as they spotted a figure approaching the gate, the two Chuunin moved into identify the person who was heading into the village. But they were stopped cold as they saw the man.

He was average looking and could have passed for a regular townsperson, just like the villagers in Konoha itself and would not have garnered much attention in normal circumstances. But this was far from normal circumstances as they looked at the man, he looked like he had been attacked by a massive wild animal or a pack of wild animals.

The clothes he had was covered in blood and there were tears and smudges of dirt and dust, the man himself looked like a ragged mess, he looked as if he had been running for days, had not eaten a thing, and was driven close to madness. He looked insane with fear and terror and they had no idea what to do for a moment or two, the man eventually fell to the group before the Chuunin and they quickly moved to him to check him up.

However the very second the men touched the person who had just collapsed, he woke up and began to struggle with surprising strength, startling the Chuunin with the burst of energy and raw fear as the man looked at them and began to speak in a very incoherent but utterly loud tone, the man's voice sounded that it was about to break in his madness and terror.

"Fangs….giant beasts….death….blood! Bloody Claws!!! All dead!!!!! Giant beasts walking like…..men, they walk like men, but are. They killed them, slaughtered…..consumed…..AAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!"

The Chuunin quickly realized that something was horribly wrong here as one of them did his best to hold the man down and prevent him from escaping and hurting himself even more while his companion went to speak to the Hokage as well as get support from the ANBU.

--------

In the Hokage Tower…

Tsunade read the report on the villager's condition and she had to admit that the man was very lucky to be still alive, he had traveled for what seemed like weeks, with little rest or food, he had not died of dehydration at least but it would be a lot longer before she and the other ANBU could get a solid answer out of him.

The man had been brought in half delirious and out of his mind, it was as if he had seen a dark horror that had nearly overtaken him and that was evident as well in the state of his clothes, it was as if he had been chased about for a while now and it seemed that he was not going to be of much help, however the blonde Hokage decided to get Naruto here to figure out just what the devil was going on here.

The blonde Chuunin was currently on patrol but Tsunade wasted no time to get the Chuunin and Dragon Champion back to the village, she had no idea why but she had a feeling that maybe Naruto could be able to decipher the clues as to what this man was doing here and why it seemed that something had terrified him so much.

--------

In the Interrogation Area…

Naruto had no idea why he was recalled back to the village while doing some routine patrolling but the very second he was told of the survivor, he went to work and was joined by Ibiki as the Special Jonin needed to file a report as soon as Naruto could make sense of what the man was saying to him.

Naruto turned to Ibiki and spoke.

"Ibiki-san, just what do you know of this man?"

"His name is Daishi from a village near the borders of Bird Country, not really a strategic village in the scheme of things, just a regular farming community and usually trades in food stuffs, recently however the village seemed to be under siege, no idea what it was but from what we could gather from the ramblings this guy spouted….something attacked their village and did so in near demonic savagery."

"Did he say what that something was?"

The Jonin shook his head.

"He wasn't really clear on the whole thing, all we could piece together is that the creature was huge, it attacked at night, killed and consumed all livestock it could catch, and dragged people away….the weird thing is, from what we could gather, whatever this creature was, it was alone the first night it came to Daishi's village, but after a few nights….it was joined by others like it. There was only last thing though…it could run on both two legs and with all four limbs."

Naruto did not like that description and spoke mentally to Holy Talon as the sword was strapped to his back at the moment.

(Does that sound familiar to you Holy Talon?)

(("It does, but we need to get more details, from the sound of things, the man Daishi has suffered great trauma and no doubt will be very much mad with terror, we will need to calm him down as best we can."))

Naruto nodded and turned to Ibiki.

"Ibiki-san, did Daishi have injuries?"

" Daishi had a fairly good number of injuries, but not too life threatening, however he suffered from exhaustion and dehydration, it's a minor miracle he even made it this far on foot the way he was when the Chuunin saw him. He's in the cell we're reaching, be careful Naruto-san, he's delirious and might attack you."

Naruto nodded as he and Ibiki reached the cell and sure enough, there was Daishi, he looked like a regular farm worker, if one ignored the fact that he looked like he had not slept in days and was like he had been in hell, his eyes looked vacant but there was no doubt that. It was enough for Naruto to draw Holy Talon from his back and then create the same energy that he had used on the bandit leader who had been attacked by the Wraith Knight.

Ibiki's warning was true enough as the man who seemed to be mad suddenly turned to Naruto and cried out in fear as well as terror and attacked Naruto. The ANBU there as well as Ibiki were ready to restrain the man before he would attack Naruto but the blonde Chuunin was able to counter and evade the man's clumsy but fear driven attacks and tapped him with Holy Talon. The sword quickly unleashed silver green flame and stunned the man and this allowed Naruto to examine him carefully, as he did so, he began to heal the man's mental trauma and as soon as he was finished, the man opened his eyes, the madness and fear in his eyes gone and he spoke clearly.

"Where….?"

"Are you Daishi?"

The man nodded and that allowed Naruto to begin gathering details from the man while Ibiki and the ANBU listened. What they all heard was something that seemed totally outrageous to say the very least, as the man they had found told them that only a few weeks ago, their village came under siege by some unknown creature, it killed their cattle, sheep, all of the livestock that they had with demonic savagery, in all his years seeing animal attacks on livestock which was a great nuisance for most farmers, Daishi told them that he and his fellow farmers had never seen anything like in their lives…

"The animals were brutally torn apart….it was horrible, the bite and claw marks were made by one creature….but to do the damage it did to a fully mature steer and then to a cow was something I have never seen before. We tried to find it, but we couldn't."

"What did you do?"

We….we tried to set traps, but it was too smart, it evaded them and killed the bait….like it was almost human…..but no human would kill animals that way, ripping them apart as they screamed, dragging away all it could get, leaving nothing but blood and gore.... It then turned on us….."

"Turned on you?"

Daishi then explained that after nearly wiping out all the livestock in the village, the creature turned it's attention on the people itself and began to hunt them, firs it took out one of the farmers and then the next night the creature came back, claiming another, they tried to defend themselves, but the creature was too cunning, it evaded them and took down more of their kin. They were under siege ever since, there was no telling if the creature would attack them at any time so none of them would leave the village, not even to tend to their crops in fear of the creature coming back. At night they heard bestial howls that chilled their blood and then they finally were able to see the creature that terrorized them for days to at least a week.

"It was like….a human….but taller, it had wolf like features with fangs and claws, it stood before us covered in fur and growled like a real wolf….but it was filled with malice and hunger, coupled with….human intellect. It had dark fur on it's body and deep red eyes, horrible, terrible eyes. It laughed at us….I think it did, and then….and then it was joined by others, but they….they had clothes of….the ones that were lost."

The story went on until Daishi told Naruto and Ibiki that he and several others made desperate gamble to escape and find help….but the creatures pursued them relentlessly and hunted them down, he and his companions were being picked apart one by one by the creatures. He could hear the screams and the cries for help as they ran.

"We….we were being….taken out like cattle….they howled out to us….hunting us, taunting us….they killed us one by one….I saw it….as it tore apart my friends….oh kami, it continued to….hunt us, and after days it came after me….I ran…..I ran….I ran so hard. I can hear it in my dreams, it's eyes, it's howls….please…..make it stop….make it stop."

Naruto was moved to great pity for the man and used Holy talon to put the man to sleep, the sword already knew the creature that attacked Daishi's town.

(("It's a werewolf, and not just any werewolf, an Alpha Werewolf….this is bad."))

(Werewolf?)

(("It's breed of creature that were once human, but infected with a curse that turns them into beasts of destruction. There are spells that allow people to turn into werewolves and Druids can use that power, but so can Chorvax and his ilk, and the same for Death Fang. During the wars of the past, the werewolves that served Lord Faldren and the Light sought to defend the wilds from invaders who sought to despoil sacred sites of power, while Chorvax' own werewolf followers slaughtered and desecrated all in their path. Death Fang commands a number of werewolf spirits that serve it and use these spirits to cause untold chaos and suffering to those who cannot fight back."))

(How did it have more like itself to siege Daishi's village?)

(("Through the venom in it's bite, a werewolf, namely Alpha ones that serves Chorvax can infect anyone with the venom and if not cured in hours or a near day after being bitten, the ones bitten become what is known as Secondary Werewolves, the ones who are cursed with the power can remain human as they retain their ability to think and be creative like when they were human, but Secondary Werewolves are nothing but mindless beasts of destruction as well as being controlled servants of the Alpha Werewolf. The only weapons apart from me which can kill them are weapons made from Arcane Silver as you already know as well as a handful off spells and special herbal concoctions. I have no doubt our Druid allies can create the cure for the venom. But we have to hurry Master Naruto, if this creature succeeds in creating a village worth of Secondary Werewolf followers it can ravage the land kill countless others."))

Naruto knew that to be true, his encounter with the Reapers was more than enough proof of that fact. If this Werewolf and it's pack were left unchecked then it would be catastrophic to all living things in the land. He turned to Ibiki and spoke to the Jonin about what Holy Talon had told him. The Jonin nodded seeing how serious this was due to the expression on Naruto's face and ordered the ANBU to keep Daishi under custody but not as a prisoner of war but as a guest and survivor.

Naruto knew that what he was going to tell Tsunade was not going to suit well with her.

--------

In the Hokage Tower…

Tsunade and Jiraiya as well as Shizune listened to Naruto's report on what he had been able to gleam from Daishi and they didn't like what they were hearing. They were not alone as Danzo, Kohane and Homura listened in as the blonde Chuunin spoke at length. The three were curious about this event and why was it that Tsunade was interested in the affairs of a village well outside the Land of Fire.

As soon as he was done, Tsunade looked at Naruto and spoke to him.

"What do you plan to do Naruto-kun?"

"Go after this werewolf pack and kill them all before they spread out."

Homura then spoke seriously to Naruto.

"Why you Naruto? This is not a matter for Konoha to take at this moment so why do you wish to involve yourself in this maater?"

Naruto replied.

"Death Fang unleashed that creature for a reason Homura-san, it would never be summoned unless it was to test me as a Dragon Champion and to cause suffering in the world, and if we leave it unopposed and destroyed….it could very well create an army and cause untold loss of life in the land. "

"Besides, we're the only ninja village with the materials powerful enough to kill them permanently, no other regular weapon made of steel can harm them and they no doubt would be hard to stop even with high ranking jutsu. Plus we are the only village that known how to cure the venom they have. If they are left unchecked….then they will become an unstoppable horde in only a matter months."

Tsunade weighed the options and decided to go ahead with the mission, with that in mind she asked Shizune to dispatch ninja to find Naruto's team as well as another team that could be sent out quickly to deal with the situation. It was not long before Kakashi, Sakura, and Sasuke arrived and the other team arrived as well, and it turned out to be Asuma's team with Chouji, Shikamaru, and Ino.

As soon as the Jonin and their teams were in, the blonde Hokage filled them in on the situation that was brewing at the moment and her plan to send them as well as Naruto to try and stop these creatures, Kakashi raised an eyebrow as this was indeed the first time he had ever heard of werewolves as enemies, Sakura was surprised while Sasuke was intrigued as he wanted to see if these creatures were as powerful as Naruto said them to be. Asuma looked serious while Shikamaru and Ino didn't like what they heard at the moment and Chouji was also curious.

As soon as Tsunade was done she decided to have Naruto placed as second in command of the teams, while Shikamaru was very intelligent, and no doubt smarter than Naruto himself at some areas, he had no experience with werewolves, but Naruto did and he was better suited for the mission ahead of them all at this point.

Tsunade then asked them to be ready for the worst and Naruto nodded as he knew that before they could go on with the mission, they would need to gather all the needed gear and supplies that could spell the difference between success and failure, he, Shikamaru and their two Jonin sensei decided to check the maps of Bird Country and located the village where Daishi had come from, they looked the maps over and Holy Talon advised Naruto of how werewolves acted in their hunts. While the Alpha Werewolf could morph into human form to blend into human society, there were ways to detect them, and also the best way to keep the village from being overrun was to place special wards made from Arcane Silver. The wards would need to be enchanted to create a near invisible aura of energy that was very much painful to werewolves and they couldn't abide with the presence of the wards themselves.

As soon as they got the maps and looked at the routes, Kakashi mentioned that the best chance they had to avoid werewolves was to go by air, something that Naruto was agreeing with. It would be too risky for them to go to the village on foot if the werewolves were on the prowl, even more so at night.

With their route selected, Naruto borrowed a few more maps to make some back up plans just in case things got dicey, his experiences with Death Fang had taught him to be ready with a backup plan and since he was second in command of the mission due to his understanding of werewolves thanks to advice from Holy Talon, he was going to be the one the rest would have to rely on.

--------

In Naruto's home…

Naruto opened the lock of his armory and decided to seek out the needed items that they were going to need for this mission as well as wait for Tellis, and Liara since they were the ones who could provide them with the serum to counter the venom of a werewolf bite. He made sure to get the others lightweight Orchaelium armor as well as several Arcane Silver weapons. He also got a pair of Arcane Silver katanas for himself to use to support his attacks.

He handed a pair of specially made knives to Asuma that were similar to Asuma's own trench knives and then gave a straight sword to Kakashi that was similar to the ones used by the ANBU, he also gave Sakura a short sword while giving the same sword type he gave to Kakashi to Sasuke. He then handed a short spear to Ino to help her in fighting off the werewolves if they came too close to her and he handed a pair of clawed gloves to Chouji to take advantage of the Akamichi Clan heir's strength and the Clan's Body Manipulation ability.

He then asked them to wear the armor underneath their normal clothes to protect them and they moved into the blonde Chuunin' home to do just that. However, Sasuke had other plans as well.

As soon as they were armed, the Druids arrived and as soon as they were told by Naruto about the threat of the werewolves, they worked on creating the serum. The teams waited for another day and the Druids were able to complete the serum that was needed should they ever be bitten by the werewolves. Naruto didn't need the serum as Naruto had Holy Talon which could counter the werewolf venom that would be placed into him. However, he did take some extra potions to be on the safe side.

Naruto also took some of the remaining chunks of Arcane Silver in his forge and worked on making the wards that would help protect the village from attack as well as add some measure of personal protection for the others. As soon as the wards were made, he began to use his Dragon Fire to enchant them with help from Tellis, Liara, and of course Holy Talon. The wards were not large things, merely amulets of Arcane Silver shaped like wolf heads which could be placed on buildings and fence posts and had a good full field effect, perfect in keeping the village safe.

As soon as the serums were done, Naruto quickly spoke to the teams about the werewolves.

"Those weapons I gave you are made from Arcane Silver and specially enchanted so they can be twice as effective, there are no other weapons that can harm them except those, try not to use any low level jutsu since their hides can take damage very well, some attacks such as the Chidori or the Raikiri can work however as well as powerful attack Jutsu. But avoid the Alpha Werewolf."

"Alpha Werewolf?"

"It's the leader of the whole pack, it's got higher resistance to injury and can withstand more damage from Arcane Silver weapons than the Secondary Werewolves it mentally commands. Secondary Werewolves are powerful but lack any form of human instincts and are basically mindless attackers, but they will heed the command of the Alpha Werewolf since it is their creator."

Asuma nodded as he began to understand the concept, since the Alpha Werewolf made them then the others would see it as their leader, no doubt in the same fashion normal wolves followed their leader.

"So we kill it to stop it, what happens to the surviving werewolves? Do they turn back to being human?"

"I don't think so, this has been happening a week and the villagers don't have the cure to free the others taken by the Alpha Werewolf to make it's pack. Once the leader of their pack is dead, they will be driven mad by the loss of their leader, we have to…deal with them, down to the last one."

That was serious news to them all, this was not the first time Kakashi and Asuma's team had to deal with dealing with the idea of taking the lives but they realized that unlike the ones they dealt with when they protected Koyuki, the people were now raving beasts and had to be dealt with as quickly as possible before even more people who were innocent were transformed into monsters.

With that done, Naruto summoned a pair of Sky Dragons into the grounds, namely his now trusted Sky Dragon mount Kael and another Sky Dragon named Rylen. The two Dragons took both teams on their backs and then took off into the sky, it still amazed Naruto that he was flying in the sky and the same could be said for the others though Chouji was not quite happy with the feeling of looking down to see the lands below and kept his eyes closed most of the time.

The two Sky Dragons flew like lightning bolts but the way they flew was amazing as the ninjas were feeling the rush of air about them. Kael was quick to understand the situation and explained that their choice of taking the sky route was better and they would have to be careful as like wolves, the Werewolves were gifted with excellent senses for hunting their prey so they would have to be very careful if they decide to face the creatures. It would take at least a full day to reach the country and as soon as night fell on them, the others rested as best they could while Naruto stayed awake until dawn.

As they flew towards Bird Country the next day, it was not long for Naruto to spot the village that they were supposed to go to and as Kael flew down along with Rylen, the blonde Chuunin of Konoha and Dragon Champion could already get the feeling that things were going to get very ugly very quick as soon as they reached the village. The groups landed in a clearing, and then they got off Kael and Rylen and as the Sky Dragons were returned to Holy Talon, the group of ninja quickly rushed to village, they knew that time was of the essence, though they wondered just what sort of greeting they were going to get in the village.

--------

In Daishi's village…

"We're sorry….ever since those demonic beast men have surrounded us, we've been on edge ever since….."

Kakashi nodded at that and spoke back to the village head, or rather, the new village head since the last one had been one of the victims of the Alpha Werewolf. As soon as the group had arrived near the village they were quickly greeted by a hail of arrows and had to defend themselves quickly as several villagers came out of the village armed to the teeth and looked near mad with rage and desperation. It was only when the villagers saw that they were human that their attacks stopped. They were escorted in and they could see that the werewolf attacks have taken their toll on the villagers. They looked to be unable to sleep for fear of being drabbed away by the werewolves, they also looked to be hungry and that was possible due to the werewolves attacking them when they tried to gather food in the area.

The Konoha ninja looked at this and they could see the results of the attacks of the werewolves as they had seen the brutalized corpses of the village's animals and also the signs of the night attacks made by the werewolves. This village needed help badly at this point as the people were in deep despair at what was happening to them and all of the ninja from Konoha could see that very well.

"It's all right, we came here because we were told by a survivor named Daishi about the situation here…"

The village head gasped and he spoke seriously.

"Daishi?! He made it after all!!!"

"Yes, we found him nearly half dead but he's currently resting in Konoha. As soon as we figured out what was going on, we were dispatched here by the Hokage to help you out."

"But why? Not that I'm saying your help is not needed, but shouldn't the Feudal Lord send reinforcements to us?"

Kakashi replied to that question by pointing to Naruto.

"Naruto here knows what kind of creatures you are dealing with and insisted that we come here quickly before you are overwhelmed, he also knows what can kill them and how to keep the creatures from attacking your village."

"What?!"

It took a while for Naruto to explain the details though he didn't mention that the Werewolves were unleashed by Death Fang to test him in particular as this would have really made the mission even harder than it already was. The man was angry that Naruto only brought enough weapons for the ninja teams but he relaxed a bit as Naruto explained that he had special wards which could shield the village from attacks.

It took a while to set up the wards but Naruto had no doubt that they would work, and for the time being he could sense the magic in the air as the wards began to do their work, it seemed that due to his growing and also maturing Dragon Fire reserves, he was able to develop a level of sensing Dragon Fire when it is used in spells. However it only serves as a slight tingle on his hand. However Holy Talon explains that as he grows stronger as a Dragon Champion he would be able to sense when a spell using Dragon Fire is used though it would not tell him what kind it was.

------

In the land outside of the village…

As they gathered the villagers to stay in their village for the coming night, the ninja decided to head out and see if they could find the creatures that they were here to destroy down to the last one. Naruto knew that like wolves, the werewolves would be finding a lair to rest and recuperate during the day, and then would move at night to begin their raid and siege on the village once more since they preferred to be more active in night time, thus making them very deadly.

It wasn't long before Naruto and the others saw signs of the werewolves, there were bones of animals there, dried up pools of animal blood as well as fresh ones, along with the bones and rotting bodies of the animals slain by the werewolves. And of course…there were even human bones. Naruto kept his cool and so did Asuma and Kakashi, but the blonde Chuunin and Dragon Champion could tell that the others were affected by this sight, they had never dealt with this kind of monster before and in truth neither did he, but he knew that he needed to focus on the threat before them.

They soon arrived near a cliff face after leaving the clearing they had been through, and this cliff face had a number of large trees there as well. It was then however that Naruto smelled something in the air and he felt something wrong, he looked about and the same was said for the others, namely the Jonin. Holy Talon was then the one who revealed to Naruto just what was it that got his senses and that of the others on high alert.

(("They know you're here….werewolves have excellent senses, but they can feel Dragon Fire even more….get ready."))

(Got it…)

No sooner had Naruto taken Holy Talon out that a chorus of blood curdling howls were heard by the group and then they saw the werewolves appear from the cliff face tunnel. The werewolves howled out even more, their amber eyes glowing as they stared at the group. The Secondary werewolves were brown furred and had bloody fur, no doubt a result from their feasting earlier. The growled savagely after their howls and licked their lips and teeth at the sight of the victims before them.

Suddenly a much darker howl was heard by the others and there on the top was a massive werewolf with black fur and blood red eyes. The creature glared deeply at Naruto and quickly ran down the cliff and landed on the ground and roared at Naruto while baring it's fangs at him as well as the claws it had.

"That's…."

Naruto nodded and replied.

"The Alpha Werewolf…"

They barely had time to absorb this as the Alpha Werewolf pointed a claw at the group and that was the order as the other werewolves roared and attacked the Konoha ninja.

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The Konoha ninja fought back with Shikamaru and Chouji getting ready as well as Asuma and Ino while Kakashi got ready as well as Sasuke and Sakura, the fight was going to be a tough one for all of them as this was going to be something that none of them had ever done before in their lives. Naruto led the attack and struck down the first werewolf as it tried to stab the blonde Chuunin with it's claws in the stomach. Naruto evaded the attack quickly and slashed off the werewolf's arm and it howled in pain and rage, but Naruto quickly leaped away from the attack of the werewolf's other arm and then slash the creature from the head to the groin, cutting the creature in half and then he focused on the others heading their way.

There seemed to be at least three dozen of the creatures and now as they charged at Naruto and the others, things were going to get really bloody. The Alpha werewolf however looked on and seemed to be merely observing the whole thing, no doubt to determine just how skilled the fighters were before it and it's pack.

"MEAT TANK!!!"

Chouji's attack was done quickly enough and caught some of the werewolves off guard and he struck them down and as soon as he was back to his normal form, the Akamichi clan member lashed out with a powerful fist and smashed that fist with the Arcane Silver blade hard into a werewolf and killed it quickly, Shikamaru quickly managed to restrain some of the werewolves to keep them from attacking the others, but it took a lot longer for him to restrain the creatures as they were a lot stronger than normal humans.

Ino tried to use her Clan's jutsu, but she broke away in pain at the move as she found out that the mind of a werewolf was not the best place to be. This incapacitated her badly and weakened her, she nearly wound up as the target of another werewolf's claws but Kakashi managed to arrive and slay the creature, another came at Ino but it was then that Naruto come in and cut the creature's head off with a powerful slash with Holy Talon.

Asuma engaged the creatures and kept in mind to be careful in evading their deadly attacks as the werewolves were not about using their teeth to inflict deadly damage to the ninja themselves in the heat of battle. The Jonin used his deadly skills plus his chakra to wound and stun the werewolves and then kill them quickly in order to protect the rest of his team. Kakashi did the same as Sasuke managed to kill another one of the werewolves.

The groups continued to fight one another as the Alpha Werewolf looked on, still unconcerned for the battle before it but most of the attention was not on the others but on Naruto, after all, the creature wanted to see just what sort of abilities the blonde Chuunin and Dragon Champion for him to be considered a worthy threat to it's master Death Fang. Naruto used his combat experience and his training as he slew yet another of the werewolves that came at him and it was then that the Alpha werewolf called yet another dozen of it's kin to launch the attack and since it was unexpected that there were a dozen more of the werewolves coming for them, the Konoha ninjas were going to have to go full force to avoid being overwhelmed.

Naruto quickly used the same move he used before on Orochimaru and Neji and sent Holy talon flying into the next pack of werewolves, killing three while the others evaded, he then took out both his Arcane Silver katanas and engaged them quickly wounding three of them and placing powerful cuts on their bodies and then placing away the swords as the three were cut down by Holy Talon returning to him and he quickly turned to slice off the arm of another werewolf trying to blindside him.

Ino finally recovered and managed to defend herself with her spear while being aided by Shikamaru and Chouji while Kakashi and Asuma were fighting on with their own foes and so was Sasuke who was doing well enough as he took out a pair more of the werewolves. Naruto knew that they had to take out the Alpha Werewolf, but he was not going to risk getting caught in an ambush as the Alpha werewolf was no fool and there was a chance there would be more of the creatures waiting for the chance to attack.

Sakura and the others fought as best they could but the werewolves were not the kind to give up without a fight or trying up new tricks and one of them revealed it as she finished defeating another werewolf, the pink haired Kunoichi thought she was all right but then got slammed to the ground as one werewolf managed to pin her down and began to roar and snap at her with it's teeth bared.

Sakura cried out as she managed to keep the massive werewolf off of her as it tried to pin her down bite her, she could smell the breath of the once human being who was now nothing more than a ravenous animal, it was eager to tear into her and it took al her strength at the moment to keep the monster from killing her as he continued to drive itself over her form, his' saliva dropping on her and she finally managed to free her arm and shouted out.

"GET OFF ME!!!!"

She smashed her fist into the face of the werewolf, the creature roared in pain and surprise as Sakura's strength shattered the right side of it's mouth and broke it's teeth forcing it to move away from her, allowing her to take out the short sword that Naruto gave her and stabbed the creature in the chest. It cried out and tried to strike at Sakura but it's life blood flowed out like a river and it died.

Sakura tried her best to focus and knew that now was not the time for her to black out with all this happening before her. She faced another werewolf and used her skills as well as her training to evade the attacks and quickly jammed her Arcane Silver short sword into the leg, making the creature howl as she launched a powerful kick to the stomach that sent the creature back with great force, allowing her to get her sword back and stab it into the creature's throat, she closed her eyes as blood flowed from the wound and she got away, and just in time to evade another werewolf attack at her.

However, Kakashi arrived before the creature could attack Sakura again and introduced his Arcane Silver katana into the side of the creature and it howled in great pain at the attack from the Jonin, it managed to swat Kakashi away, but it turned out to be a Kage Bushin and the real Kakashi came into the fight with his patented jutsu.

"RAIKIRI!!!"

The attack tore into the chest of the werewolf and killed it as Kakashi got his sword out of the carcass of the slain creature. The Jonin checked on Sakura and she was all right as the two of them got back to the battle that they were fighting in. Asuma had managed to hold his own while Shikamaru was using his clan's Shadow manipulation Jutsu to hold the wolves in place for his Jonin Sensei and Chouji to finish them off quickly, the Jonin sensei of Shikamaru had to admit that the creatures that they were currently fighting were no pushovers and he had to use lethal force to put an end to them all before things got really bad for them all.

Naruto had already slain at least five of the creatures and they were now able to thin the ranks of the werewolves, but seeing the numbers before them, the werewolf pack was going to do everything to kill them all even if they killed all of the werewolves. The blonde Chuunin looked at the others and then decided to use magic. He summoned his reserve of Dragon Fire and cast the spell quickly.

"FIRESTORM!!!!"

The waves of flame that came out caught the werewolves off guard and several of them were covered in flame, roaring in pain and anger and the smell of burnt fur was quickly joined by roasting skin and flesh, a very deadly and disgusting smell, but the ninjas had no time to relax as while that had given them some breathing room, there was no chance that the werwwolves were done just yet as the survivors gathered and attacked once more, even as Naruto summoned yet another spell and shouted it out as he slashed Holy Talon at them.

"ARROW STORM!!!"

Bolts of Dragon fire that turned into burning arrows stabbed into the werewolves, killing the more injured ones while causing pain in the others, still the werewolves attacked and the Konoha Ninja continued to fight with all that they had at the moment.

Sasuke was doing well enough on his own as he managed to kill at least three of the werewolves while the others including Naruto, but then he suddenly directed his attention to the Alpha Werewolf and he decided to see just how tough this creature really was. He had not placed on his Orchaelium Armor that Naruto had handed him back in Konoha to prove that he didn't need any armor. He managed to evade the attacks of two other werewolves that were before it and as soon as he got some room, he focused his attention on the Alpha Werewolf.

The creature turned to Sasuke and Sasuke wanted that as he began to gather his chakra to unleash the Chidori. As soon as he got the full form of the energy in his hand, he focused his Sharingan on the Alpha werewolf and tossed away his weapon.

(I don't need that sword, my Chidori is more than enough.)

The Alpha Werewolf growled at Sasuke and was eager to see if the human before it actually had the guts to fight it with that technique, it could tell that this was no spell that it was familiar with and wondered if that could come close to injuring it in battle. Of course the Alpha Werewolf had every intention to kill the man before it.

Naruto looked at the Alpha Werewolf to see if the creature would focus on them as soon as they were able to kill a number of it's pack mates and servants, the very second he saw the Uchiha survivor facing the Alpha Werewolf he naturally was utterly shocked at Sasuke's action with the Chidori and shouted to Sasuke not to do it. The other werewolves seemed to stop and turn to face the sight of their pack leader being attacked, some growled and then all of them moved away from the others.

"SASUKE!!! DON'T DO IT!!!!"

He knew for a fact that even though the Chidori was powerful in combat and would make short work of normal foes, the alpha werewolf was NOT something to mess around with and had exceptional resistance to certain attacks, and this one was of them. His warning was proven true as the Alpha Werewolf took the blow but was not reeling in pain or even bleeding, it then growled at Sasuke and then lashed out with a back hand and knocked Sasuke away from itself and as Sasuke tried to recover in time, his luck ran out as the werewolf loomed over him and howled a battle challenge and attacked Sasuke.

Sasuke tried his best to recover and evade as the Alpha werewolf but before he could try to use the Cursed Seal, the Alpha Werewolf made it' s own move and opened it's maw filled with razor sharp jagged teeth, all dripping a large amount of venom.

"SASUKE!!!!"

The shout mixed with the screams of the Uchiha as he was bitten right at the other shoulder by the unharmed alpha werewolf and being thrashed about right off the ground by the ravenous and deadly lycanthrope. The alpha werewolf then released the bleeding Sasuke who rolled away while clutching the now bleeding area of his right shoulder and before her could move, the alpha werewolf attacked with a savage punch that sent the young man flying into a tree.

The other Konoha ninja were shocked to see how easily this monstrous beast had manhandled Sasuke but they had no time to reach Sasuke as the lower level werewolves attacked them, unlike Sasuke who had not worn the protective armor that Naruto had given them and used the weapons as well, they were doing a better job than most. The werewolf then slashed at the young man and Sasuke barely got away before the tree behind him was reduced to splinters in a moment and then he got stabbed in the body by the claws of the werewolf being further injured.

It was only Naruto's arrival on the scene with Holy Talon at the ready that forced the alpha werewolf to back away from the Uchiha. The creature then growled a battle challenge to Naruto that spoke volumes of it's intent to fight and kill the blonde Chuunin and Dragon Champion. The blonde Chuunin was more than willing to cross blade with claw on the being, but he knew that fighting this creature was going to be something of a challenge.

The pair fought one another as the Alpha Werewolf lashed out with it's claws, hell bent on slashing Naruto to ribbons, but the armor that Naruto had on was more than able to hold off the attack, he knew that the Alpha Werewolf was a lot smarter and more deadly than the other werewolves so he was not going to ignore the danger this one presented.

The werewolf attacked Naruto with a series of claw strikes aiming to cut Naruto's head clean off his shoulders, but Naruto was able to dodge and evade well enough to keep a good step ahead of the Alpha Werewolf as they attacked one another, Naruto attacked as well after evading the last of the claw strikes, he leaped up in the air and attacked with Holy Talon in one hand and pulled out one of his Arcane Silver katana swords in the other.

The attacks from both swords forced the Alpha werewolf away and Naruto took the advantage by tossing one of the Arcane Silver swords at the Alpha werewolf, the sword stabbed it in the arm and it was able to wound the creature and Naruto attacked with a powerful kick to the chest and then he moved away as the Alpha Werewolf lashed out at him with it's claws.

The Werewolf took out the sword, growling deeply at the feel of it's flesh being touched by the Arcane Silver and tossed the sword at Naruto, Naruto managed to stop the sword with a blast of Dragon fire summoned wind, the sword stopped in flight and landed before the Dragon Champion. Naruto evaded some more of the attacks from the Alpha Werewolf and he managed to wound the creature in the side and the Alpha Werewolf roared in pain. Naruto got ready to attack once more as he had no doubt that the Alpha Werewolf would attack once more if given the chance.

However the Alpha Werewolf suddenly stopped and howled out a series of cries at it's pack and they all left the area, leaving the group of Konoha ninja behind as well as the ones of their pack that the Konoha ninja were able to kill. The Alpha Werewolf looked at them and growled, no doubt sending the message that while they had won this battle it was going to be far from over for them all. It had every intention to kill the villagers and then the Konoha ninja and finally Naruto as well. It gave them one final snarl and joined it's pack in a full retreat, for now they were going to leave their lair and find a new place to rest and recover, then they were going to come back and finish the fight.

Naruto decided not to pursue the pack of werewolves, he had other things to worry about as Sasuke began to scream out loudly, he knew that the venom from the Alpha Werewolf was already working it's way into Sasuke's body, he needed to get the cure into Sasuke's body before things got really bad for them all…namely for his team mate as he could already see the effects of the Alpha Werewolf's bite on Sasuke and that told him that Sasuke had NOT worn the armor he had given him back in Konoha the day before.

It angered him and what was even worse, Sasuke's serum pouch was not with him….apparently the ninja had left the pouch behind…there was no time to bring him to the village it would have to be an on the field treatment. However, he then spotted the said pouch nearby and thanked Kami that the serum was not found and destroyed by the werewolves. However the vials were scattered, meaning that he would have to hurry and find them all or else Sasuke would become one of the Secondary werewolves

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In the clearing…

"HOLD HIM STILL!!!!"

Naruto shouted as the others managed to restrain Sasuke as the Uchiha survivor struggled with the pain that was flowing all over his body due to the bite of the alpha werewolf that he had tried to face one on one. The blonde Chuunin quickly got out the vials of liquid that was meant to both halt the venom of the werewolf and prevent the one bitten from being turned into another Secondary Werewolf and under the thrall of the Alpha Werewolf.

As Kakashi, Sakura, Asuma, and Chouji tried to restrain the raven haired young man as he thrashed in pain, Naruto could see that the bite area becoming infected by werewolf venom, while this was indeed his first time, the knowledge he gleamed from Holy Talon told him to be really wary about this kind of damage. He got the cure and quickly poured the liquid into the bite marks and saw the wounds bubble and fester, plus a foul smelling odor like rotten meat, sweet blood, plus an outwardly alien smell filled the area.

The cure worked by burning out the infected cells that were being transformed by the werewolf venom and when drank it would also cleanse the venom's effects on the mind, this was without pain in the mental and physical sense, but on wounds, it was a different matter, Naruto forced the cure down Sasuke's mouth as the young man fought with him and the others violently.

It was taking quite a while and the others were worried greatly for Sasuke's sake and it was not long before the cure began to work and Sasuke began to calm down and relax, quickly falling asleep. Naruto looked over his team mate carefully, not taking any chances with the kind of injuries that Sasuke had just been subjected to. As soon as the Genin was stable, Naruto and the others headed back. Their first battle was tough going and that was just the first round, there would be more to come, that much Naruto knew for a fact

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Later in the village…

The group were currently resting as they had spent the rest of the late afternoon and then the early night, tightening the security around the village. They had told the villagers that a number of the werewolves were already dealt with and they would make another foray to deal with the werewolf pack once and for all. The villagers were happy but seeing Sasuke in his injured state made them worry about him being turned into another one of the beasts that had held them hostage in their own homes.

However, Naruto assured them that he had cured Sasuke and he was not in danger, the village head then gave them some places to stay in for the night. All of them were going to wait for Sasuke to recover for the time being and see if the cure had stopped the transformation completely as well as get rid of the venom there in Sasuke's body. Naruto however went outside for a moment to think about some important things that he planned to speak about to Sasuke.

Sasuke had begun to recover from his near brush with death and being infected by the werewolf venom that had been injected into him by the Alpha werewolf's fangs. As soon as he was able to pen his eyes, he was greeted by the sight of the others looking at him with worry, he placed that aside as Naruto came into the room.

Naruto was relieved to see Sasuke had recovered, but he was also rather angry at his team mate, he had told Sasuke to focus on dealing with the lower ranking werewolves to thin their ranks, not go off and engage the Alpha Werewolf on his own, even with the weapons and armor he had given him. He was also angry with the fact that Sasuke had willingly removed the vials of serum that he had been given to protect himself from the venom and it had nearly killed him as well as turned him into a werewolf as well.

Kakashi and Asuma could tell that Naruto wanted to speak to Sasuke alone and managed to gather their students with them to help deal with other matters.

As soon as the others were well out of sight range and hearing range, the blonde Chuunin moved towards the still bed ridden Uchiha and stood there glaring at him while Sasuke glared back at him in equal measure. Naruto glared at Sasuke who looked back as well and the blonde Chuunin exploded in anger at that exact moment of silence.

"You idiot!!! What the hell were you thinking trying to take that thing on by yourself?! You have any idea how close you were to being his next meal or slave?!"

Sasuke however said nothing and tried to get up, but he was stopped as the pain struck him back down to the ground and Naruto spoke out.

"Don't bother trying to get up, it took us hours to heal your wounds and three more vials to make sure that we could cure the venom in your blood stream, we had to scour the area for the vials in your own pack that you apparently tossed, what the heck were you thinking Sasuke? I gave those serums to everyone here for a reason. And why the hell didn't you use the armor I gave you back in Konoha?! What are you trying to prove here?!"

"I'll be fine…"

"Fine?! You have any idea how close you came to dying?! Not to mention the fact that the werewolf venom that flowed into your body nearly turned you into one?! Trust me on this one you are far from fine, you were either going to be that thing's latest meal or one of it's followers. You are out of commission until then, so you rest and recover here."

"You're giving me orders now Naruto?"

Sasuke said with a glare at Naruto who shook his head at his team-mates stubbornness and he spoke.

"Those are not orders Sasuke, that's the truth, you nearly died and your body had nearly been warped by the venom."

"Warped? What does that mean?"

Naruto sighed and replied.

"You know why you feel like your body got pulverized? The venom tried to warp your bones to make it more lupine as the venom kicked in, not to mention it was transforming your body into something else, apparently the alpha werewolf used a lot more venom than it normally does. You're damn lucky the serum saved your life, but your body took a severe beating, and it will take some time before you properly mend."

"So now what?"

"Now? Now I try to figure out just what to do to keep you from committing suicide every chance you get! How many times do I have to stress out that these guys are NOT the regular kind of enemy? You can't beat them using the same methods we use of other ninja Sasuke, I gave you the serum for countering the werewolf venom, the armor to protect yourself and the blade to kill them, yet you didn't use them….and you nearly died for that."

"I didn't lie about not stopping you from doing what you feel you have to when you face that person Sasuke. But you're not going to get that chance if you try to get yourself killed to prove something that you don't have to."

Sasuke said nothing as he looked at the bandages on his body and then Naruto reverted to a serious attitude that brooked no argument to his authority, he had developed that in order to deal with the threats that Death Fang would usually send out to battle

"You're out of commission for the time being Sasuke so get some rest. And no this is not an order, it is a request, if you want to beat those creatures, then get some rest."

Sasuke lay back down and was silent as Naruto decided to leave him and he moved to see the others, Kakashi was tending to the injuries that some of the villager suffered from the attack and thankfully they were not infected by the werewolf venom, the Jonin was lucky he didn't have to fight those creatures for a while and thankfully the cures that Naruto had on hand saved their lives. The others were currently resting up after a very long night. Naruto however knew that night was the customary hunting time for the werewolves and they would no doubt be on the prowl, but now that the alpha werewolf knew that he was around, then it would focus it's pack on him. He moved out to reach the perimeter of the village and looked out into the blackness and he could see the eyes of the surviving werewolves gleaming like amber gems filled with hunger, anger, madness, and the great thirst for combat, blood, and death. On occasion he spotted the blood red eyes of the Alpha Werewolf but then the eyes faded, showing that the werewolves were done for their day, or rather night.

The secondary werewolves that they had killed had lowered the numbers and with their bodies destroyed of the venom that transformed them and then their bodies were destroyed as well to prevent them from being used as food by the remaining werewolves. There was no doubt also that the werewolves would be hunting anyone who dared to leave the village and that was why Naruto placed special wards made from Arcane Silver to keep them from entering the village, even the Alpha Werewolf wouldn't dare enter a village with these wards on.

However, Naruto knew that while the secondary werewolves obeyed commands given to them, they had lost their human intelligence and creativity while the Alpha werewolf did not and that made the creature more dangerous than even a whole pack of secondary werewolves. It could think and act well and would soon find a way to destroy the wards. The blonde Chuunin and Dragon Champion knew that they would have to strike soon at Alpha werewolf soon and slay it before more people fell to it and it's ravenous pack.

It was then that he had an idea that just might work.

As he thought it over, he turned and spotted Sakura and Ino who were deep in thought and he could see that both women were unable to get some rest. He couldn't blame them either, seeing such horrors, but he focused on doing what he could in order to keep things running. Sakura did well in battle and so did Ino, but now they were in need of rest and it would not be considered rest if they wandered about.

He walked up to them and spoke.

"Sakura-chan, Ino-chan, why are you two out here?"

Sakura sighed and replied.

"We couldn't sleep…not with the knowledge those things are out there…."

"Yeah….it's not right…."

Naruto looked at both Ino and Sakura, he could see that they were afraid and he couldn't fault them for that. He reached out with his free hands and touched their faces, the two reacted to that in a relieved way as they held his hands in their own, they seemed calmer and then Ino spoke.

"How is Sasuke-kun?"

Naruto nodded and replied.

"He'll be all right, give him a day or two and he'll be back on his feet."

Ino smiled at that and spoke to Naruto.

"How are we going to beat them Naruto-kun….I've never fought anything like these creatures before….I tried to peek into their minds with my….Mind Manipulation Jutsu, but it was so horrible in there…."

Ino was reliving to horror of seeing the mind of a werewolf and Naruto brought her closer to him and she didn't hesitate to hold him tight and sob at the pain those memories gave her. Naruto soothed Ino as best he could. Sakura didn't get mad as she understood Ino's train of thought and stayed there for the time being until Naruto reached out to her and she hugged him too, as she too recalled the horror of the werewolves' attacks on anything living, human or otherwise.

Naruto listened to both Ino and Sakura and it made him feel even more determined to end the threat of the Werewolves once and for all. As both women looked at him, his gaze softened and he spoke to the both of them.

"We WILL beat them, I promise you both that."

Both women nodded and it was then that Naruto decided to escort them back to the hut they were resting in so he could help the two of them get some much needed rest. As they entered the room, he placed Holy Talon aside on the nearby table in the living room while keeping his Arcane Silver katana swords near him to protect them. He escorted the two to the room that they were in and helped try to go to sleep. I was asking for trouble if they didn't get enough rest for the still coming battles.

As he helped them, he turned to leave but before he could do anything, Sakura grabbed his arm and forced him to stay, while she was not using her strength on him he could feel that she wanted him to stay. He turned about but that was also when Ino and Sakura kissed him at the same time, startling him a great deal as he was not expecting this from the two of them, not while they had a mission of all things. But the idea of turning away was not popping into his mind anytime soon as he kissed them back.

As soon as the kiss stopped between the three of them he looked at both of them and wondered what was going through their minds and then Ino spoke.

"Naruto-kun….stay for a while…"

"Ino-chan….are you still afraid or something?"

Ino didn't give him time to get an answer from her as she hugged him close and Sakura doing the very same thing and before he could do anything to try and assure them any further, the two Kunoichi who he had already been intimate with before began to remove their clothing, making him blush a bit, he tried to convince himself that now was not the time for this, the sight of the two now naked before him was more than enough to quell his thoughts.

Naruto couldn't help but lose control of his own thoughts as he began to remove the Konoha Chuunin vest and then his Orchaelium Chainmail Armor as well. It was not going to be long before he would be joining Ino and Sakura in the bed naked.

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(Lemon in the Lemon Story section later!!!)

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Later…

Naruto opened his eyes hours later and found it to be already deep at night and he looked to see that both Ino and Sakura were fast asleep; he couldn't help but blush somewhat at the memories of what they had done only hours before and he hoped that it was enough to calm the two women to sleep, thankfully the barrier of silence and sight he had cast in the room had kept most if not all of the happening s away from the others.

As he gathered his clothes and put them on and then his Orchaelium Armor, he kissed the two women and smiled a bit as he knew that now was the time to meet up with the others who were still very much awake.

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In the village meeting hall…

Kakashi, Shikamaru and Asuma looked at Naruto who had arrived three hours earlier and had told them of a very bold and somewhat risky strategy. The two Jonin and Chuunin looked at Naruto seriously as he showed them just what he had in mind in order to kill the Alpha Werewolf and it's forces. The three had to admit that this was by far the most dangerous move they would ever take, but considering the situation before them, they were going to have to take some drastic action soon enough.

The longer they stayed here, the greater the chance the village would soon run out of food and supplies, the people here were afraid, starving, and desperate and would do anything to escape. And worse, there was a chance that sooner or later, the wards would be overcome.

Naruto looked at them and could tell that they were not liking what he had in mind and Kakashi spoke that fact out to him.

"What you're suggesting Naruto is extremely dangerous."

"I know, most people would think I'm insane for doing this, but we don't really have much in terms of options now do we?"

Asuma nodded at that and replied.

"He's got a point there Kakashi, we have to do something before things get really bad."

Shikamaru nodded as well, he studied just what Naruto had in mind and could see that while there were going to be problems and risks, this was by far the best option they had at the moment if they were able to pull it all off. That however didn't mean that he was going to ignore the risks that were being put forward with the plan.

"You do realize that we're going to be really asking for it if this goes wrong Naruto?"

Naruto nodded at that, he had considered it greatly and he had a solution in mind.

"I do, all this will work if we do it right, that's why I need you to be the one to set it up Shikamaru."

"Me? What a drag….you do realize I can't possibly have that much chakra for what you have mind right?"

"That's why I brought this little gift."

Shikamaru looked at the bottle of blue liquid that seemed to have a gentle glow in it. Naruto knew that this liquid would be perfect for Shikamaru as well as the others, he had worked on it for a while with the assistance of Coryin and the others.

"What's that?"

"It's a chakra booster, it will allow the drinker to have at least three times their normal chakra reserves without possible side effects, but I only have enough for all of us and only two bottles of it so we have to be careful with it."

Kakashi and Asuma smiled, it seemed that Naruto was prepared big time and Shikamaru nodded as the four of them got their plans set up. It was time to make the first move and deal with the wolves, but they were not going to do it at night. The planned to face the Werewolf in it's own den to end it once and for all.

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To be continued…

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Author's Notes:

Well now, Sasuke nearly gets turned into a werewolf in trying to finish off the Alpha Werewolf and both he and Naruto talk about things but as we already know, Sasuke will not give up in trying to face Naruto in battle. However, there will be no doubt that Sasuke will do his best to prove to himself that he is strong. Naruto is not going to be happy but it was a long time coming as Sasuke seeks to prove that despite all this, he will be stronger.

Of course with Naruto's intense combat training as well as his growing arsenal of skills, Sasuke will be in for the fight of his life, as what he seeks as unlike the canon manga and anime battle between Naruto and Sasuke, you can bet that Naruto will not be so easily outpaced as before when he fought Sasuke the first time. Sasuke is going to have to pull out all the stops to beat Naruto this time. But how will the battle he had with the Alpha Werewolf affect Sasuke in the future at how easily he could have been killed by the monstrous demon beast?

On the next chapter…Naruto makes a desperate but unique plan to annihilate the werewolves to the last one. How will this plan work?

Find out soon!!

And for all of you readers, namely for the guys…I have a special chapter in mind that will no doubt appeal to most of you, and if you are really interested in it, then here's a clue…

Sand, surf, food, drink, and….certain articles of clothing…

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Trailer…

Hinata looked at the articles of clothing and she was trying to find the right one for the occasion that she was going to be in with Naruto. But so many of them were so…risqué she had no idea what to do.

"I….I don't know what to do, what should I choose for today?"

Hinata was then greeted by Ino who was giving the Hyuuga heiress the look.

"Hey Hinata-san, I've the thing for you, and I think Naruto-kun will like it."

The suit in question was more than enough to make Hinata blush bright red while Ino was enjoying the sight. She already had her own choice as well.

Tsunade looked at the others who were with her, Kurenai, Anko, Ayame, Sakura, Kin, Temari, Tenten, Shizune, and Koyuki were already looking at the selection before them. The Hokage was eager to finally get this week off and since they were getting the chance to be in a private place, they were going to have one hell of a good time.

And they were not alone as a certain someone was going to join them….the blonde Hokage grinned seductively at that thought.

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Enjoy!


	40. Into the Lair of the Wolf Part 2

Naruto The Twin Swords

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto and anything related to it so let's leave it at that all right?

Chapter 30

Part 2

Into the Lair of the Wolf

( ): Thoughts

((" ")) : Holy Talon's Voice

(' '): Lady Dana's voice

((( ))): Death Fang's Voice

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In the village...

The villagers were busy trying to make something of their lives despite the fact that they were deeply under siege for the moment, As time passed Naruto routinely checked on Sasuke and as soon as he was assured that his team mate was in good health, he allowed him to get back into the fight, but seriously insisted that Naruto carry the gear that he had given him in the first place. The blonde ninja and Dragon Champion decided to go through with his plans at the moment to make sure that he had thought this all out.

He knew for a fact that as long as the Werewolves had their lair and could stay there and weaken their numbers, then they were going to eventually lose. And that fact grated heavily on his nerves, the best chance that they had to finally end this threat was to strike them all down at once. But going into their lair was a bad idea as that would mean that they would be fighting the Werewolves in their own turf. That would give the werewolves the overall advantage in not just location but terrain.

No, the best chance was to lure them out into the open and catch them all in the best way possible to not only make sure that they were not going to escape, but to kill them all in one fell swoop, it was a very risky plan to say the least, but it was the only option they had at the moment.

He recalled his training with both Kakashi and Asuma and also recalled Shikamaru's Shadow Manipulation Technique that his family was famous for and knew that his plan relied on that being the key as well as the use of some very important weapons that were going to be the key to the plan he had in mind to end the threat of the werewolves once and for all. The good news was that with the potion he had given Shikamaru would give them the edge.

The one thing he knew that they needed was some way to lure all the werewolves to the place he needed them to be. The bait had to be very potent in order to do what he hoped it would do the trick. As he looked about the village, he could see that the others in his team were doing what they could for the people while going with the plan that he had hatched up.

As soon as he informed them the plan he had in mind, the others were not quite sure how to pull it off, Sakura and Ino were a bit unsure but they agreed to do their very best to pull it off while Chouji hoped it would work while Sasuke merely asked what he was going to do. He replied to that question that Sasuke would need to help Kakashi and Asuma set up the surprise, while keeping out of sight as well as using a special masking scent that would hide hius own smell.

The Uchiha asked why that needed and Naruto replied that they would need to fool the werewolves into thinking that he was dead and they were short a ninja to be an effective force, this was done since the werewolves no doubt would have thought that they had killed him to prevent him from becoming one of them. Naruto had decided to take advantage of the fact that the werewolves had thought this so to keep their movements a secret.

Sasuke had to admit that it was a very sneaky strategy while the others agreed as well, Asuma however replied that Sasuke would have to dress as a villager and avoid wearing the Konoha headband and join the villagers in doing their daily actions around the village area as they all knew that the werewolves would no doubt be watching the village carefully and if they saw him, they would know that he was still alive.

In a way, Sasuke's actions the night before actually had given the teams a chance to even up the odds, it was something that was unexpected but they all hoped that the next time they got an advantage no matter how small it might be, they didn't nearly lose anyone getting that edge. Naruto knew that they were lucky at this moment so they needed to take full advantage of the whole thing, though he was not in the mood for a replay of that whole thing.

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As the day wore on for the moment, the others were taking what time they had to get ready for their moves to deal with the Werewolves, they needed to end their threat once and for all before they would launch another attack that could very well be the death blow for the village and the rest of the country itself.

Naruto then mentally spoke to Holy Talon.

(Do you think this plan I made will work?)

(("It will, all we need to do is lure the Werewolves into a situation that will force them to focus all their attacks into the heart of the village, the hard part will be to make sure that the Alpha Werewolf does not discover that what we are doing is a trap."))

(Holy Talon….just what kind of people were those who take this curse?)

(( "There are those who dwell in the lands ruled by Chorvax who have taken to worshipping the darker powers of all life Master Naruto, some of them delve into sadistic pleasures….pleasures that are too horrendous and vile for me to speak, others embrace the darker natures of their kind, the first werewolves who formed the basis of Chorvax' werewolf army fed on the flesh of others who they hunted in their belief that by reveling in their darker natures, the 'beast within' all beings, they would become masters of destruction…."))

(("It was this belief that made Chorvax and many of his ilk to pass the curse of Lycanthrope to those who believed in these things, thus creating the evil Werewolves. These first Werewolves were horrible creatures that fed on living and the dead . Chorvax….relished the sight of these beasts as his newest weapons so he allowed them to retain their humanity….or what was left of it to allow them to think and act accordingly like real soldiers, eventually they were wiped out, but Chorvax took their powers and souls, tarnished forever black by their sins and imbued them into those who embraced their animalistic sides and vowed to tear their foes apart in his name."))

Naruto was sickened by this, but Holy Talon then replied.

(("However, not all Werewolves came from Chorvax, there were those among elves and humans who having lived in tune with nature are able to commune with the wild and instead of taking the wild side of nature to the extremes, they sought to temper it with a love for nature as well as creation, for this reason, they developed the power to transform into animal or Were form, which is something that is taught and passed down from master to student, in turn, the transformation is done through the use of having one's soul attuned with life and nature, thus those Werewolves who are borne of this method are not evil. Lord Faldren himself teaches such techniques from time to time to others and so do the members of the Nature Dragon Flight."))

(Wow….how many Dragon Flights are there?)

(("There are many Flights, the first and foremost is the Holy Dragon Flight, headed naturally by Lord Faldren and is considered the Ruling Flight for all the other Flights. The Dragons of the Holy Dragon Flights are able to use all forms of magic which is why they are considered the strongest of their race, however, all of them do not lord it over the other Flights as they see each other as part of a greater whole and therefore must work side by side to better the world. In a way they symbolize the noble, compassionate, generous, and selfless aspect of power"))

(What about the other Flights?)

(("There is the Fire Dragon Flights, they are masters of Fire Magic and live in some of the hottest lands known to man, what is intolerable heat to a normal human is nothing but lukewarm to them. They are exceptional Fire Masters and capable in the other arts such as flight, though they prefer not to travel too far unless in great need, they are masters of flame as I have said and are also known to use flame to incubate their eggs as well."))

(Wow….)

(("There is the Nature Dragon Flight as wells, they master Nature Magic and are seen as the powerful guardians of the forests and lands blessed by Nature. They are found in all manner of lands that are filled with trees, lush grasses, the works, they call such places filled with life and nature as home and take great offense if such places are suddenly attacked. They are masters of Nature and can do things with magic that is tied to Nature that only the high Druids can ever master."))

(I see….they all contributed part of their power to you right?)

(("Yes, that power flows in me deeply, why do you ask?"))

(Can I turn into a Werewolf as well?)

(("You can, I can teach you the spell easily and it will increase your combat skills as well as give you the highly acute senses of the Werewolf along with a stronger bond with Nature itself. Do you need to use it now?"))

(Not yet, maybe when the time is right I'll use it. For now we have a lot of things to get underway, I need to know just how soon can we get the people of out of here?)

(("We will need to use a concealing spell that will help us, but we still need to make the village seem habited and that will take some seriously improvised work to accomplish, The Werewolves will be around to keep an eye on us and only the Alpha Werewolf will be able to see what we are doing thanks to it's mental connection with it's thralls. There is one way to do it…you have to use your Kage Bushin and your ability to do Henge."))

(To take the place of the villagers….right, that can work. But we need to find a way to lure all the Werewolves all at once, we can't spend our time trying to lure them in and let the Alpha Werewolf figure things out.)

(("True, there is a way to do that…. It will not be fatal to the people and yourself but in hindsight, it will be somewhat extreme by most standards."))

(What do you have in mind?)

(("We're going to use the old tie the bait to the tree to catch the wolf trick."))

(But didn't the villagers do that already and failed?)

(("True….but we are going to use a special form of bait that not even the Alpha Werewolf can resist, the soldiers of Dagern who fought against Chorvax's Werewolves had found that a particular breed of animal that releases a scent so strong that it drives even Alpha Werewolves to give up their human instincts and intellect and focus only on feeding, they used these animals to lure the creatures into traps and ambushes, though it was a risky strategy it was effective and we can use it here as well."))

Naruto had to admit that this was a very interesting strategy to say the very least, since the livestock of the village were already wiped out and eaten by the Werewolves, they would have no bait to lure the creatures out of hiding to finish them all once and for all. They were not going to use any other method to lure them out as well. He was somewhat curious what sort of animal that Holy Talon spoke of, but for now he only hoped that it would be enough for them to catch all the werewolves into one spot.

If they could wipe out most if not all the Werewolves, then it would be a great boon for all of them, and even if they were not able to wipe them all out, the severe depletion of it's thralls would make killing the Alpha Werewolf a lot easier for them all, if any of his comrades were able to score a lucky hit to wound the Alpha Werewolf in any fashion now that the trap would weaken it further

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In a hidden chamber…

A blood red Fire Dragon looked at the four women before it and spoke in a rather serious tone, but it was a feminine one as well, it spoke seriously at them and wondered if this was truly a wise move for them all to take. But the apparent leader of the group spoke seriously in the elven tongue and the others nodded.

The red Dragon sighed, in the way a dragon could sigh and began to speak once more, apparently what it said surprised even the elven woman who led the small group and it took a bit more conversation until the woman in question nodded in agreement though it seemed to be reluctant agreement and the Dragon gave a smile as it began to work it's magic.

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Back in the village…

Naruto had begun to work out the details of his plan and decided that their best bet was to use the creature to lure the werewolves away from the village, the creature was soon summoned and the very second Naruto and the others looked at it, it was quite the sight, for an animal it was nearly the size of a single floor house. There were three horns on it, two on the sides that were curled up inward to the face to form a semi circle and the other forward and curved back, the creature seemed docile but there was some sort of scent that was coming from the creature itself, it was not a bad scent, but it was not good either, alien and neutral.

When the others asked Naruto why he summoned the creature, it was to lure the werewolves out and trap them all in one spot, they only had one shot to get this right so this creature was going to serve as the bait. The others wondered just how Naruto was going to do that and he had a fairly accurate idea, and he knew of a way to keep track of their quarry. He summoned his Piercing Gaze spell and spotted several werewolves moving about on patrol deep in the woods and knew that the best way to do this was to use them to guide him to their lair, however he knew that his powers were not going to be entirely of good use so he decided to take advantage of the situation.

He turned to Ino and asked her to use her family Mind Body Switching Jutsu to take command of a nearby bird and keep track of the werewolves at the safe distance. Asuma and Shikamaru along with Kakashi grasped the idea and Ino did so as she took control of a nearby hawk and then the Yamanaka heiress quickly kept track of the werewolves and soon found the lair. It appeared to be a massive cave near the face of a nearby mountain not too far from the village area itself, and already there were signs that the werewolves had set up shop as there was a large number of bones there, in piles under large areas covered in blood. She could see the werewolves having a bloody feast as well as doing usual patrols with the black furred Alpha Werewolf keeping track of the situation, thankfully the leader of the Werewolves had not sensed her movements, no doubt since it had never encountered the techniques of her clan, something that made her smile greatly.

Ino returned to her body and told them what she had seen and that was enough for Naruto to make his move, it was going to be a risky move, but if they could use the creature that he now knew as Shyrook Bull to lure away the werewolves and take the people away they would be able to fight without worrying of the casualties, it was going to be a tricky move and quite risky, however Holy talon assured Naruto that considering the sheer size of the creature the werewolves would focus all their power on the Bull to take it down quickly and that would buy the people enough time to escape.

It was going to be a sad end, but the summoned and now living creature seemed to be calm about the whole thing. As soon as it was explained that the creature's smell would grow stronger once it was frightened the others were feeling some level of pity, Naruto did so as well but Holy Talon assured him that the Shyrook would not go down without a fight and it would be able to do what it was summoned to do. It was hard but when he spoke to the creature it replied that it was all right with the whole thing.

He relayed that to the others and that was surprising for all of the people involved as well as the villagers who were in earshot of the whole thing, even Sasuke was surprised at how willing the creature was to letting itself be killed that way, and he asked Naruto if he was dead serious about this, Naruto replied that while he didn't like it, it was by far their only viable option as it stood at the time being. As soon as he was able to make the Kage Bushin he was able to disguise them as the villagers and even his own team, it was tiring as ever, but Naruto was quickly aided by the Kyuubi who contributed it's chakra to the cause before them. The feeling of his chakra back to a full tank was good for Naruto as he knew that he was going to need all the chakra he had and then some to get this plan underway, they had one shot and they were not going to waste it. They headed back and looked at a map of the surrounding lands to plan everything out even further to the last detail to make sure that they were able to cover all the bases.

Thanks to Ino's recon run in the hawk's body, they were able to locate the lair and how far they had to get in order to reach that exact location, they also discovered that the location had few escape routes and it would mean that if they played their cards right, they could very well end the threat of the werewolves once and for all in one fell attack.

As night began to fall over the village, it was now time for them to get moving on the plan. Naruto quickly summoned Kael and told the Sky Dragon Mount what to do with the Shyrook Bull, Kael nodded and took the creature in it's talons and took off. As soon as it was in the air, the creature began to unleash it's pheromone scent, Naruto and everyone could smell it and all hoped that Naruto's plan was going to work out.

The massive wave of howls was more than enough to convince them that the plan was working. In the forest, the werewolves moved in all numbers with their Alpha Werewolf master in the lead, the smell of their favored prey had indeed driven all manner of human intelligence from the minds of the werewolves as they were moving about in full force. This was the signal that the ninjas needed as Naruto summoned another number of Sky Dragons and got the villagers onboard, as soon as the villagers are secured and were in good hands, the Sky Dragons were quick to take off and get the people out of the way.

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With that done, the ninjas moved out and headed for the location that Ino had been able to locate when she did her recon run with the hawk's body, the cave system that appeared to be the new lair was quickly located and they began to set things up as Kael was still under orders to keep the werewolves away from their lair for as long as possible while they set up shop. Before they did so however, Naruto managed to use a special spell known to mask their body odor, this would ensure that they were able to do this without the werewolves picking up their scent and finding out that they were here in the lair. If that happened then the plan was going to fail miserably and they were not going to get another shot at it as well.

The ninjas gathered a number of their explosive tags and began to set them up in areas where the werewolves were likely to escape from and then they moved to place in several more tags all throughout the cave system to even things up as well as several barrels that Naruto summoned that were filled to the brim with Arcane Silver darts and blades in the forms of shuriken and were loaded with several packs of explosive tags as well as some made on the call gunpowder made by alchemy from Naruto, the barrels were be detonated in sequence in order to ensure that if the werewolves tried to escape, they would be cut down by the explosions and the weapon blades that would come out flying from the explosions.

The barrels themselves were also coated with the same potion that would mask the smell of both the Arcane Silver and the gunpowder as well as the tags, they were also then coated with a resin that allowed the barrels to take the very same color of the cave walls to make it easier to hide. This was a very risky operation and they could only hope that it was going to work in their favor soon, as they were able to finish as best they could, they decided to move out and get into a position that would be able to allow them to keep an eye on the place.

Naruto then focused his energy and spoke to Kael, calling his chosen Sky Dragon Mount to move her and drop away the Shyrook Bull near the main entrance to the lair of the werewolves, Kael responded and soon the Sky Dragon arrived with the Bull in his claws and as soon as he was able to do so, the Sky dragon released the Shyrook Bull and faded away as his energy form was absorbed by Holy Talon. And sure enough the Shyrook Bull turned to face the werewolves as they came at full force, the Bull then managed to get into the cave despite his size and lure the werewolves in after it, the ravenous looks on all of the werewolves, even the Alpha Werewolf was enough to show that their plan was working well.

The werewolves were nearly tripping over each other as they went into their lair and it was not long before the sounds of the wolves fighting the Shyrook Bull was heard, it was horrible but the ninjas of Konoha knew that they had little time on their hands and had to hurry quickly to seal the lair of the Werewolves and trap the monstrous beings once and for all and eliminate them. Shikamaru was the one who did the honors as he used his family's Shadow manipulation Jutsu to move into the cave and use the shadows there and used his family's jutsu to activate the tags that they had placed all over the tunnels. The sheer number of shadows he had to manipulate would have drained Shikamaru of all his chakra, but thankfully the Chuunin had drank the contents of bottle that Naruto gave him and had a great deal of chakra in his body to use for this kind of situation.

It was not long before the massive sounds of explosions was heard as the explosive tags went off and Shikamaru was able to remove his hold over the shadows there in the cave system, inside the caves the Shyrook Bull was now slain and being feasted on by the Alpha Werewolves with the Alpha Werewolf ripping chunks off the meat and the guts to it's followers. The werewolves however was suddenly stopped from their feeding frenzy when the explosions occurred and they were enraged at this, but the barrels that were there soon explode as they tried to escape from the trap, the blades of Arcane Silver cut deeply into their bodies, causing them even more pain and rage as they tried to escape.

Naruto knew that they were not out of the woods just yet as the werewolves that chased after the Shyrook Bull were a lot, meaning that the Alpha Werewolf must have been attacking other places and taking more victims, or there had been other transformed humans that comprised the whole pack. There was a chance that they were going to escape and he spoke to Holay Talon to see if he was right.

(Is there any way they might escape?)

(("It's is possible, if they escape then we have to be ready, there might have been heavy casualties in their ranks, but we have to be ready, we might be outnumbered in this case, and wounded werewolves are twice as dangerous as they are enraged and in pain."))

(How are we going to handle them?)

It was then that another voice spoke out to him….and it was a female voice.

("I will help you young Champion.")

Normal people would have been somewhat shocked at hearing a voice in their heads, but Naruto was already used to that sort of thing happening to him on a regular basis as he had already spoke to Holy Talon and a pair of Dragon Champions as well as the Kyuubi. The energy he felt in that voice and the fact that it came from Holy Talon was more than enough to tell him that the speaker was a spirit in the Holy Dragon sword and as such was a Dragon Champion.

(Who are you?)

("You can call me by my real name, which is Dana, I will be able to help boost your fighting abilities as well as that of your comrades.")

(("Lady Dana is a Song Maiden and is one of the recognized Song Maidens as she is one of the very few of that group who became a Dragon Champion, so she is able to increase the overall power of the people under your command. Her power as a Song Maiden will prove to be a valuable asset in this kind of situation."))

Naruto however was not sure how this was going to work as he spoke to both Holy Talon and Dana.

(Exactly how can that be done, I don't sing and it would both sound and look weird if I sound like a woman in the battle field.)

Dana laughed a bit at the truth in Naruto's statements and replied warmly.

("There is a solution I beelive, give me a body for me to inhabit and I will handle the rest.")

(Give you a body….hold on, can you be implanted into one of my Kage Bushin to do what you said?)

Dana spoke approvingly at the suggestion.

("That will do just fine, but it would be better to you use a technique to make the Kage Bushin appear to be female and I have no doubt you can do that, but make sure that the Kage Bushin IS clothed.")

Naruto agreed and it was right on time as well as the lair was suddenly rocked by exploding rocks and out came several wolves that were dying but had used their strength before their deaths to break free and allow their kin to escape. The others and Naruto could smell the death that hanged over the place but as soon as the werewolves that had broken through had died from their wounds, the others that survived were coming out to fight once more, and judging by the way they growled after looking at the gathering ninja and then howling in deep rage and pain, they were eager for some payback.

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Out in the field...

Naruto decided to go ahead with the plane to use his Kage Bushin as this would allow Lady Dana to pass her power into the Kage Bushin and literally become a living version of the previous Dragon Champion, it was going to be something that he had never attempted before in his life and it was going to be very interesting to say the least, but he was running low on options at this stage. With that in mind as the trap was now sprung he made a Kage Bushin quickly and then focused his power into transferring the essence of Lady Dana into the Kage Bushin while transforming it into the female form that used when he was using his Sexy No Jutsu though in this case, he made sure that the Kage Bushin was clothed so as not to make a situation that could very well get him into some serious trouble with the others.

"KAGE BUSHIN NO JUTSU!!!"

As soon as the Kage Bushin formed, Naruto focused his powers as a Dragon Champion and then a whit glowing mist flowed out from Holy Talon which was now in Naruto's hands and as soon as the mist entered the Kage Bushin. As soon as that happened Naruto was quick to take it to the next stage and make the Kage Bushin into a clothed version of his Sexy No Jutsu because the last thing he wanted was to do something that was going to look downright weird in the situation he was in at this moment.

"SEXY NO JUTSU!"

In a moment, the Kage Bushin was both turned into the female version of Naruto along with being possessed by the essence of Dragon Champion Dana and as soon as that was over, the original Naruto readied himself for the coming battle as he could see that several werewolves, maddened with pain and anger were able to escape from the blazing inferno. The now possessed and transformed Kage Bushin now spoke in Dana's voice and it was soft and clear as well as undeniably female and was NOT Naruto's voice in any way.

"Let me handle this moment."

The others watched as the Kage Bushin began to sing in a very melodious tone and beat that was undeniably powerful and charming, the results on them proved to be a major increase in their power as they felt their bodies become more limber, their chakra become stronger and more potent. For Sakura however, she felt her body grow even stronger as the Dragon Fire in her blood began to resonate with the song more. The rest of the ninja team then went on to fight while the possessed Kage Bushin of Naruto sang on, boosting their power for the battle ahead of them as the werewolves that managed to fight their way free from their now destroyed lair charged at them.

Naruto was happy for that as he used Holy talon to cut down several of the Werewolves that focused their attention on him, the first tried to rip out his eyes with a brutal swipe of its' claws but Naruto moved down and lashed out with a powerful uppercut that stops the creature cold, Naruto follows it up with an Arcane Silver dagger and he stabs right in the neck of the Werewolf and as the creature cried out in pain as it's black blood flowed out, the young Dragon Champion then cuts it down with a powerful slash that cut the creature in half diagonally, The blonde Chuunin then flipped forward and threw several Arcane silver shuriken at another werewolf, the creature blocked the attack but roared in pain as the Arcane Silver burned it deeply, causing it great pain. Naruto quickly landed and followed with a powerful rising diagonal slash that sliced off the head of the werewolf.

Sasuke was now armed with another Arcane Silver blade but without his armor on him, he would have to use his agility and speed to avoid a deadly counter blow that could very well kill him, he evaded the attacks from one of the bloody werewolves ignoring the horrid smell coming from the creature before him and evaded several claw slashes and as the werewolf was about to lunge, he rolled forward and drove his blade deeply into the werewolf's head through the mouth, he managed to pull the blade out of the wolf's body and then avoid the attacks of yet another werewolf that came right at him, Sasuke dodged the attacks and quickly moved to the side and stabbed the werewolf in the middle between the ribs just as it was about to turn and swipe his head off with it's claws.

Sakura was able to use her super strength training from Tsunade once more in battle as she smashed her fists into the chest of one of the werewolves gunning for her life, the impact from her fists and the fact that the creature suffered considerable injury was more than enough for it to be sent rocketing backwards into another one of it's kin what was coming right for Sakura, the pink haired Kunoichi and youngest apprentice of Tsunade was more than ready for the counter attack as the werewolf cast aside it's comrade and charged right at her, she reached for a piece of wood and broke it into a sharp point, evading that attack from the creature's claws, and then managed to take out a kunai made from the same Arcane Silver and as the werewolf attacked her directly, Sakura focused all her strength into her arms and attacked with the pole, smashing the weapon point first into the creature's torso, her strength training proving to be more andf enough to pierce the hide of the werewolf and that allowed her to get closer and slammed the kunai right through the chest and in the heart, killing the creature and Sakura then turned about, taking the kunai from the wound and fired it at the other werewolf right in the eye, making the creature howl out in great pain as she finished it off with a strike with her short sword.

Kakashi used his Raikiri to down a Werewolf and then turned to evade an attack from another werewolf that tried to attack the Jonin with it's teeth and claws, the Jonin moved aside and took out his Arcane Silver sword and drove it deeply into the chest of the creature, killing the creature in combat as he took out the sword and fired several shuriken at the other werewolf coming right at him, the shuriken distracted the creature, allowing Kakashi to charge up the Arcane Silver katana that he had with him with his Raikiri and sliced the head straight off the creature.

Asuma used his own trench knives that were made of Arcane Silver to even up the odds before them and he was able to fight off a pair of the werewolves and thankfully was able to keep ahead of their brutal and tenacious attacks as their wounds continued to drive them on with pain and rage, The Jonin managed to fire both his knives right into the chest of the charging werewolf and he charged in, grabbing the knives and yanked the blades upward and diagonally, cutting the head off the creature in a bloody display as he moved back and another werewolf came at him, Asuma then summoned his Wind chakra and managed to cut the werewolf with a static barrage of slashes as he finished it off with a powerful stab to the chest right at the heart.

Ino was supported by Shikamaru and Chouji as she used her ability to possess minds to unleash a horde of bees through the focus on the queen and with that, she guided the bees through the queen that flew as a massive swarm right at several werewolves that were coming right at them. The werewolves were enraged by the interference of the creatures and they tried to swipe away the creatures, Shikamaru was quick to unleash his Shadow Manipulation Jutsu and took control of several of the werewolves and as several more charged at them, the Chuunin was able to direct the other werewolves that he was able to control and then have them fight. The werewolves, driven by pain were more than willing to tear into one another and as soon as Ino released the bees namely the queen from her control, Chouji made his move as he attacked using his Body Manipulation Jutsu to attack the werewolves with his weapons to even up the odds before them.

The fighting was growing more fierce as more of the werewolves that somehow survived the attack were crawling out until a particular creature came out and was now focusing it's gaze at someone in particular among the ninja.

Naruto was fighting off two more of the werewolves but now faced none other than the Alpha werewolf itself, the two were cut off from the others by the werewolves who were ordered by the Alpha Werewolf to hold off the other Konoha ninja as it would face off it it's chosen foe.

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"GRRRAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!"

"DIE!!!!"

Naruto and the Alpha Werewolf were locked in mortal combat as the others were able to kill the last remnant of the Werewolves that had been able to escape the bloody trap and the others watched as Naruto and the Alpha Werewolf faced each other, the massive humanoid beast growling out deeply, it's eyes burning with evil fire, it's fangs griping saliva and venom and it's claws glistening with the blood of the Shyrook Bull that it and it's kin slaughtered..

The fires of the town mixed with the dying howls of the forces of the Werewolves that died in the trap that the Konoha ninja team filling the air while the battles between him comrades and the other Werewolves that managed to escape the trap and were being fought by the ninja. The smell of burning wood, paint, and more was now mixed with the smell of burning flesh and fur as the others died. The fires of the ruined village filled the sky of the night as well as give color to the two as they faced one another in battle, Naruto readied Holy Talon and attacked as the Alpha Werewolf also attacked that the very same time, the two were dead set on killing one another.

Naruto managed to evade several slashes with the Alpha Werewolf's claws and lashed out with a diagonal slash that the Alpha Werewolf evaded with considerable speed and the Werewolf flipped back with amazing speed and then landed on the ground on both legs and arms and growled at Naruto and then sprang towards Naruto with claws at the ready.

Naruto blocked with Holy Talon and managed to evade the bite of the Alpha Werewolf aimed at his head and neck, the forward attack unleashed by the Alpha Werewolf sent the two of them landing on the ground and Naruto quickly lashed out with his free hand as his hand was covered in flame as he used his training in the Fire Dancer style of combat to hit the Alpha Werewolf in the face, the Alpha Werewolf growled out in pain and roared at Naruto in rage as it tried to attack him again but Naruto managed to quickly unleash an attack right at the face of the Alpha Werewolf.

"FIRE BULLET!!!!"

The fire bolt smashed right in the face of the Alpha Werewolf and the massive beast howled out loudly in great pain but it was not out just yet as it covered it's burned face.

This allowed Naruto to quickly kick the Alpha Werewolf in the stomach to force it off of him. As soon as that was done, he moved forward and managed to lash out with a powerful stab at the Alpha Werewolf but the creature managed to dodge the attack and lash out with it's claws at Naruto's chest, the sounds of torn clothes were heard but thankfully the armor that Naruto had on his person was able to hold the damage and allow Naruto to move back and avoid the second set of the Alpha Werewolf's counter attack as it lashed out with claws once more, along with a series of deadly bites that would have taken a normal man's head off if Naruto had not been able to train himself well enough to evade those attacks and attack with a flame covered fist that hit the creature right on the side of the face, burning it even more and forcing the monstrous beast back.

The Alpha Werewolf growled in greater fury and without hesitation, charged at Naruto and Naruto defended himself as best he could and managed to sidestep several powerful attacks and then flipped away from a powerful claw stab aiming for his chest, he turned and dropped at the same time and slashed with Holy Talon right at the exposed area of the creature, the Alpha werewolf howled in pain as the sword tore through it's hide and spilled it's blood and it turned and lashed at Naruto with it's claws, forcing Naruto to leap back, but the Alpha Werewolf was ready as it charged right at Naruto in a crouch and knocked Naruto back and nearly making him fall down, the werewolf was more than eager to fight back as it attacked Naruto once more, forcing Naruto to leap upwards and launch a powerful attack with both his use of a fire spell that unleashed a fire bolt at the creature and a powerful kick as soon as he landed on the ground that forced the werewolf back.

Naruto then took out his Arcane Silver katana and attacked the werewolf as it was now charging right at him with rage controlling it at full force as the pair once more fought it out with Naruto using both Holy Talon and his sword to attack and defend at the same time while the werewolf was going out at full throttle with slashes, bites and even shoulder charges, the werewolf leader then scooped up soil at tossed it at Naruto, he was able to block the attack but it gave the werewolf a chance to attack with both claws that tore further into Naruto's armor, but the armor held it off and Naruto was able to use a kunai to stop the creature from biting him in the head….by stuffing it right in the mouth horizontally at the expense of dropping his Arcane Silver katana.

The Alpha werewolf roared in pain at this and this allowed Naruto to move away, the fighting was exhausting to the blonde but he pushed that aside to focus on defeating this monster before him and he was able to ready himself in time as the Alpha Werewolf ripped the kunai away and charged at Naruto. The two continued to fight as Naruto decided on a risky gamble as he moved back to get the werewolf into position for a deadly and crippling attack. The blonde and the Werewolf continued to fight as the flames from the ruined lair provided the light as they traded back and forth. Naruto then blocked a powerful blow that sent him flying back as he hit the ground.

The Alpha Werewolf howled in victory as it bared it's fangs to finish Naruto off and charged, the creature quickly was now at Naruto who was recovering from the blow seeing it's prey helpless, but Naruto was ready as he summoned a spell.

"EARTH PILLAR!!!!"

The pillar of earth erupted…right under Naruto's discarded Arcane Silver katana, the werewolf had no warning or time to react as Naruto grabbed his katana and get up, crouch and leap forward with both swords….impaling the creature in the chest as the two collided in mid air, the two fell and Naruto moved back pulling Holy Talon out from the creature as well as the Arcane Silver katana and as the Alpha Werewolf backed away in pain it howled on last time as Naruto attacked while spinning both blades together and lashing out with two slashes that cut off the Alpha Werewolf's arms. As both arms fell Naruto crossed both swords together and slashed outwards, both sword sparking on one another's flat edges and slicing off the head of the Alpha Werewolf in it's final howl.

Naruto backed away as the creature fell dead, now having it's arms and head sliced off.

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The result of the fight was obvious as the werewolves that were once under the thrall of the Alpha Werewolf suddenly howled in madness and rage as they lost their only master, Naruto moved back and joined the others as they all got ready for the ensuring blood bath as the werewolves began to move towards them and were now nothing but truly mindless monsters of destruction.

But it was then that Holy Talon spoke.

(("Master Naruto! There's something coming!!!"))

Naruto turned and he spotted a massive portal appearing before his eyes, he was shocked as to what the heck was going on for the moment but he was soon going to get that answer as four figures came out of the portal and then from out of nowhere came a form that he quickly recognized as a Dragon a dragon with blood red scales with golden trim and large wings, it was not a massive dragon, more like that of Kael but it seemed to have occasional spouts of flame come from it's claws. Having met Lord Faldren and Kael already, Naruto was a bit familiar with Dragons and he could feel no evil coming from this one Dragon but still, he was very curious as to what kind of Dragon this one was..

(What kind of dragon is that?)

((" That's a Fire Dragon and from what I can see and sense it is a female Dragon who appears to be at least 340 years old, but in human age terms she could be around the age of mid teens. It seems that she was the one opening the portal before us."))

(She can do that?)

(("Yes, but no doubt would be severely drained of her magical reserves, that means that she cannot use her magic for a much longer time and has to rest. But it seems that she decided to join them, I do not know why that is the case, but she can still fight even though she had used up a good portion of her magical power."))

(What about the others?)

(("They appear to be elves, but we have little time Master Naruto, we have the enemy to face!"))

Naruto knew that Holy Talon was right as the surviving werewolves came at that, apparently the werewolves that had survived had been controlled by the Alpha Werewolf and kept as a reserve in case it and the others failed and were now ready to finish them, with their master now slain, the werewolves were driven further into madness and were eager to fight to the death. The new arrivals seemed to be aware of it as the Fire Dragon, despite appearing exhausted by using the portal leaped over several of them and tore them apart.

One of the robed and hooded figures then took out a pair of swords that resembled normal katana swords and attacked along with the others as well. The new arrival fought like Kaelyn did in combat showing exceptional skill in battle yet there seemed to be glowing symbols on her swords that flashed out as she attacked and there seemed to be some sort of faint but audible sound coming from her, almost like singing and she seemed to move as if in a dance pattern. Her hood fell off and Naruto quickly recognized her as an elf, only they had ears that were like that, only unlike Valeena, this elven woman had hair that was colored deep blonde and had her hair in a long tail that was held to her by a clip of silver metal

Another of the robed figures also took out what appeared to be some sort of short wooden staff covered with several intricate patterns in the wood and a gem on top of it and unleashed several blasts of green energy while moving aside her hood to reveal silver hair like that of Kakashi's, only in her case, her skin was not pale but appeared to have a bronze or slightly brown tinge in I, making her look very exotic as she had her hair in some sort of coif with two long tails on either side of her head. She turned and unleashed a powerful gust of air and sent several more werewolves flying backwards at that instant. She then took out the same sword wielded by the first elven woman and appeared to be skilled to use both her short staff to cast spells and use her sword at the very same time as she was able to fire a fireball with the staff into the stomach of one of the Werewolves while cutting the arm of another werewolf attacking, severing the limb with a well aimed strike.

The other figure pulled out a powerful looking Long Bow that was crafted from fine wood that was covered in metal parts that seemed to serve as some sort of shield or reinforcing for the bow as she took out several fine looking arrows and fired several of them at the incoming Werewolves that were charging at them at high speed, the werewolves hit by the arrows howled in great pain as their wounds from the arrows burned them deeply, showing that the arrows were either enchanted or made from Arcane Silver of some sort. He hood was also down as she was revealed to be an elf as well like that of her companions, and her own haired appeared to be deep red that was up to her shoulders and she had some war paint patterns on her face, and she had a light cream complexion as well.

The last of the hooded figures revealed a sword that was the same used by the first elven woman but was longer and seemed to be a two handed type of weapon as well and it seemed to be her only weapon as it seemed to crackle with living energy as she revealed the weapon into her hands as she cut down two Werewolves easily, showing that sword was both made out of Arcane Silver and was enchanted with powerful magic to allow it to damage and cut the Werewolves like that with just one powerful swipe. The figure's own hood fell to reveal yet another elven woman who had raven black hair that was long and tied in several long and lush ponytails held by leather thongs with feathers in them. The four of them fought well together and appeared to be very much a good and solid team in battle, which was rather surprising to say the very least since they seemed to be different in most if not all fashions.

Naruto and the others looked at one another and joined in as they finished off the last of the insane horde of werewolves.

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Later…

The fires from the cave lair of the slain werewolves died down and the valley was now covered by moonlight. The valley was covered with thick blood as the werewolf bodies were gathered but as Naruto went to take the body of the Alpha Werewolf, the corpse had vanished and Holy Talon spoke.

(("The body was taken back…"))

(Death Fang?)

(("Yes, but we have to deal with the bodies of the transformed ones, burn them and consecrate the ashes, once that is out of the way, we can deal with our new arrivals."))

The group did so, as the elves understood what was going on and helped them dispose of the bodies of the transformed humans as Naruto's Kage Bushin poofed away and Dana's essence was back into Holy Talon for Naruto to call upon once more if needed, though he had to admit that the signing voice was going to be hard to forget anytime soon, he might very well use the singing skills he picked up for a better time. After the bodies were gathered, the Fire Dragon destroyed the bodies and Naruto consecrated the ashes afterwards.

With that done, the rest of the ninjas along with Naruto turned to see just who had arrived from the portal that appeared out of nowhere in the middle of their battle and had been able to help them when they needed.

.Naruto already could tell that they were elven in looks and he spoke to them in the elven tongue.

"Who are you all?"

The elves looked at him and then saw Holy Talon. There was recognition in their eyes, the one with the two swords spoke to the others briefly which Naruto understood, the apparent leader was telling her comrades that he was the one who was chosen by Holy Talon. The fact that the four of them were speaking in elven was enough to hide their words from the others, though Kakashi was able to understand a portion of it and told the others that it seemed that the elves recognized Naruto.

The elven woman turned to Naruto and then placed away her swords, she then bowed down with her hands spread out as she kneeled before Naruto, much to his utter surprise as he had not expected that, the three other elven women also bowed down in the same fashion after placing aside their weapons. He then spoke in the elven tongue.

"Why are you bowing down to me?"

The elven woman spoke gently but Naruto could tell that the voice had a tone of authority and nobility, this was enough to tell him that she was a person of high rank and she was speaking a human tongue as well, showing that she had some level of familiarity with the human tongue.

"We bow because you carry the sword of Lord Faldren, it is a sign of great skill and power, as well as nobility of soul and spirit, therefore we bow to show our respect to you young one. I and a Sword Dancer of the Elven High Guard my name is Kaelis of House Damiere."

Holy Talon then spoke to Naruto clearly.

(("I know that house, one of the previous Dragon Champions who's name Tyrelle was of this elven house. He was a skilled fighter and a good friend."))

(Is she nobility?)

(("I believe so as House Damiere is one of the seven ruling houses, they are nobles of the Elven lands and are good leaders as well as warriors. It's not unheard of if elf nobles become Sword Dancers, in fact, they are both performers and warriors as well."))

Naruto then spoke to Kaelis.

"Holy Talon said that one of your ancestors wielded it before, is that true?"

Kaelis nodded and replied.

"The one you speak of is Lord Tyrelle who is my great-great-grandfather, he wielded Holy Talon well in battle and it honors me to know that the creation of Lord Faldren remembers him. But forgive me, I must allow the others of my company to introduce themselves to you Chosen Champion of Lord Faldren."

Kaelis then moved aside as her comrades looked at Naruto, starting with the one who carried the Longbow, she also spoke though in a slightly different accent than the others.

"I am Reina of the 3rd Silver Leaf Guard; it is an honor to meet the chosen of Lord Faldren."

Naruto looked at Reina and commented at the weapon and the way she fought in battle.

"You don't fight like a Falcon Ranger."

Reina smiled a bit and bowed her head a bit and spoke.

"I am an Arcane Hunter young one, our traditions are different from the Falcon Rangers, but like all of my kin I am honored to have met the new champion even though you are not of our home land, it was hard for my people to hear that the sword forged By Lord Faldren and his race was thought lost. It is good to see that it still resides here."

Naruto could tell that she meant it and it helped him relax a bit more as Reina stepped aside and the other speaker was the elf woman with the short staff and the sword with the silver hair who spoke in a different accent as well, showing to him that while they were elves, they were very diverse in ways that was not limited to their appearance. The new arrival spoke next.

"My name is Tyra, of House Suldra, it is an honor to meet the new chosen Champion of Lord Faldren."

Naruto then spoke to Holy Talon, as the new speaker also had the tone of someone who was born to a high ranking family and apparently proud of the heritage and bloodline.

(You know that House Holy Talon?)

(("Yes, House Suldra is part of the Southern Ruling Council in the Golden Dawn Forests, they are not a powerful house by all standards, but are famous for their skills as mediators and warriors, though there are those among the house who are healers and druids as well. She is neither of them however…."))

(Really?)

(("Yes, she is a Battle Mage, only Elves train as Battle Mages and even then they are not as numerous. The reason is that there are not that many of them who are able to have the dedication to learn both the arcane and master the way of the sword at the same time as elves usually focus on only a small number of things in their live times. There are human Battle Mages but not that many due to the time and dedication needed to be one."))

(I see.)

(("You have nothing to fear Master Naruto, they are on your side."))

(I guess.)

Naruto bowed in greeting as well and Tyra smiled at that as she and the others moved as the last of their group spoke to him as she smiled in greeting.

"I am Arlynn of the 4th Fire Blade Guard, I am honored to make your acquaintance Chosen Champion, I have long hoped to meet one of the Dragon Champions in my youth and to do so now is a true honor to me."

The four once more bowed to Naruto and he decided to reply.

"It is an honor to meet you all as well. I can tell you took a great risk to come here, so are you sure about coming here in such a way?"

Kaelis nodded and replied.

"We are, we chose this path and we are here to aid you in whatever threats you shall soon face."

Naruto smiled back, it was good to have new allies on his side and since Holy Talon told him that they were allies in every sense he bowed to them as well, much to their own appreciation, though he looked to see that the others in his group were going to have to get used to this new series of events. He then directed his attention to the female Fire Dragon but it seemed that she was able to beat him to it as she spoke to him in the human language.

"The name's Nyrathangrsit, but I can bet that such a name might be too much for you take in at once, so you can just call me Nyra for short Dragon Champion Naruto."

"All right….were you the one who opened the portal?"

"Yes, it was because I wanted to see if the sword our Lord Faldren made had survived, I heard from my brother Dragon Drakhal that a band of human warriors came to him to seek the sword made by Lord Faldren, just as Kaelis and her comrades came to me to seek it out. I would have refused, but I have always wanted to see the sword I heard about ever since I was a hatchling, and to see it now is truly worth it, it will be many cycles before my powers return so I will remain here until then and aid you as well."

Naruto smiled but then had a thought and replied.

"That's all well and good, but you might be in for a bit of a surprise if you show up in my home village like that."

"I am aware of that, allow me to deal with that."

In that moment a deep red haze of light covered Nyra and she transformed into pure energy, her dragon form changed to be more human like in form and sure enough, as soon as the image faded, Naruto was looking on in surprise.

The dragon who now took the form of a full human woman was stunningly beautiful, and the only indications that she was actually a dragon were the pair of bony horns that were now much smaller and were on either side of her head near her ears which she easily hid under the numerous locks of her deep red hair and the pair of red wings that she quickly retracted into her back and the only signs of the wings were the slight bumps near the inner area of her back between her shoulder blades. She apparently wore garments that comprised of a red silk dress with metal armor on her shoulders as well as the undersides of her breasts which were covered, there was a belt of metal there on her dress as the skirt was up to her ankles with her feet in leather boots. And on her belt in a sheath of glowing golden scales was a Longsword and a bag

The disguised female Fire Dragon turned to look at Naruto with her deep teal colored eyes and she spoke in a human tone.

The disguised female Fire Dragon smiled a bit and replied.

"There….is that better?"

Naruto could only sigh, he knew for a fact that this was going to be yet another thing that Tsunade was going to have to deal with as soon as she was able to do so once they got back to Konoha, he wondered just how he was going to explain this event to the Hokage.

--------

In it's new lair…

Death Fang looked on and laughed a bit and spoke evenly.

(((Impressive….this is getting to be interesting indeed.)))

The sword looked at an amorphous cloud before it as the vision faded and the cloud took the form of the Alpha Werewolf that Naruto had slain though it was no longer in flesh and blood form.

(((Need not worry, you have done well my pet…rest now, soon you shall have your turn soon enough.)))

The Alpha Werewolf nodded and returned to the cloud form and was absorbed by the evil sword as it brooded in thought in order to find yet another way to test Naruto.

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To be continued...

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Author's notes:

Well that is yet another piece done and for that I am very thankful indeed, now I can rest for a while and get to working on another set of chapters. And here we have yet another Dragon Champion spirit to join the ranks.

As you can see….Lady Dana is another Dragon Champion who Naruto is able to summon to aid his friends in combat, in this case however she is a Song Maiden who unlike other Song Maidens who were shown is skilled with the blade and can sing while in combat.

In her past life as a Song Maiden and as a Dragon Champion, she had gained the title of the Singing Blade. She showed not just an amazing voice for singing, but a considerable talent for sword play and was able to hold her own in combat. She believed that the power of a simple song dedicated to fighting evil is as potent as any spell and weapon. She had a loved one who died in the fighting and she sang in his funeral as well. She then took up the position of Dragon Champion after being chosen by Holy Talon and used both her skill as a Song Maiden and as a Dragon Champion to strengthen the forces who fought with the servants of Chorvax who would rise to attack their lands every now and then.

She eventually married and had several children and died in combat but not before slaying the Chaos Dragon Champion of her generation and time, she was remembered by her family and every day of the anniversary of her death they would sing her favored song to remember her, and the others who were Song Maidens consider her as one of their strongest sisters in combat.

And she is inspired by none other than Devil May cry 4' very own Kyrie so don't ask me where I got the idea for this Dragon Champion all right?

Now on with the new arrivals!

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Nyra was inspired by the Dragon Queen of The Red Dragon Flight of World of Warcraft fame and she is known as Alexstrazsa the Life Binder, who is quite the sight in human form and is fitting for a female Red Dragon, now before anyone asks me too much on the details, I would like to point out that this was going to happen at some point so don't ask me too much on the details on how this was going to turn out.

Nyra is a powerful creature even in human form and will be a valued asset in the rest of the story so don't worry, she's not there just for show. And before ANYONE asks about her having a scene with Naruto in the Lemon section…keep in mind that will have to wait for the time being, all right? Anyhow, as a Fire Dragon she is a master or rather mistress when it comes to fire based spells and techniques and knows higher level spells as well, even more than those who are mages and therefore should be a very interesting addition to the whole party.

Kaelis is what we know as an Elven Sword Dancer, Sword Dancers are skilled elven sword specialists who use swords that resemble katana style swords but are actually elven blades made from Orchaelium which are enchanted with certain magical powers and wearing standard Iron Armor that is enchanted to have much less weight, equaling Orchaelium' famed lightness but this would make it easier to manufacture as iron is easier to find, though the armor is still elegantly made and is well recognized as good quality armor for battle, with the leather being soft as well as light yet strong and hard to cut. The Sword Dancers serve as both entertainers to the Elven Court for their beauty, skill in dance as well as song, and also as elite guard and shock troopers on the battle field for the Elven Army. Only the most skilled Elven warriors get to be in the ranks of Sword Dancers and they were rumored at times to compete in friendly duels with the War Blades and fight side by side with them in battle. They are known to sing to their blades on occasion which are blessed through elven ceremony to increase the blades' power in battle when it is needed by them in battle.

Tyra is an Elven Battle Mage and is quite skilled as a mage in combat but is also skilled with the same sword that was carried by Kaelis in battle, as the Elves, being a much longer lived race were able to perfect their skills of using both magic and sword play very well. It takes greater skill for one to be a Battle mage as it requires equal dedication to both the arcane arts and the art of the sword and therefore only the Elves have the ability to have them, unlike the Silver Star Mages who are dedicated solely to the arcane and received only rudimentary combat training. Battle Mages also are seen in the human lands but are very rare as the demands of being skilled fighters as well as mages is a path only few dedicate themselves to. To balance the need for good defense in combat with the need of flexibility in battle as well as being aided in casting spells, All Battle Mages wear a combination of light leather and Orchaelium Scale-mail to defend themselves well in battle

Reina is an Arcane Hunter, one of the elite ranks of the Elven Army and are known to be similar to the Elven Battle Mages though their expertise is to the bow and arrow, therefore they are similar to the Falcon Rangers but have limited close combat training unlike the Falcon Rangers. However they make due with being able to cast greater amounts of magical power and meld it into their arrows and their bows. Despite this, they do have some level of combat training in the art of close combat fighting and therefore are able to defend themselves. The Arcane Hunters are chosen by the Elven Lords from those who are both adept with the bow and have some level of skill with the use of arcane magic and are trained well to master both forms. The results are highly skilled archers who wield great magical power in combat and therefore as both Archers and Mages, the Arcane Hunters do not use heavy armor. To prove this they wear what is known as Steel Silk, a powerfully made material found only in elven lands and rarely seen outside of them. This silk is soft and supple, but when formed it can be as hard as steel and when enchanted can be able to boost the power of certain spells. They however are not like the Falcon Rangers as they do not hide themselves in battle but proudly appear to strike down their foes

Arlynn is a Blade Maiden, they are well trained in the use of the elven two handed Great-sword which is similar to a Nodachi but is lighter as it is also made of Orchaelium though they also use other materials in making their blades to give them a better edge when dealing with particular threats before them, they wear lighter armor however that most would think, namely since they use Orchaelium chain mail that is fashioned in a different way than regular chainmail, this type of armor us very unique to the Blade Maidens as they are forged by the Maidens themselves and not by regular elven smiths. The same could be said with their swords as they forge these weapons themselves, the Blade Maidens are rumored to be spiritually 'married' with their swords and it is proven as Blade Maidens can magically throw their swords at their foes and with a simple thought, bring their weapon back to them instantly in a flash of light.

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That wraps up just who are the fantasy babes we've included in this little party so I hope you don't mind the new additions for the time being, if you do feel free to comment and review. But like before, keep those comments and reviews civil and constructive, and if they become insulting I will kick them out.

By the way, for all you readers, the next chapter is something that I hope you all will enjoy…and that is the trip to the sunny place for some surf, food, drink, sun bathing and more.

That's right….it is time to hit the beach!!!!

And for you guys….it's going to be a serious case of keeping your eye balls in your heads as well as keeping the tongue from flapping out like a fish out of water. Of course that depends if you guys are going to have fun seeing the ladies in the clothing I have in mind for them all for this little romp through paradise.

I hope you enjoy it.


	41. Beach Party

Naruto Dragon Champion

Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Naruto...yet again...anyway, you guys get the idea right?

Chapter 31

Beach Party

( ): Thoughts

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In Konoha's Hokage Tower...

Tsunade looked over at the reports and wondered just what was going to happen next, she felt a creak in her neck and moved her head about, feeling some measure of relief as the stiffness there faded. It had been a trying time for her and it had been a week ever since the whole mess in the village that Naruto and his team as well as Asuma's team had been in. She hoped that there was a chance that the place would be all right while she took a break by drinking some tea.

Getting the new arrivals settled in was something that she wished she didn't have to do every day, but the help was certainly worth it all in her mind as the extra help was certainly going to be an advantage as the skills of the five women was going to be a serious addition to the arsenal. However Tsunade also knew that they all needed some time off in order to avoid burning themselves out through sheer exhaustion.

It was then that a letter bearing the seal of Snow/Spring Country arrived via ninja messenger mail, Tsunade took a look at the email and smiled warmly at this, it seems that they were going to get that vacation thing all squared out. Now all they needed was some way to do this without leaving Konoha undermanned. She already had a very good idea on how that was going to be accomplished and she already had a number of people chosen to handle the situation before her.

"Shizune!"

The Jonin appeared quickly with her usual clip board in hand and spoke to her sensei.

"What is the problem Tsunade-sama?"

Tsunade smiled and replied

"We're going on a vacation."

"Huh?"

Tsunade then showed the letter to Shizune and the Jonin's eyes widened at the contents and she looked at Tsunade to see if she was really being serious about all this and seeing the gleam in the blonde Hokage and Sannin's eye was more than enough to make her realize that Tsunade was serious about this. However, Shizune was the voice of reason behind Tsunade and despite the fact that she wasn't always successful in trying to change Tsunade's mind, no one could fault Shizune for trying to do so.

"But Tsunade-sama, we can't just leave Konoha like this!"

The Sannin nodded at that and replied.

"I am well aware of that and I already have some plans in store for that kind of situation, besides, this would be perfect to take some time to unwind, plus I'm sure we all can convince a certain someone to join us, am I right Shizune?"

The Jonin blushed and wondered just how Naruto was going to take this.

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In Naruto's home...

Naruto was currently getting some rest after yet another grueling day at the patrol routes, the blonde Chuunin wished that there was going to be a mission of some sort to stave away the boredom that was getting to him, however he placed that aside for the time being as he decided to take in as much time as he could in order to enjoy the lull in battle to rest and relax for as long as he was able to do so. He then took out a pack of instant ramen and got to work in readying his snack for the day.

As he was doing this however, he was suddenly surprised to hear that someone was knocking on his door, grumbling a bit at being interrupted from what could have been a very relaxing day for him, he sighed and got to the door to see just who was knocking on his door of all things, he had been hoping that after his long stint in the patrols with the other Chuunin. He opened the door and was surprised to see that it was not another Konoha Chuunin or anyone he knew of but a ninja mailman. The man looked at him and spoke seriously.

"Are you Naruto Uzumaki?"

"Yeah, I am Naruto Uzumaki, what is this about?"

The man smiled and reached into the bag that all ninja mailmen carried with them and pulled out a letter with a symbol of Snow/Spring Country and handed it to him.

"This is a letter from Princess Koyuki to you sir, please sign here."

Naruto wondered just what sort of letter Koyuki-hime sent him today, he signed the paperwork and paid the ninja mailman some ryo and as the man left, he opened the letter and decided to find out just what was going on with Koyuki-hime as he looked the letter over.

'Hello Naruto-kun…

How are you today? I hope you're growing up to be a worthy Hokage to your village in the coming months, it would make me feel utterly happy that you make it to the place that you have dreamed of for a very long time. Things in my homeland have become quite peaceful as well as progressive and at the moment, the land is experiencing spring. My people have located a large island nearby and it is a perfect site to establish a new tourist spot that would help showcase the beauty of the land even more, I would like to invite you to see the place as it is newly constructed, as this is a personal invitation, I wouldn't not mind if you have brought others with you to enjoy the place and take part in the hospitality here. I will be looking forward to your response.

P.S

I also sent the same invitation to your Hokage so you all can take even a small amount of time to relax and enjoy yourself.

Princess Koyuki Kazahana, Ruler of Spring/Snow Country.'

Naruto placed aside the letter for the moment and decided that he might as well go and see Tsunade to see if she had gotten the letter, he was rather interested to see if she was going to respond to the letter sent to her by Princess Koyuki. This might very well be the chance for them to all take a much needed break.

It was after he had eaten his ramen that he headed right off to speak to Tsunade and find out what here decision was on this kind of situation. He wanted to make sure that if he was going there, he would ask permission from Tsunade to go there and bring someone to enjoy the sights of the place that Koyuki had spoken of. He was dressed in his regular clothes with Holy Talon on his back and he was wearing his Chuunin vest as well. He greeted his fellow Chuunin Kotetsu and Izumo who were currently on duty at this time of the day, they greeted him back and he asked them if Tsunade was there in the office and he got an answer.

"Yeah Hokage-sama is there, along with a lot of other people too."

That Naruto's attention right off the bat as he wondered just who would be visiting Tsunade at this time of the day and decided to ask.

"Who's up there with Tsunade-sama now?"

Izumo thought it over and spoke.

"Hinata is there now, along with Tenten, Kin, Ino, Sakura, Kurenai, Anko, Shizune is there already, along with Ayame, Temari, and those four female elves along with that woman with the red hair."

(Wow….I wonder that brought all of them there?)

(("No doubt they were summoned by Tsunade to discuss something, and considering who is there already in the building, then you can expect this to be something that you are no doubt going to be part of."))

Naruto sighed and headed up to the office, as he got there, his enhanced hearing was able to pick up a number of voices and all were undeniably feminine , he had a feeling run up and down his spine and wondered if this was a good idea to be barging into the office of the Hokage when there was a serious discussion going on. However, knowing who was already up there in the room he was sure that he was going to be included sooner or later into the whole thing before him. Just as he was about to open the door and walk it, the door was opened and the one who opened the door and allowed him in. The disguised female Fire Dragon spoke to the others.

"You won't have to look further Tsunade, the one we're going to talk to is already here."

The other women looked and all of them smiled warmly to see none other than Naruto himself and the blonde Chuunin felt like he had just walked right into a situation that made him feel like a thick hind quarter of beef being thrown into a pit filled with hungry predators, but in a good way since he was familiar with them all. He managed to smile at them and spoke to Tsunade.

"What seems to be going on Tsunade-sama?"

Tsunade smiled and presented the letter.

"I got an invitation to see the new resort that Koyuki-hime from Spring/Snow Country is opening to increase tourism to their lands and she has requested that I come along with whoever I choose to bring to have a first glimpse of the place and test it out before it is open to the public for all to see. So I figured that it would be a good chance for a vacation of sorts."

"Oh, that's good to here, I…"

"Let me guess, you got the same invitation right?"

Naruto nodded somewhat sheepishly at that and that made Tsunade smile a bit more as she spoke.

"That's surprising, but since it is a formal invitation then I suggest that you go, of course you are not going alone."

"Huh?"

Naruto had no idea what was going on in Tsunade's mind as the blonde Sannin laid out the plans in her head once more as she looked at all the resources that were there at this moment, when she came up with the plan she decided to have Shizune go to find the others and call them all here into the Hokage Tower to decide the situation before them as she was eager to take a break and she knew that they were going to need a break as well.

As soon as the others arrived, as well as Kaelis and her fellow elves as well as Nyra, she began to tell them what the letter had in it. She also mentioned that it was a good chance for the four elves and the disguised female Fire Dragon to see the world that they had arrived in and also to learn more about some of the customs here in the new world that they were now part of. This was something that Kaelis was interested in and so were her fellow elves as well as Nyra. They had already spoken to Kaelyn and her own group and while they had learned much from the previous group that came to this world, they were eager to learn more about this new world that they were now part of.

With that in mind, and her plans ready she spoke to Naruto.

"What I meant by that is that everyone here in this room will be going along with you to the island."

Naruto's eyes widened at that as he was quick to guess the implications of that statement, he looked at the others who were in the room and he could see that they were all very interested in going to this place, even Hinata was eager for this chance to go to the place mentioned but he then recalled that doing so was going to be a serious problem as he had no doubt that the Konoha Council, namely Danzo, Koharu and Homura were going to cause trouble for the rest of the village, without Tsunade around to keep an eye on those three who knew what sort of trouble they would cause and get Tsunade into when she was not around to keep an eye on things.

"But we can't just leave now, I mean….who's going to watch over Konoha?"

Tsunade however smiled as she had already cooked up a working plan that would help them at this stage. And now was the right time to get things underway as she spoke once more.

"Don't worry, I have some plans in mind to keep things well under control here, so for the moment, we're going to get things organized so I suggest that you should to, I'll go and send out a letter to Koyuki-hime to tell her that we are on our way to the island soon and when the time is right, we all go."

Naruto had no idea what was going on, but it was then that Holy Talon spoke to him.

(('I can tell that Tsunade is speaking the truth Master Naruto, she does have a plan to handle the situation once you all leave for the place that Princess Koyuki spoke of in her letter to both you and her."))

(All right….but I still feel that leaving Konoha alone is a bad idea.)

(("True, but I can tell that Tsunade has made the right plans for this kind of situation, so the best we can do is trust her judgment. This could be a chance for you to unwind as well Master Naruto so I suggest you take it, it can be helpful to say the very least in helping you relax more."))

Naruto nodded mentally and then spoke to Tsunade.

"All right, I'll get my stuff ready."

Tsunade smiled warmly at that and soon enough, things were soon ready to get underway.

--------

Later…

The women began to do their thing by taking their storage scrolls and taking some essential items, namely towels, shampoo, soap, bathing clothes, spare things and more. Tsunade however then called them all together and they decided to take a quick trip to a clothing store that was a few hours away from the village of Konoha, this was a place that Tsunade knew of that offered various types of clothing for all manner of occasions and this was going to be interesting indeed and she was going to enjoy having this time to cut loose and enjoy life as she was now back to being young again. As they arrived into the shop, the Hokage guided her group to the summer collection that the shop was famous for and with a good deal of money that was handed to her by Naruto who was willing to contribute to the whole thing as well as all the Kunoichi pooling their money together for this planned vacation.

The younger Kunoichi had written letters to their parents to explain that they were all going to have a three day long furlough and they were going to be back after three days of rest and recovery, the parents were more than willing to let it happen as they agreed that after all the action they had seen they were going to need all the rest that they needed in order to be back to their feet.

With that part done, Tsunade sent her own letters of assurance that she and a select team of Jonin would personally watch over the young girls and the assurances coming from the blonde Sannin and the Hokage was more than enough for the parents to agree to the whole thing, the blonde then called together several of the Jonin she knew could keep Konoha running while she and the others were going out on vacation. She called forward Gai, Asuma, Kakashi, as well as Jiraiya along with a few select Chuunin namely Naruto's old teacher Iruka, Kotetsu and Izumo. She also requested that Kaelyn and her comrades lend their aid in keeping the village running until they got back.

Naturally Jiraiya and the others were curious as to where they were going and Tsunade told them for the need to take a needed rest and get their energy back. It was enough for the others and namely for Asuma and Kakashi as they knew that their female students Ino and Sakura needed some time to relax after what they dealt with more than once, Shikamaru and Chouji were handling it well enough thanks to their families, but the Jonin decided that the two women needed some way to relax and bleed out the stress and the beach seemed the best place to do just that. Jiraiya naturally wanted to come along but Tsunade said no and that was that, besides, Jiraiya knew that Tsunade was trusting him with Konoha so he dropped it and said that he will do his best.

Tsunade knew that the white haired Sannin was not lying in this regard and smiled at him, and to Jiraiya's mind that was more than a good enough reward for him to do his best to keep Konoha from falling apart. With that set up, Tsunade was happy that they had finally got everything set up and ready to go. She then dispatched her letter to be brought to Koyuki at all possible speed and with the letter on the way, it was now the right time to go shopping for the right gear.

Back in the clothing shop, the women were now busy picking their items a number of them were more than eager to get their outfits ready but Hinata was naturally a bit more hesitant on the idea of choosing a swim suit of all things, but the others were more than willing to help along as they showed her several articles that made Hinata blush bright red at the sight of them. It was then that Kin showed one set to Hinata and the other younger Kunoichi were more than eager to tell Hinata that this was the right choice.

"This one's perfect for you Hinata-chan!"

"B-B-But I can't wear that!"

Sakura teased Hinata gently at that.

"Why? It goes great with your eyes you know."

Kin nodded at that as well.

"Yeah, Sakura's right about that, it's just perfect for you."

Hinata was still hesitant at that until she decided that she might as well take it, besides, it would be nice if Naruto liked her in such a choice of clothing.

"All right."

The others smiled at that and as the whole group continued to shop for their extra clothes for their three day furlough, the four elven women and the disguised female Fire Dragon were also were looking at the clothing with some level of confusion until Tsunade explained to them that these were considered to be worth wearing in the beach. Nyra was confused by this but she decided to try them out and so did Kaelis and her comrades as they decided to find their own choices for the day and they placed the items in what appeared to be magical storage pouches of their own as well.

As soon as they were done, they all headed back to Naruto's home as Naruto was told to wait for them and when they arrived, there was Naruto who was currently taking the time to train a bit with his Dragon Fire powers by making his small tree grow a bit more with the application of his Dragon Fire. As soon as he was done he smiled at them and Tsunade told Naruto just where they were going to go in Snow/Spring Country.

Naruto then summoned Kael and his fellow Sky Dragons and soon they were off to take the much needed break in order to relax and unwind so they were not going to suffer from too much stress and hard work.

As soon as they reached the ocean, Naruto and the others were flying low on the ocean as they were heading towards Snow/Spring Country, Naruto had Hinata behind him to provide directions as she was the one who could see further due to the Byakugan as he needed to guide Kael and his brethren to their journey. The others were utterly impressed with the way they were moving about on the backs of Dragons as they had never done anything like this before in their lives, the only exceptions to the group was Naruto as well as Kaelis and her Elven comrades as well as Nyra as she herself was Dragon in human form. As they kept on moving forward, it was not long before they were able to see the land that Naruto knew from his first hand travels there alongside Sakura as the Land of Snow/Spring.

Naruto asked Kael and his comrades to slow down and that was a good move as they were able to spot the island before them and Hinata was able to see who was waiting for them, as soon as she described the person, Naruto smiled as he recognized the person to be none other than Princess Koyuki herself and that the island they were closing over was the place that they needed to go.

--------

In the beach resort…

Princess Koyuki smiled as she spotted the flying Dragons and as soon as she looked at the lead Dragon, she was able to recognize Kael and there on the back was none other than Naruto, as soon as the Dragons landed, they lowered their backs to release the passengers. The passengers looked over the island and had to admit that the place was beautiful. There were trees there as well as large rock outcroppings and flowing rivers of water, showing that the island had a very good water supply that was no doubt fresh. The trees looked lush and healthy and wild flowers were there as well. The land was pristine as Koyuki's people must have done their best to make it beautiful without disturbing the natural beauty of the land before them. Naruto looked about and had to admit that the island was a great site before him for a resort and tourist spot and the women who were with them were also thinking the very same thing as the place was pristine to look at.

They then directed their attention to the place that was built for the resort, it resembled the design of a large estate and it was well built and had some smaller building near it, the place was well constructed and seemed to be well kept as there were walls there that were made from good wood and stone along with mortar. The place looked beautiful indeed and was more than able to take the look of a well maintained and furbished hotel area.

The others smiled at the looks of the place as the Sky Dragon Mounts led by Kael faded away from sight and were now with Holy Talon. The place looked marvelous and there already was Koyuki who smiled warmly at all of them. The princess was dressed in her regal robes of office as she smiled at the new arrivals as she walked forward and bowed to them in greeting. She had gained the message hours before the group took off so she was happy that they were able to come there

"It's good to see you all have arrived, including you Naruto-kun, it's been some time since I last spoke to you."

Naruto smiled as well as he bowed to Koyuki as the others watched, they relaxed themselves though a good number of them were not too happy with what they know of Koyuki's 'scene' with Naruto, namely Ino and Sakura, but they had made peace with the whole event for the time being as Koyuki was their hostess for the time being. The princess greeted Tsunade and the rest of them smiling warmly at both Sakura and Ino and began to escort them all through the island and the hotel site itself.

The hotel was a three story building that was located on the island in a good location to take advantage of the hot springs that were in the area to provide the place with heat energy and natural hot-springs for them to use when not in the beach or when the place was hit by snow when the generator that helped make the land become the Land of Spring was turned off. Koyuki explained that the Generator designs were constantly being perfected while she was ruling the land and Sandayu advising her. She chose the island as it was a perfect site and was very large so it could be worth setting up a good place for tourists who come to the Land to relax and see a part of the beauty of the Land of Snow/Spring.

The hotel had all the basic amenities and facilities for all the people who would come there, the hotel could hold at least a number of tourists in the range of at least two hundred and working personnel that were around the number of at least fifty in all. The place was well supplied for the moment and was more than able to be self sufficient for at least two to three years until it needed resupply from the mainland and had a harbor that would serve as the main site for the tourists to come to.

The island not only had beautiful scenery but had several good sites for the tourists to see, there were underwater caves, inner grottos, lakes, coral reefs for exploration work and more besides, the trees added good healthy color to the land and the flower fields that were naturally growing features on the island and those that were brought in by Koyuki's people added extra beauty to the island, the wind coming in was cool due to it coming from the sea and the sun was perfect for those who wanted to have a tan. There were also some rock formations that were worn down by the elements and time and formed beautiful natural shapes as well as revealing crystals that added extra color to the land that further added to the beauty of the place.

When the tour was now over, the groups headed back to the hotel and were given their rooms and Koyuki gave them some light refreshments so they would be feeling better after their travels from Konoha to the island. Naruto and the others were very happy for the food and drink as they were given good food and drink by the talented chefs who Koyuki had hired for this place. As soon as they were done eating and resting, Tsunade announced that now was the right time for them to get into their chosen articles of clothing.

Naruto was in his room and he was more than eager to take advantage of the time he had while here in the hotel. The room was spacious and also very much comfortable with beds ready there, along with a change of clothes that he could wear while he was here in the hotel itself. As soon as he unpacked, he decided to get his beach clothes and enjoy the day for this time. It was not every day he got to be in the beach and in truth, this was the first time he had ever been on a beach.

--------

In front of the beach…

"Wow, this is a great sight!"

Naruto spoke out as he looked at the beach before him, the water was pristine and clear, the sand was clean and deep white. It made him smile at how beautiful this place looked. He was impressed that this place was even there and remembered that during the time there was nothing more than ice and snow covering the land when he and his team first came here.

He was currently wearing an open shirt and wearing a simple par of orange and black trunks that he was able to purchase before, Holy Talon was in his room for the time being while he waited for the others to arrive. He didn't have to wait for very long when he heard footsteps, he smiled and turned to greet them.

"Hey! About time you're all missing a…."

As Naruto looked at the women before him, the words that were about to come straight out of his mouth died quickly and he felt as if his eyes were going to pop out of his skull right there and then. He had the urge to try and keep his nose from gushing out blood in a way that would have made it look that he had a water fountain for a nose. But who could blame him considering the fact that he was looking at such a sight before him, he knew ANY guy would have either drooled like an absolute idiot or fainted from massive blood loss as well as suffer a severe case of tight pants cutting off his circulation. The bathing suits before him would have driven him to the brink as he looked at them all.

Hinata was dressed in deep white two piece suit with the top piece able to hold her now growing breasts well and allowing him to see her curves and swells in all the right places while the bikini piece had thin yet strong straps that allowed him to see her shoulder. The lower bikini piece was also a sight to see as it had thin straps on the sides to show her hips., All in all, it made the normally shy Hinata Hyuuga look like a real hot babe to anyone within eye seeing distance and Naruto was the only one there as well.

Kurenai was wearing also a two piece swim suit but in her case it was black and red. The top piece that covered her chest and in turn her more than ample breasts was the kind that crossed over one another to form a x shape in front of the red eyed Jonin and her lower piece had a long red and black sash on red on the front that made the red eyed Jonin look like an exotic dancer., that and the fact that she had her fashionably messy hair in a long pony tail with some well made hairclips on the back was more than enough to make her look divine.

Anko was wearing a full one piece suit but in her case, it was in deep violet with a long opening in the middle that reached her navel, covering her womanhood and up to her belly button, there were crisscrossing straps on the middle area and over her well formed breasts with the same thin straps on her shoulders to the back of her neck, the one piece was tight on her frame and showed all of the Jonin's curves right before Naruto in full bloom.

Temari wore a two piece swimsuit in also a very different style from the others, her color matched her eyes and was therefore emerald green in color but it had golden straps crisscrossing over the bikini piece that showed Temari's breasts in the middle with a tie at the bottom and the same golden straps were there on her shoulders to the back of her neck. The lower part was also in green color and had the same golden straps on either side to show off Temari's full and lush figure to Naruto while she had her hair in her regular hairstyle.

Ino wore a one piece, but fitting her desire to show her beauty, the blonde daughter of Inoichi Yamanaka picked quite a daring piece of an outfit as it was like several long straps of deep golden silk thread that covered her body. The straps that covered her breasts met to a small stone that held them together along with the straps that were tied around at the back while exposing her stomach for all to see and the straps covered her navel but not her hips.

Sakura wore a two piece masterpiece that was colored in the same way that her hair was. The bikini half covered her breasts well with a golden circle on the top area of the middle where the straps were as well, the lower half was also well made with the straps at the front and back parts were held by small golden hoops and there was also a long white silk towel that was there on the back and sides with the knot tied at the front and there in the towel were images of flowing flower petals flying in the wind at this moment. This made Sakura look very attractive in many ways before Naruto.

Tenten wore a two piece that covered her full frame with the bikini part covering her well formed and still growing breasts well and seemed to resemble part of a dress with floral and wave designs and a flame pattern was in the front of it as well while it was in black silk that was made in such a way that it was perfectly conditioned for use in the beach. The weapon mistress of Konoha also had her hair in her usual hairstyle of choice and the lower part of her chosen outfit was also black with the same patters but had three golden hoops to the sides to hold it there, with the middle one being the largest.

Ayame also wore a two piece that was deep silver with black outlines with black straps that were there before Naruto with a small gem in the middle of the upper part of the outfit and the lower half was of the same color and design. That made Ayame look very much like a beauty in the eyes of any man watching her at this moment while she had removed the clothe she had on her head to keep her hair from falling over, and favored a lush display of her own black hair. While she was not a Konoha ninja, there was no doubt that she was very attractive and strong as well.

Kin wore a one piece outfit that had a number of colors such as red, green, yellow, pink and a few other colors that instead of clashing with one another in a very bad fashion, they were all able to work together as one and the woman seemed to be very content with her choice of outfit while she had her long hair done in the same fashion as before. Kin enjoyed the one she was wearing as she felt great comfort in wearing it.

Koyuki wore a two piece number but it was blue with green outlines, there were two straps that were in the middle as the upper part of her outfit was more than able to hug her breasts were, allowing them to move freely while showing them to Naruto who couldn't help but gape at the sight before him as he looked at the princess who was their hostess here in this newly opened island resort that was under her land's control. The lower part of Koyuki's outfit was also well made and was like a thinner triangle with green straps that allowed Naruto to see her full beauty without being too showy.

Shizune also had a two piece swim suit as her choice for this trip and hers was more than enough to make her blush as she had been hoping to wear something that was not too showy but decided to wear it either way as it was certainly something that was going to make Naruto smile and seeing Naruto happy was something she liked a great deal. The bikini top was able to cover Shizune's breasts and was deep blue in color with small tails of fabric at the bottom of the bikini with small diamonds there on the upper part, while the lower part of Shizune's choice of beach wear was also deep blue and had the same diamonds there that formed two stars.

Tsunade wore her own choice of swim wear that was a two piece that had the style in a tube that covered half of her breasts and cradled them well while giving more than enough eye candy to be seen, there was a golden circle there that held both pieces together with two straps that were there on the hoop as well with two straps crisscrossing over Tsunade's stomach above her belly button and the lower part had thin but strong straps on the sides to show Tsunade's full beauty to the best level that was possible at this moment. Tsunade's two piece swim suit was colored golden yellow with ivory white as well to make it quite a piece of work and craftsmanship.

Kaelis wore a one piece swim suit that she had picked due to the way it looked to her which despite it's still mysterious nature to her, was appealing. It was deep blue with silver inner and outer lining. There was an open part in the chest area which showed a portion of her breasts which were well formed for her height while hiding the rest and the lower part showed her stomach which was well toned. This allowed Naruto to see that she was well formed and fit, befitting her skills and training..

Nyra wore a two piece set that was perfect for someone of her figure's measurements which was something of a combination between Tsunade and Kurenai. The upper part was a strapless bikini top that was colored red and black which was in scale like patterns that befitted the fact that she was an actual dragon in disguise to boot. There was a golden hoop in the middle that held that part together while managing to keep the disguised female dragon's bust from spilling out a bit more than needed. The lower part was in the very same design and had small golden hoops there on the sides to keep the piece in place.

Reina's choice of a swimsuit was also a two piece which was silver white with the upper part of it having a part of the middle exposed to show her busy and the straps were inlayed with golden thread and appeared to be fairly strong as well and the lower half had thin yet strong straps as well. This allowed Reina's full form to be seen and coupled with her light coppery hued skin, she was certainly a sight to behold in Naruto's case as she had the same well featured and slender profile of an elven woman.

Arlynn wore a two piece as well as her comrades and hers was colored in blue and green with the top being blue with green stripes and the lower part had blue straps, there were lily impressions in white thread on the bikini top with a larger impression there at the bottom, which could have some considerable meaning in it's design being in that spot, Despite the designs, it was very fitting to her and it looked very good on her as well. The elven woman liked the floral designs and that was why she picked it as her choice when they were back there at the clothing store that Tsunade had guided them to.

Tyra was the last one and unlike her elven comrades, she wore a one piece swimsuit that was deep black and was see through, but had flower and leaf patterns there which served to cover up Tyra's breasts well along with the other parts without

Naruto managed to clip his jaw shut before he did something like drool before the sight of sixteen women before him at this moment. Tsunade saw this and she grinned seductively at the blonde Chuunin and Dragon Champion.

"What do you think Naruto-kun, you want to see us all turn?"

Naruto might not have said anything to voice his thoughts on the matter, but he didn't need to as all of the women turned about and showed their full lush forms in their swimsuits, allowing Naruto to see them all in full form and it was only due to the fact that he was now a lot more disciple than he was when he was younger that he was able to keep himself from fainting. As soon as that passed, the Hokage was quick to speak to everyone there before the blonde Chuunin.

"All right, we're all here to take a day or more of rest from all the hustle and bustle of work so we should enjoy it as best we can!"

The other Kunoichi nodded as they smiled at Naruto and hoped that this day was going to be all right for him while Kaelis and her comrades as well as Nyra were curious about this custom that was present here on this world.

As for now Naruto….he wondered just how he was going to deal with this kind of situation before him.

--------

Later…

Naruto found himself in what most men would have spent half their lives praying for and dreaming to be in, a large beautiful resort island with a lot of food and drink and a good number of women for company and since he was there to relax he was more than able to do that as the day went on. He was also happy for the fact that he got to enjoy some good company and thankfully due to his Kage Bushin he was able to do all right so far in hanging out with the female ninja, elves, and disguised female dragon.

He and the others had spent the day playing games and Naruto got to deal with seeing the women play volleyball with one another namely in a three on three match with Hinata, Sakura and Tenten on one side and Ino, Kin, and Temari on the other with him as the judge on who was going to be the winner of the games, it was a very good match between the six younger Kunoichi while the others were busy relaxing and lounging about. After the game was over, the next groups that was going to play in the game were the older Kunoichi with Tsunade and Shizune on one side, Kurenai and Anko on the other as he presided on that one yet again while the others relaxed with his Kage Bushin escorting them around the island.

As the original Naruto watched the game while trying his best not to faint at the sight of the four Kunoichi moving about in their bathing suits in trying to hit the ball over the net to the other side, the other Kage Bushin were currently busy keeping the rest company, Three were with Hinata, Sakura and Ino as they were swimming and frolicking in the beach, three were also with Temari, Tenten, and Kin as they were allowing the Kage Bushin to massage them as well as rub tanning oil on their bodies, one was helping Ayame cook their food for the day in a nearby cooking shed, and several were busy helping out Kaelis and her comrade elves as well as Nyra with their own games, as another was with Koyuki as he was massaging her back to her own delight..

As soon as the game between the four elder Kunoichi was over, the whole gang decided to have a good meal outside as they were served by the Kage Bushin who disappeared away afterwards, there was grilled beef, fish, noodles, soup, cool tea, fruit and more besides. It was good feast that they were eating and afterwards, the women spent their time lounging around and Naruto had to deal with the very difficult but undeniably enviable and fun event of placing sunscreen oil on all of them though Nyra merely as ked him to massage her back and her shoulders.

It took all of Naruto's control to not lose it as he did this as doing this, placing sunscreen oil on the women's bodies, with them being utterly attractive and wearing such clothing was really a great test of his control, but he reveled in it as well. It was not long before he was given the royal treatment himself as they gave it back to help him relax at the same time, as each of them took their time to massage him as well, that was more than enough to help him calm down, though some of them were more than willing to make the massage interesting by using their hands and going to certain places as well as some, namely Tsunade and Anko using their bust to rub Naruto's back….much to his embarrassment and enjoyment.

The afternoon was spent in the ocean as they took the time to try cutting watermelons with a bokken while blind folded as was normally done in the beach, Naruto was first and the girls cheered him on and when it was their turn, Naruto was enjoying the whole situation before him as he watched them take their turns with the watermelons before them. They also decided to relax with making castles or sculptures in the sand along with swimming after they were fully relaxed and they felt that they were no longer going to be worried about cramps and the sort.

Kaelis and her comrades were good swimmers and so was Nyra though she admitted that as a Fire Dragon, her kind were not all that suited to be in water, Tsunade and the others were enjoying the swimming as this was definitely something that they were going to enjoy. After a good deal of swimming the whole group took the time to relax in the hotel, by watching some TV, reading books or playing some card games, and before dinner, they enjoyed a good soak in the hot springs still in their beach wear, and it was hard for Naruto as the blonde found himself surrounded by sixteen females who were downright attractive.

At dinner, they were treated to a delicious banquet and were able to listen to good music as well as watch several good films in the main hotel hall. All in all it was a good day…

And Naruto knew that this was only the opening day, there was still three days left before they headed back to Konoha and he wondered just WHAT else were they all going to do here.

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After three days…

Naruto smiled warmly at Koyuki who was dressed into her regal attire while the others were also fully dressed and were now riding on the Dragons, the blonde Chuunin then spoke to the princess.

"I thank you for inviting us here to this place Koyuki-hime, this will be a grand place for your visitors and tourists to come to."

"Thank you Naruto-kun, if you ever need a place to relax when not in Konoha, feel free to come here and I will personally have rooms ready for you."

Naruto was happy at that and as soon as he rode on Kael, they took off to head back to Konoha, he looked back to the hotel and he blushed as he recalled the memories there in that place. The blonde knew that if anyone in Konoha found out about what he and the others had done in the hotel for over three days, he was going to be either the most envied guy in the whole village, or they would try and take his head. The reason for that train of thought was the fact that the group had been busy doing other things apart from relaxing in the hotel, playing games, sunbathing, swimming and more besides but he was not going to talk about it all that much.

He managed to stop his thoughts on that area for the moment and focus on other things so as to keep his thoughts from going to too far.

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To be continued...

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Author's notes:

Not too long and not too short, I'd say that about sums up this piece. It's been a while since I did a beach scene so you'll have to forgive me if my way of doing this was kind of off the beaten track at this point and time.

I was inspired by Bleach episode 228, as well as the chapter in my Ranma Knights of the Old Republic crossover story where Ranma and Female Company head off to the beach for a break.

Man, this was by far the best fun I had making chapters all day, and nothing beats the stress than being in the beach huh? This will certainly be one chapter that has really gotten me up at night whenever I think about it. Now I know that this is kind of strange considering the lemons I already cooked up, but we had to have this SOMEWHERE in the story for the sake of having a serious break from all the fighting and stuff. And nothing in my mind beats the beach when it comes to relaxing and enjoying the day.

Oh, and if anyone's curious where the majority of these swimsuit designs, come from, it's from Dead or Alive Extreme beach Volleyball 1 and 2 so that's there the designs come in, now with that out of the way, I hope you loved seeing some seriously good fan-service stuff, only the finest for my readers.

Now I KNOW that some guys would be asking me if I can make a lemon for this, and believe me, the idea of our intrepid Naruto being in a beach house with this MANY females is way too tempting for me to ignore, but I have decided to let you the readers decide if I should make a lemon for this number. If you guys say yes (and I KNOW that you do) then you can expect this number to be something that would very well outshine the chapter 4 of the Naruto Dragon Champion Lemon Story Board, but wait until I get there all right?

See you on the next chapter!!!


	42. Black Moon Rising Part 1

Naruto The Twin Swords

Disclaimer: I do not have any control over Naruto and all things related to it.

Chapter 30

Part 1

Black Moon Rising

( ): Thoughts

((" ")): Holy Talon's voice

(((" "))): Death Fang's voice

((( ))): Kyuubi's voice

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In Konoha…

The village had finally completed it's full repairs after the battles it had been subjected to already for some time and life was getting back to normal for all the people who lived in the village. This was something that a lot of people were undeniably happy for and it was something that the ninja forces of the village were also relieved to hear, the costs had been staggering and hard for all, but with the repairs complete as well as the village being upgraded due to support from outside sources and allies, the village was now back on track.

This meant that there was now a reduction to the number of ninjas who were part of the routine patrols that moved about in the village to handle other duties and the ANBU could also get some much needed rest to relax and also have time to train and keep their skills up for any coming conflict that might arise for them all. Naruto's created golems were currently securing the village and the specially made sensors would help ensure that the village would be in good hands if ever Naruto was out on other matters.

Tsunade sighed as she finished the latest batch of reports and the documents for the day, the break they had taken six days ago hit the spot in her mind as she felt a lot more limber and relaxed that before. And she couldn't help but smile at the memories that came back at what they had done in that time in the beach. She had to give Koyuki credit for doing those things and she had managed to get the news that the beach resort that the princess had constructed on the island was already making headlines as an excellent rest and relaxation spot for those visitors who came to the Land of Spring/Snow.

As she drank the tea that she had on hand to enjoy the sunny day, she wondered just what else would happen for the time being, Akatsuki was quiet for the time being, and so was Orochimaru for the moment, however, the Hokage knew that sooner or later, they would be making their move soon so they would have to keep their eyes and ears open, the ANBU who could be sent out for the time being were already gathering all the data they could get while Jiraiya did his own thing to keep an eye on the situation in and out of the land. She hoped that they would be able to find the hideouts of not just Akatsuki but also of Orochimaru, she however was not going to dispatch ninjas to try and track down Death Fang.

Tsunade knew that Death Fang was too dangerous a weapon to engage alone, and it would not be something that even ANBU can handle alone, let alone the minions that accursed sword could summon, though it's target was Naruto, the blonde Sannin knew that Death Fang would never hesitate to attack innocent villages and people to test Naruto as well as cause all manner of bloodshed, chaos, destruction and despair to feed it's bloody appetite.

She shuddered deeply in her mind at the thought of the sword's power and what it would mean for their world if it ever found a master. Their world was not prepared for the horrors this sword could bring into their world. But at least there was a chance, and it was in the form of a young blonde Chuunin who at this moment was training once more to face this evil threat when it comes. Naruto had come a long way since being one with Holy Talon, and every day his training made him a truly skilled ninja and Dragon Champion, and no doubt he might very well become a Jonin, becoming one of the few youths his age to be a Jonin.

As she looked at the view of the newly rebuilt Konoha, her thoughts drifted to the numerous battles that Naruto had been involved in as of late, and it made her wonder on something important. And that was the need for the ninjas of Konoha and their allies to be able to know how to stand up and fight the various beings and monsters Death Fang might send forth again. As much as she had faith in all of her fellow ninja and Naruto as well, she knew that they all needed to be ready. But only Naruto knew how to fight these threats due to the knowledge possessed by Holy Talon and his own combat experiences with these horrors before him. In order to make sure that the people had a fighting chance, they had to know just who they were going to one day be fighting against.

She then decided to contact the ANBU Captain and his subordinates, it was time that they not only had the weapons and armor needed to have a fighting chance against Death Fang's minions, but also have the knowledge on how to fight them. And there was only one person who could teach the ANBU how to fight and defeat those horrors in combat.

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In Naruto's home…

Naruto was currently working on some more of his techniques while sparring with Kaelyn along with Vlana as Kakashi and Asuma watched the whole thing, Naruto was currently using some dull swords while Kaelyn did the same thing with some dull sword while Vlana was unleashing several bolts of lightning and flame. The two Dagern women were busy training Naruto and it seemed that the training was paying off well enough as Naruto was able to hold on, as Kakashi looked on at the blonde Chuunin, he had to admit that Naruto had grown considerably at this time as he was now able to fight more than one foe, which in the Jonin's mind was a good sign. This would no doubt be undeniably helpful in keeping him alive as well as give him an edge in fighting any member of Akatsuki who might very well attack him unexpectedly and since they operated in pairs, they would become a serious problem.

Asuma watched as Vlana unleashed several powerful bolts of pure destruction and power at Naruto who had to dodge and evade the attacks as well as Kaelyn's own attacks towards him and he approved at the sight as Naruto had gone a long way ever since he had begun to train Naruto on how to use his Wind chakra in combat, and he hoped that Naruto would be able to use it in battle with the forces that would seek to harm him. While he worried about Vlana's safety, he knew better than to think that the Silver Star Mage was helpless in the fight.

They observed the fight well as Naruto evaded Kaelyn's strikes with defensive moves of his own while Vlana was taking shots at him, the blonde was sweating hard, but he was not giving up, despite his face covered in a river of sweat, he had not lost the determined fire in his eyes and kept his guard up as best he could manage. The fight proved to be a serious one as the two women continued to push Naruto the limits and the two Jonin knew that they would not have it any other way.

"Yo! Kakashi, Asuma, nice to see you all here!"

The two Jonin turned to see none other than their fellow Jonin Gai who was currently accompanied by Neji and Lee, as well as Coryin and Valeena. The Falcon Ranger and the Fire Dancer observed the battle with her comrades against Naruto and she whistled as Kaelyn and Vlana were going all out to push the young Dragon Champion.

Lee himself was impressed and so was Neji as the progress Naruto was showing while fighting both women in combat. Neji was naturally the very first person to speak as he watched Naruto's movements carefully as he fought with the two.

"Naruto-san's improved his foot work."

Lee nodded at that as well.

"You're right Neji-san, Naruto-kun's movements are more fluid now, that's what's giving him a good edge at this time."

Gai agreed with both Neji and Lee as he spoke to both Asuma and Kakashi.

"You know, from the way I see it, it might not be long before Naruto-kun rises to the rank of Jonin with the way he's going at it with his training. That would be quite an achievement right Kakashi?"

"You're right Gai, and I wouldn't have it any other way….Naruto-kun's come a long way."

Kakashi replied as all of them watched the three train until the three took a break and both Kaelyn and Vlana went back to both Asuma and Kakashi, they were tired but had smiles on their own faces as they decided to take some rest and so did Naruto as he too was going to need as much rest as possible as well. It was then that they all turned to see that a single ANBU had arrived to speak to Naruto and judging by the position of the tattoo that was on the arm, it was a female ANBU as well. Kakashi was quick to recognize the ANBU as Uzuki Yuugao, one of his fellow ANBU who looked up to him when he served as ANBU Captain, and the former lover of the deceased Hayate.

He was curious why Uzuki was here to see Naruto as he was already aware that Naruto had fulfilled his end of the bargain by providing the ANBU with access to weapons and armor that he personally crafted under their approved request. The fact that she was here meant that there was something that the ANBU wanted from the blonde Chuunin and Dragon Champion. He and the others were curious to say the least as the female ANBU spoke to the blonde for minute or two and then Naruto nodded and allowed Uzuki to come to speak to him in a more private fashion in his home.

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In Naruto's home…

Naruto opened the door first and allowed Uzuki to enter and as soon as she was in his home, he followed and guided Uzuki to the living room and then placed Holy Talon aside along with the training swords. As soon as he was able to do so, he relaxed, allowing Uzuki to sit on the chairs there, he did the very same thing as she did and then turned to face the ANBU and spoke to the female ninja before him.

"What brings you here?"

Uzuki replied in a businesslike manner to the question while still wearing the mask that she had on at this time.

"Our Captain would like to ask something of you Naruto-san, it has something to do with the kinds of creatures that you have been able to fight recently."

"Oh?"

"Yes, we've read the reports and we in the ANBU are worried that if such threats attack Konoha, then we would be in a bad way if we have to fight them. That is why we came here to speak to you. You have experience and knowledge about this….creatures, and we do not. We want you to compile a book that highlights the strengths and weaknesses of these creatures so we can be better prepared to fight them if they ever attack Konoha. This was asked by our Captain and also has been approved by Tsunade-sama."

Naruto thought about that seriously and had to admit that the ANBU had a point, they needed to know just who they were fighting and he was the only one who knew how to kill them thanks to his training under Holy Talon along with his already present combat experience due to fighting them before. With that in his mind as well as knowing the fact that it was approved by Tsunade herself, he nodded to Uzuki.

"All right, tell the ANBU that I will train them on how to face these foes….and I will do one better."

"Oh?"

"I will make something like a Bingo Book to show the kinds of foes that are part of the arsenal. Once it's finished and if you encounter these creatures, then you will be able to fight on an even footing with them in battle."

Uzuki thought of that and nodded as she stood up.

"Thank you Uzumaki-san, I will send word to the rest of my fellow ANBU."

As soon as Uzuki left, Naruto then decided to get back to work and did just that as he knew that he had plenty of free time before he would be going off and getting a new mission from the clients that the Hokage had to deal with. He then bid farewell to the people in his home and headed off to the Tower to get the latest reports. As soon as he made it to the Tower, he was greeted by Shizune.

The Jonin smiled warmly at Naruto and spoke to him.

"Good morning Naruto-kun, you here to see Tsunade-sama?"

Naruto nodded and smiled warmly as he could see that Shizune had her gift with her.

"Yeah, I wanted to see if there is any new mission for me to take."

"I see, go ahead, and make sure to be early for the next round of making this weapons of yours."

Naruto nodded in agreement and made his way into the Tower, and as soon as he was in Tsunade's office, he spotted her working on another mountain of papers and there was Jiraiya as well who handed her a new report that made Tsunade place aside the set of documents she had before and she sighed a bit. Jiraiya turned and smiled at his direction as he spoke to him.

"Hey there Naruto! Good to see you here."

"Nice to see you too Pervy Sage, anything new?"

The white haired Sannin shook his head and replied.

"It's been silent so far, even Akatsuki apparently are keeping themselves scarce at that moment which is a bit troubling since they were not like this before. So far we can only do what we can and keep a close watch on any activity related to them for the time being. Anyway, how about you?"

Naruto smiled a bit and told the white haired Sannin what had been happening since he had gone off to do his usual runs while working as a spy for Tsunade as well as doing the usual stuff he does for a past time. Jiraiya was smiling all the while and as soon as that was done he decided to head back out since he still had work to do for his research.

Naturally that got him a bit of a glare from the blonde Hokage but by that time, Jiraiya was well out of punching range. But before he left, he told Naruto to get ready for a training session with him later before he went out on a mission.

It was there that Naruto got a short escort mission for a number of traders, and since it would not be a high profile mission that required a full team, he was going to be the only one who would be assigned to act as full security detail along with whoever the traders had been able to hire, and their destination was the Land of Lightning so he was going to be rather busy once he got there.

Naruto smiled at that and then Tsunade told him to be careful on this mission, and then gently kissed him on the cheek as he blushed a bit at the affection being given to him by the blonde Hokage as he headed off to get some training done before he went off to the mission.

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Naruto arrived a bit and it was then that Jiraiya and him began their own training with Jiraiya using his arsenal of jutsu and his own skills while Naruto place in his already growing arsenal of combat skills as well as his new training. This was good in Jiraiya's eyes as Naruto took his training to the highest level that he could manage at this point and time. The while haired Sannin had no doubt in his mind that the blonde would do well and become a great ninja someday.

As soon as the training session was over, the blonde was escorted by the Sannin to the gate and Naruto then moved on to take care of the mission assigned to him by Tsunade. As he left, Jiraiya grinned as he went off to do his own thing as he had a lot of plans in mind for the next series of the Icha Icha books. Naruto was going to be recognized in more ways than one. And he hoped that when the time came, Naruto would be told of his heritage and would be the hero that his father hoped and dreamed him to be.

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In the ANBU head quarters…

Uzuki arrived and was greeted by her fellow ANBU and headed quickly to the head quarters of the Captain of their group to deliver the report on what Naruto spoke of, as soon as she was ushered in by the guards, the former lover of Hayate gave her report to the Captain and he as well as those who were part of his command team were happy though their masks hid it well. They had recently tested the gear that Naruto made for them and found the weapons, equipment, and gear to be more than adequate for their needs in battle.

The ANBU Captain nodded in approval at this and spoke to the others.

"That is good, we will do whatever we can to begin the others to learn from Uzumaki-sama on how to stand against these threats."

It was then that Uzuki spoke.

"Captain, I have a request."

"What is it Uzuki-san?"

"We will need a liaison for our group to speak to Naruto, as he is not of our ranks we do need someone apart from Kakashi-sempai to handle such matters as he is also no longer and ANBU."

"You have a point, but the request that you have in mind must be brought before the Council as well as Tsunade-hime before we assign one of our groups to serve as a liaison officer to Uzumaki-sama."

"I understand, I believe it would be best that the ANBU would be able to have Uzumaki-san as a full time ally and help him fight the kinds of monsters he has been fighting, the stories I have heard from Kakashi-sempai tell me that we have to work with him if he needs aid."

The others in the ANBU headquarters nodded as they began to make their plans to do so while the other ANBU decided to sent a message to Tsunade for a discussion on the matter.

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In the Hokage Tower…

Tsunade met with the ANBU Captain as well as his staff and agreed with the ideas they had in mind to have Naruto train them on how to identify the kinds of enemies that he would be training them to fight with. She looked over the ANBU to see who would be best suited for the task of serving as liaison members to Naruto as Naruto was going to be an outside support for the ANBU as Naruto was not part of their forces.

She looked over the records and decided to call on Kakashi and it was not long for the Jonin to arrive with his latest book in his hands. The Jonin then placed the book aside as he walked into the office of the Hokage.

"You wanted to see me Hokage-sama?"

"Yes I did Kakashi, the ANBU have placed forward a request for Naruto to help train them in dealing with the kinds of threats that Naruto is familiar with. They also have requested that two of their ranks would serve as liaison members to Naruto in the ANBU as he is not of their group."

"I see…"

Kakashi had to admit that it made some considerable level of sense that the ANBU needed to be trained to handle the kinds of horrors that Naruto now deals with in a somewhat regular basis. It would naturally be a good idea to have the ANBU up to speed on such matters and while he was a former ANBU Captain and had a lot of pull in that unit, he was not part of it anymore, but he already had a fairly good idea on just who would make a good liaison to the blonde Chuunin from the ANBU.

"I think it would be best we have or two of my colleagues from the ANBU work with Naruto."

Tsunade raised an eye brow at that and spoke.

"Who do you have in mind?"

Kakashi already knew of one ANBU that would be able to help Naruto well, both in terms of training as well as keeping his demon resident in check if the situation was desperate enough for him to get involved, and also the other was Uzuki herself, she was one of the skilled ANBU he had worked with on a number of occasions when he was still part of the ANBU and he knew that she was capable in a fight. He also hoped that it would help her get over Hayate's death to some degree. He then wrote down the names of the ANBU in question and allowed Tsunade to take a good look to study the names and see if they were good candidates for the liaison pair that would help Naruto in improving his standing with the ANBU.

As she looked at the two names, she nodded at them in approval, they would do well enough for the needs of the ANBU to work with Naruto not to mention that the other ANBU who would be working with Naruto can be a great aid to the blonde if ever he would be forced to using the Kyuubi's power and suddenly the Kyuubi might very well find a way to bypass the Dragon Seal that Holy Talon had placed on Naruto.

It was not that she doubted Holy Talon's power's, she just wanted to be sure that there would be support for Naruto on the chance something might happen. It was better to be prepared for the worst and hope for the best. The blonde Hokage cared deeply for Naruto's safety as he would become a great Hokage someday himself and also make the village a beautiful place.

Kakashi himself was i8n the mood to make the arrangements as well, as soon as Naruto got back from his current mission, then he would bring the blonde Chuunin up to speed on the current requests of the ANBU, since this was going to be a very important and serious matter that Naruto would need to take a good look at and decide for himself if it would be all right for him.

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A week later…

The sounds of a hammer hitting metal was heard in Naruto's compound as he was busy working on ironing out the kinks in his Dragon Steel sword as well as several other weapons and sets of armor that he needed to get finished to be sent to both the ANBU and to Suna…not to mention he had to fill up some extra orders from some of the women from Dagern, Kaelyn was in the need for some Arcane Silver Swords and the others were also going to need some new work.

He had returned from the mission and had been able to meet the ANBU who were now apparently his liaisons to the ANBU, to his surprise, the first was Uzuki herself and the other was someone named Yamato. The two were considered to be very skilled members of the ANBU and apparently served as students or juniors to his own sensei Kakashi, as far as he could tell he knew not much about them but if Kakashi said that they were trust worthy, then he was all right with that.

With the introductions done, he decided to begin work with the ANBU and began by explaining the various properties that were present in the weapons and armor that he already had made for them in battle. As soon as that was done, he began to instruct them on the various ways to fight some of the creatures that he already had faced before. As the blonde Chuunin explained methods to fight the creatures, he then had Holy Talon use it's Dragon Fire to create images of the creatures of Death Fang that had already been seen so they would have an idea of how the creatures fought.

In the history of the ANBU, they had faced many threats over the years and while many of them had given their lives to defend Konoha, they had never seen such horrors before, the Reapers were the first as well as the Wraith Knights, as well as the Succubus Maidens, along with the Alpha Werewolf and it's dark thralls. Naruto then explained their strengths and weaknesses in good detail so he could be able to do his best to get the ANBU up to speed when and if they ever face these creatures.

This also meant that he was going to have to come up with a Bingo style Book to highlight all the other creatures that he might have not been able to explain in more serious detail for the ANBU to be wary of. For now he had spent most of the week helping the ANBU out not just in training them on how to stand a fighting chance against Death Fang's already revealed minions, but to help them deal with their new equipment and weaponry.

He also got the chance to know both Uzuki and Yamato, he was surprised to know that Uzuki was Hayate's love interest before, he had heard about Hayate being found by the ANBU months before though no one knew who the killer was in this case as of yet. Though the woman remained totally professional, he was able to tell that the death of her lover must have hit Uzuki hard in some respects, he could easily understand that part of her had told her that they would find her lover's killer someday and while she remained serious, he could tell that she also hoped for that time to come soon.

As for Yamato, he was impressed that he could use both Earth and water Chakra and he asked if that meant that Yamato had a Kekkai Genkai, the ANBU nodded and revealed his ability to be the Mokuton No Jutsu or the Wood Release Jutsu, which was considered very rare indeed. He had to admit that Yamato was a good guy and while he was still not sure about him, Holy Talon sensed nothing evil or wrong about him and said the same for Uzuki, that was good to him and he knew that he was going to have to get used to having them around for a while.

For now however, he had other things to do and with the majority of the ANBU, Uzuki and Yamato included on training detail as well as mission duties for the village, he was here on his own at the moment, and he liked the solace for all it was worth, which made him smirk, back then the mere thought of doing nothing was something he deeply disliked, but the blonde Chuunin and Dragon Champion learned to value the relaxing quality of silence very now and then. Not that it lasted as long as he would have liked, but it was worth it

As Naruto took the time to relax a bit more in his home, he then decided to make a brand new gift to give to one of the women who he had been with and cared for deeply. This time he wondered what sort of gift could he give this time around and began to think about what sort of gift and who to give it to.

As soon as he was done in thinking just who he would be giving the gift to and what sort of powers it would have, he smiled a great deal at the gift's properties and soon went to work on getting the new gift made. With the properties of the material that he had in mind and with the right enchantments the woman he was going to give it to was going to have a great deal of use for it soon enough.

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Four days later…

Yuhi Kurenai was busy relaxing in the park in Konoha under a nearby tree and she was enjoying a nice meal as well as a small bottle of wine. She might not admit it out in public a lot, but Kurenai had a thing for wine and had a love of the drink, while she was not a strong drinker, she loved drinking it every now and then when she ate her food.

Today was a very good day to the raven haired and red eyed Jonin as this would allow her to take a break, she had just finished an important mission with the rest of her Genin Team along with Kiba and Shino's new friends, the two female Druids from Dagern, Liara and Tellis. She smiled a bit as she couldn't help but notice that her two Genin students had developed an attraction to the two foreign women.

Shino was happy to meet a woman who wasn't scared or disgusted somewhat by his clan's powers, while there were other women who learned to accept the Aburame Clan's special gifts and ties with the Destruction Bugs, others were not so open-minded. Tellis was one of the few who not only accepted his Clan's abilities as well as his own, but also possessed the same gift due to her ties to nature as a Druidess, and she also seemed to be on very good terms with Shino's own Destruction Bugs.

Kiba himself was also getting used to having Liara around as the Druidess would routinely drop by his home as well as help out both him and his family on matter pertaining to animals. Hana herself was quite taken with Liara, and considered the Druidess to be a good friend who she would routinely ask to help her with some of the more serious animal cases that she dealt with. Tsume herself considered Liara's abilities to be very effective and she was not above teasing her son for his new found friend.

Kurenai couldn't help but smile warmly at those thoughts as she took in her full meal and was now drinking the last of the bottle of wine that she had with her. As soon as she was done, she was able to sense that someone was moving in, she looked about and was about to get herself ready for a possible fight when she heard a voice that she was able to recognize right off the bat.

"Relax Kurenai-chan, it's just me."

The red eyed Jonin relaxed very quickly as she smiled as the owner of the voice revealed himself, and it was naturally none other than Naruto himself. The woman smiled at her fellow ninja and lover as he walked to her and then sat down next to her, she looked about and saw that no one else was nearby and gently kissed Naruto on the cheek and spoke to him.

"It's nice to see you again Naruto-kun."

"Same to you, what are you doing out here Kurenai-chan?"

"Just having a simple picnic and a slight drink, what about you, what brings you out here?"

Naruto grinned and then took out a small box which was wrapped in red and black and handed it to Kurenai as he spoke.

"I actually went to look for you Kurenai-chan, I have something that I think you're going to like having with you as a gift both for yourself as well as something that can be helpful in battle if you are ever in a mission and you need whatever is handy in order to win the fight you find yourself in."

Kurenai smiled warmly at this and took her time to open up the box and she gasped a bit at the present that was handed to her by the blonde Chuunin.

It was a bracelet that was made from Shadow Iron interlaced with several small red gems that were glowing somewhat as well as having several small slivers of Orchaelium there in them that also appeared to be glowing somewhat, there was an inner layer of soft and pliable leather there that no doubt was meant to make the bracelet comfortable for her to place on her arm. Kurenai carried the bracelet and found it to be very light and then could see that this took a good deal of work for Naruto to make and enchant as she could also see some well crafted characters that were etched on the metal as well as on the slivers of Orchaelium that were there already. She looked at it once more to take it all in and when she was done with her study, she then spoke to Naruto.

"This looks beautiful Naruto-kun."

Naruto beamed happily at her praise and decided to explain.

"It's made to be more than beautiful Kurenai-chan, that bracelet can be worn on either your forearm or upper arm and it made to release a powerful cloaking spell that renders you invisible from being seen by human or even animal eyes, and I made it in a way that also hides your chakra signature from others."

Kurenai raised her eye brows at the implications of such a gift to her person as she nodded to Naruto to go on with that he was also going to say.

"The bracelet also helps increase the effectiveness of Genjutsu since it was made to do just that so your Genjutsu will be much harder to break. It also has the ability to help defend you from Genjutsu in turn, it does this by releasing a small amount of dispelling energy that is the same as chakra to disrupt the Genjutsu you are under without you having to hurt yourself in any fashion. That and the fact that it makes your much harder to detect will allow you're a better chance to attack on your own terms as well as be able to defend yourself more effectively."

Kurenai smiled warmly at the present handed to her by Naruto and couldn't help but try it on and found it to be a perfect fit on either her forearm or her upper arm. She then kissed Naruto once more and after the kiss, the red eyed woman then spoke.

"Thank you for the present Naruto-kun, now I think I should reward you with something that would be suitable for the gift that you gave me, you have anything pressing to do this day?"

Naruto shook his head and smiled back at Yuhi Kurenai and asked a question.

"Are you asking me to go on a date with you Kurenai-chan?"

"What do you think Naruto-kun, I'll drop by your house later and we'll see how far this goes all right?"

Naruto nodded as he was happy that not only did Kurenai like the gift that he made for her, but she was willing to go out on a date as well. This was going to be something that he was going to enjoy very much. As the two talked it over, Naruto smiled as he headed off to his home to get dress and Kurenai did the very same thing. While she knew that it was going to be special for Naruto, it was going to be doubly special for her as it was going to be a personal date with Naruto as well as her very first official date and it was going to be something that she was going to have to dress up well for.

--------

Later that day…

Naruto sighed a bit as he checked himself in the mirror of his house once more to see the clothing that he had on was already good for this date, he wore a simple inner shirt of white cloth and a deep black with orange lining kimono tip as well as a pair of comfortable pants with the same color scheme as that of his kimono top, he also decided to take a full shower before getting dressed as well as brushing his teeth. Naruto already knew full well that he had to look presentable if he was on a date with a woman and considering that he was going out with Kurenai of all women, he HAD to look the part of a well groomed man.

He turned a bit more and then spoke to Holy Talon which was on the stand nearby.

(How do I look?)

(("Good, you look fine Master Naruto, I think it would be best that you ready yourself, I can sense your date already arriving through the gate and halfway to the door."))

It was then that the Kyuubi spoke.

(((Hah…had I known that this body that holds me was going to see THIS much action, I would have not cared if I was bound here….hurry up and get to it kit, this could be interesting.)))

Naruto sighed at that and headed to the door as he now heard Kurenai knocking at the door, the very second he parted the door aside, he felt like his jaw was going to drop right off of his face as he looked at the red eyed and raven haired Jonin who was going to be his date for this day. No one could blame the blonde Chuunin for looking like a pole axed idiot while looking at the red eyed Jonin as there was only one phrase that would be coming close enough to describe Yuhi Kurenai at this very moment.

And that was the phrase…

'Undeniably gorgeous'

The Kunoichi had her hair done in a traditional style which had her hair in an elegant coif with lacquered chopsticks there in her hair to hold them together while the rest of her hair was in a lush tail on the back. Kurenai wore make up most of the time but this time it seemed that the Kunoichi was working on her full appearance as the makeup gave full flow to her already beautiful features and the eye shading was bit darker, at she appeared to have chosen a deep red lipstick that worked perfectly with her own deep red eyes.

Naruto looked at her choice of dress and he was awed as Kurenai took a more classical approach to her dress, she wore a kimono but it was deep white with dark red and there were also traces of pink color, the white and red worked well together and both the red and pink colors were both in flower patterns as well as flying petals. There was a deep red obi there and in the middle of the obi was deep white belt that had a beautiful set of flower patterns in golden thread.

Kurenai also carried a small pouch of violet cloth with her which contained some of her own money while wearing comfortable sandals as well as an umbrella if ever it suddenly rained as the clouds overhead were a bit dark and would no doubt be carrying amounts of rain. All in all, the Jonin was very attractive.

Naruto quickly realized that he was lucky that he managed to make himself presentable since it would have been a grave insult to the way Kurenai looked here and now. The blonde then looked at the smiling Jonin and naturally decided to talk to her instead of spending the rest of the day gawking at her like an idiot.

"You look beautiful Kurenai-chan."

Kurenai smiled at that and replied in kind as she also took in Naruto's own appearance.

"And you look very handsome Naruto-kun, now shall we get going?"

--------

The pair managed to spend the rest of the day touring more of the hot spots in Konoha while also taking the time to relax near the Hokage Monument as well. They also spent some time seeing some of the other sights there in Konoha and afterwards, managed to go grab some good food to eat as Kurenai directed Naruto to some other restaurants that also made very delicious food. The two of them took turns paying for the date so they were not all that burdened with money requirements at this point and time. Kurenai took Naruto to listen to some clubs that dealt with gentle music as well as seeing small troupes of dancers performing there before them, showing the love Kurenai had for gentle and classical yet passionate forms of entertainment.

They then went back to the park and the two went on a bit of a ride on one of the nearby boat rides that was near a large river and Naruto took the time to paddle the boat while he and Kurenai took the time to enjoy the atmosphere before them while looking at the sun as it began to set down and color the river orange. That naturally was soon going to end as the clouds above began to gather a lot more fiercely and therefore the two of them were going to get to some shelter soon to avoid getting themselves soaked up by the rain that was now hitting the village.

They were on their way when the rain finally came in on Konoha, the rain was not very strong but it made the streets a lot more muddy and several pools were forming. Naruto didn't mind getting some mud on his lower clothes since he had that happen to him more than once already, but he knew that considering all the effort that Kurenai placed into looking like this, it would be wrong for her get muddy and soaked in some fashion.

With that in mind, he decided to use his favored jutsu to remedy the situation in his own fashion. Thankfully his training both as a Dragon Champion and as a ninja along with the training sessions with Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Shizune had sharpened his chakra control more, allowing him to not waste too much chakra at once and create the number of Kage Bushin required. While his chakra control was far from perfect, it was enough for now.

"KAGE BUSHIN NO JUTSU!!!"

Kurenai wondered just what Naruto was up to with making one Kage Bushin, she got her answer when the real Naruto gently lifted her up in his arms while the Kage Bushin held the umbrella, the Jonin raised an eye brow at Naruto and spoke.

"What are you doing Naruto-kun?"

"I decided to carry you so your Kimono will not get soaked and stained by mud, I can bet you went through a lot of trouble to be dressed like this and it would be a crime for your clothes to get all messed up."

Kurenai smiled at that, her kimono WAS expensive and it had been something that she had kept in reserve and wore only on special days, and this day was as special as it could get, so it was going to be a very serious blow to her pride as a woman if she got this one all messed up. Though it would look somewhat scandalous for a Jonin like her to be carried like this, she was not in the mood to care, but she decided not to push her luck and have tongues wagging all over Konoha as she quickly used a Genjutsu to hide both herself and Naruto from any prying eyes.

They soon arrived in front of her home as Naruto sent his Kage Bushin away while she deactivated the Genjutsu. She then invited him to enter her home and take shelter with her until the storm ended for the night. Naruto didn't refuse and as soon as he was in the house, he had to admit that Kurenai's home was quaint and cozy, not too showy yet classy and elegant at the very same time.

It was a good home and he admired it as it was clean and well furbished, his attention then turned to Kurenai who then took out some of the food she had in store and had cooked before, it was not a big feast by all standards, but Naruto certainly didn't mind it at all as Kurenai did her best to make him feel at home while the rain continued to pour down hard on Konoha.

As time passed, the Jonin then decided to take her time with Naruto and then took out some wine, namely two bottles of high quality wine that she had on hand in her home and she didn't use often since they were rather hard to get. But with the fact that she had her lover in her home all to herself for the night, she was more than willing to part with one of her wine bottles for the night.

Naruto smelled the wine and had to admit that it smelled rather nice, but he was not sure about him drinking wine in the first place, however he was more than willing to keep Kurenai company while the storm was still going on outside of her home. They had already finished the meals and now it seemed that Naruto and Kurenai were getting a bit tipsy.

Naruto was still not used to drinking wine or any alcoholic drink for that matter despite his increased physical abilities and constitution, and he was naturally slightly drunk and that was the key that started the whole thing as Kurenai kissed Naruto at that moment, the very second he was able to taste Kurenai's mouth which was still mixed with wine, Naruto blushed deeply at that and moaned, much to Kurenai's delight on the matter.

"You like?"

"Yeah….I never tasted that before…"

Kurenai could tell that Naruto told her the truth and that made the Jonin all the more eager for this one night with Naruto. With that in mind she took his hand and took him to her room, they two sat down on her bed while Kurenai took a small table and there they placed the glasses that they had and drank some more. This made the two of them a bit more tipsy, or rather drunk, but it also served to relax them.

Kurenai then kissed Naruto once more and he replied in kind, the two of them kissed each other deeply. The two then began to touch one another with their hands, Naruto started first by removing the lacquered chopsticks in her hair , releasing Kurenai's hair from their confines which was when Kurenai then moved away and then untied the obi of her kimono.

Despite being drunk herself, the Jonin retained most of her awareness and self control as she thinly removed the obi and folded it carefully. As soon as she placed it aside, she opened up her kimono, and revealed that she had planned well as she was actually naked underneath.

Naruto blushed at the sight and as soon as he was hugged by the now nude Jonin, he knew that it was going to be a very interesting night for him, and Kurenai thought so too, as she took the bottle of wine which was not empty as of yet as she had a very interesting plan for the wine that she had with her.

--------

The next day…

Naruto yawned a bit as he got out from Kurenai's bed and smiled to see the red eyed woman sleeping there in the nude with only her blanket being the thing that covered her body, he smiled warmly as well as blushing at the sight of the beautiful woman who was there, and recalling just what they had done last night and what she had brought into the whole thing.

He looked at the nearby wine bottle which was already empty and blushed considerably more at the memories of what the woman had done with the contents of said wine for their time here in her house, one thing was for sure, he was going to have to develop a good taste for wine if he was with Kurenai in private.

Not that it was a bad thing to say the very least.

He blushed at the memories that came running into his head and that was enough to distract him for Kurenai to wake up and she moved towards him and hugs him, making him respond in kind to the hug she was giving him. The two hugged one another at Kurenai then kissed her lover deeply while allowing the blanket that was covering her naked form to fall away to show her naked form before her lover and as soon as they parted, she spoke to Naruto.

"You all right Naruto-kun? I hope that you're not suffering any hangover and all."

Naruto shook his head and replied.

"I'm all right Kurenai-chan….but I had no idea that you could use….well use wine like that."

Kurenai grinned and replied.

"You'd be amazed how it can be used Naruto-kun, anyway, I think it's time I cook something for us to eat."

Naruto nodded and as soon as they left the room, Kurenai got to the cooking bit. Naruto waited until Kurenai was done with her cooking and soon the two of them had break-fast and afterwards, spent some time together for some honest privacy. This lasted for a few hours before the two of them parted from one another and both headed off to their regular duties.

--------

Three days later…

Naruto was busy working on some paper work that had to highlight his work in the missions and he was hoping to finish as he had to be busy training the ANBU, the new Bingo Book that he had created with the help of Yamato and Uzuki was already distributed to the ANBU and with the data there, they would know just how to handle a number of the enemies that Holy Talon's rival would unleash if they ever met them.

As he was about done, he was suddenly greeted by a kunai flying right at him and he deftly caught it and looked with surprise to see none other than Mitarashi Anko who smiled at him in a very mischievous fashion.

Naruto revealed the kunai and spoke seriously to the Jonin.

"What was that all about Anko-chan?"

"Just wanted to see if you still got those reflexes Naruto-kun, it would really be bad if you lost them with all the paper work you've got your nose into."

Naruto sighed and placed the kunai down, but as he was about to say something to Anko to figure out just what was she doing here at this time of the day since she was supposed to be out on either missions given by clients or on routine patrol, the Jonin moved towards him and began to kiss him.

He managed to rein in the sudden heat in his body and then he gasped when Anko then used her teeth to make a small cut on his lip, spilling some blood, he couldn't help but be surprised by that as Anko gently licked away the droplets that came out. He had understood that due to her past association with Orochimaru, Anko would have something of a blood thirsty side to her, but he hoped that it was not too bad a case.

He parted from Anko and looked at her as she had a very happy expression on her face as she licked her lips and he replied.

"I wish you wouldn't do that Anko-chan."

Anko however gave a much gentler smile and replied.

"I know….but you're blood does taste nice after all Naruto-kun."

Naruto raised an eye brow at this and replied.

"I hope you don't plan of draining me dry of my blood if that's the case."

"I won't do that Naruto-kun, I might like to taste blood once in a while but I will not go that far, besides that, it would be wrong for me to hurt you after all you've been doing these past few months. Anyhow, I managed to see that gift that you gave Kurenai-chan and it was beautiful indeed, so when do I get one from you?"

Naruto thought about that and then had an idea as he smiled at Anko.

"Why don't you tell me what you want me to make as a gift for you Anko-chan?"

Anko grinned and smiled at that, it was not regular for the woman to get the gift made for them and she began to think about a gift that would not only be good to look at, but something that was also going to be effective along with being something that she could use in battle. She thought it over and then thought of something interesting as it suited her personality a good deal.

"Can you make me a sword that could be extended and turn into a whip along with some powerful abilities for both offense and defense Naruto-kun?"

Naruto couldn't help but be surprised by that and looked at Anko as such a request for such a weapon was going to be something that he personally had never attempted before, but he was more than willing to give this request a shot as this would really test his skills as a weapon smith. He then smiled at Anko and replied.

"All right Anko-chan, I'll make you a very good gift that I think you can really use in battle when you need it. Give me at least a week or so to make it all right?"

Anko smiled at that and replied.

"That is going to be all right for me Naruto-kun, and if it meets my approval then I'll see if you and I can have some alone time all right?"

Naruto nodded and Anko left, as soon as she was out and back on duty, the blonde Chuunin began to wonder what sort of gift that would suit the Jonin well in battle as well as being something that would be elegant for her. He thought that over and decided that it would suit Anko's fighting style as well as the techniques she used, as much as he disliked snakes, he already had a very good idea as to what sort of gift he would make.

As he finished the last amount of paper-work that he had to deal with at the moment, he headed off to begin his training with the ANBU once more, the sessions were a lot more unique and difficult to as to simulate the kinds of fighting that the ANBU were soon going to find themselves in if they encountered the kinds of foes that they would be fighting. As he got there to train with the ANBU he explained the use of the swords, kunai, armor and other various tools as well as equipment that he knew would turn the tide of the battle.

He also made sure to check how well they had been able to read the books that he had begun to give them. As soon as that was over at the end of the day, he would then begin to make his gift for Anko.

--------

At the end of two weeks…

Anko was currently relaxing herself in her favorite snack bar when she heard someone come into the place and head towards her table, she looked to see none other than Naruto himself who was carrying a special case that resembled something of a sword case and she raised an eye brow at that, she looked at Naruto and he smiled as he then asked her gently to come with her to the training field.

The Jonin was naturally interested to see just what was in the case, so after paying the bar owner for the food that she had been able to eat she decided to accompany the blonde to the training field. As soon as they got there, Naruto took the case and opened it to reveal a simple sword that was in a sheath, similar to the same blades carried by the ANBU though in this case, the blade had no hilt guard and was not as long or curved as well.

Anko took the blade and was surprised at how light the weapon was and amazingly smooth and good in her grip, the handle was made in such a way that it was perfect for a woman's hands and could be held with either one hand or both, She also noted that the handle was in a scale pattern and had some small lines there that seemed to glow slightly. The hilt seemed to be made from specially hardened wood bound by strips of Orchaelium and was good to the touch, covering the blade that appeared to be at least two feet and a half in length, an ideal sword length to say very least, as soon as she was the Jonin then pulled out the blade from the sheath and admired the blade.

It was a doubt edged blade and had a pointed tip similar to the same sword that Naruto usually carried with him into battle. She then noted that the blade seemed to glow somewhat and there in the middle of the sword's full length were a small number of glowing crystals and the blade itself was very light and thin, yet strong at the very same time. She could tell that the metal was not regular steel but was Orchaelium as well and as she moved it about, the Jonin then spoke to Naruto with a smile.

"This is a beautiful sword Naruto-kun."

Naruto smiled at that, it had taken him quite some time and a lot of creativity to come up with this lone gift for Anko, and seeing that it met her approval was a good thing for the young blonde Chuunin and Dragon Champion as well as hearing her praise his own efforts. Of course the sword was more than it seemed and he then decided to explain to Anko just what the gift was capable of once she was able to use it in a fight. But first…

"I'm glade you like it Anko-chan, but before I explain what else it can do, can you channel some of your chakra into the sword as well as allow a drop of your blood on the blade?"

The Jonin wondered why Naruto was asking that of her but didn't argue with her lover's request of her. She focused her chakra into the sword and then allowed herself to cut her skin a bit with the sword and allowing a drop of blood to be on the blade. As soon as she did that, the drop faded into the sword and the sword glowed briefly, as Naruto looked at the weapon intently, as if hoping for something to happen to the sword while she still held the sword. As soon as the glow faded Naruto grinned and spoke to Anko.

"Good work Anko-chan….now think of the sword being as long and flexible as say….a whip."

Anko did so and to her surprise, the weapon glowed briefly and expanded to a longer blade which ten began to be supple and flexible, she then moved the weapon and the blade flowed out with her movements and when she accidentally flicked the blade at the wrong direction and hit her own arm, the blade didn't even cut her skin at all. This made the Jonin look at the blade with a look of awe and surprise as she had not expected the sword to not cut her, she then thought about the sword returning back to it's original length and then it glowed once more, returning back to the same solid blade of the same length as before.

She then looked at Naruto for an explanation, and the blonde Chuunin replied.

"That sword is made from Orchaelium and is specially made to react to the chakra that is imbued inside of it. When I asked you to focus your chakra inot6 the sword it was able to recognize your chakra, and as for the blood, it is a safety measure, once the your drop of blood was absorbed by the sword, it was conditioned to recognize you in a more physical bond so the blade will not cut you at all, so even if you accidentally struck your own body with the sword, it would not cut or harm you in any fashion."

"Really?"

"Yes, and as you have already found out, the sword will extend itself as well as being as flexible as a whip in real life. The blade can quickly retract to it's former length or shorter with the right amount of chakra control. The blade can also be used to amplify your own chakra if needed so it will be able to support any jutsu that you might make with it. I hope that you like it Anko-chan….this was something of a first for me to make."

The Jonin smiled as she could tell that Naruto was dead serious about it being a hard thing for him to make for her, besides, with some needed practice she could master this weapon well on her own and it would prove to be a good asset as well as look attractive to her. She then hugged Naruto and replied.

"Thank you Naruto-kun, for that, I am going to ask you to go out with me, on our own date, are you all right with that?"

Naruto nodded and that was that, the two briefly kissed each other and both took off to get dressed for this day.

--------

Later…

Naruto got dressed up for this date and he hoped that he was going to do all right, he knew for a fact that Anko was not the regular kind of person and since this was going to his first time with the Jonin, he had no idea what sort of things Anko loved to do so this was going to be something of an interesting learning experience for him. At the moment, he decided to wear a simple vest underneath one of his black shirts with the spiral shape of Konoha's mark on the front in red color, he also wore simple but comfortable pants as well to even things up and his usual forehead protector there as well.

He also took the time to clean himself up for this date as he always kept in mind to be presentable when in situations like this one. As soon as he was ready, he heard a knock on the door of his home and he was wary lest he got a greeting in the shape of a flying kunai or something like that. Thankfully his cautious opening of the door was not needed as Anko was there before him, and she was dressed to kill.

The Jonin wore a deep purple top that was sleeveless with the top portion being tied with a fish net piece that converged to her neck and was like a shocker of some sort while her arms were free. The top was like a halter top and so her stomach was bare as well, and the top naturally allowed Naruto to see her considerably well formed breasts that Anko was apparently proud to show to her lover.

This was then followed by her choice of lower clothes as it was it was a pair of pants that was only up to mid-calf and had on the sides crisscrossing strips of cloth as the pants were also black in color and there were comfortable sandals as well as Anko's usual shin guards. All this, being mixed with Anko's nature and more open displays of her feminine charms screamed sexy and dangerous at the very same time.

Most men would have been somewhat in intimidated by Anko and her reputation, but Naruto was not all that worried as he walked over to Anko and greeted her with a warm smile, which was easily returned by the Jonin. The two hugged one another and then Anko took Naruto's hand, she had a full list of the things that she was interested in doing and with a date this time as well, she was going to enjoy the time she had at this moment.

--------

The pair traveled to the places that Anko herself had been to before and found to be worth her time as well as the places that were enough to spark her interest. Naruto was happy that he had been able to save a good deal of his money and this would allow him the chance to pay for most of the things that Anko bought, though to be fair to the blonde Chuunin and Dragon Champion, the Jonin was also more than willing to use her own money as well to even things up between them.

Anko took Naruto to some of the small but well known clubs that hosted dancing and music to which Anko was more than willing to dance to with all the energy that she had in her body, Naruto naturally did his best to keep up with the energetic and undeniably nimble Jonin who was dancing with all of her sensuality as a woman in full bloom, showing the differences between herself and her fellow Jonin and friend Kurenai. While Kurenai was more into classical things such as music and gentle dancing, the female Jonin he was with relished more energetic and modern forms of dance and music, befitting her more energetic nature.

It was as if she was the female version of him, but she was studious and intelligent as well, as far as he knew since as a Chuunin he was able to read the profiles of the Jonin as well as her already obvious rank as a Special Jonin. She was someone that he knew that he should respect for her accomplishments, and it worked that he cared deeply for her and she did as well.

Anko herself loved the fact that she now found a guy who had the kind of energy and stamina to keep up with her when she was doing what she loved doing on her free time, and the fact was that she cared for him, he was a good man and also very capable as well as one good lover, plus his accomplishments meant that someday he was going to be a hero to the village and it's people.

They then moved to several restaurants that Anko frequented and she decided to have Naruto try some rather exotic foods that she herself happened to try every now and then as well as develop a taste for, that also included some bars that had people who would make some serious mixes, though despite her desire to have fun, she did make sure to keep an eye on what Naruto ate and drank. While she had no doubt hat with some rest, Naruto would recover from whatever dish and concoction he had taken into his body, she wanted him to be all right as she had other plans for this night.

That plan came to full circle when she managed to invite him into her home. Naruto had to admit that the number of weapons that Anko had in her house on display was impressive as well as a bit daunting, but Anko managed to help him relax as she guided him to her bed room. There in the room was a table filled with some oils that Naruto didn't recognize and when he saw Anko easily shed herself of the top she had on before and then her pants, he knew that he was going to be in for a very interesting time.

That thought was proven true when he spotted a nearby book that had some VERY interesting pictures of men and women together.

Anko smiled as she moved forward to strip Naruto of his clothes as she was in the mood to put those tantric sex positions she read about to the test.

--------

The next day…

Naruto yawned a bit as he got up Anko's bed, he looked about and found himself alone for the time being, he then tried to remember the things that the two of them done that night and he couldn't help but blush at the memories that came into his mind, he was so engrossed at the memories, he was not aware that Anko had just come out of the nearby bathroom that she was in when she took a shower earlier.

The Jonin moved towards Naruto without drying herself with the exception of her hair which she dried, as soon as she was close enough to the still thinking blonde, the Jonin hugged him and gently ran her still wet body on his own naked one, making him gasp at the sudden sensation of her naked body on his own, making her smirk happily at being able to make her lover react like that.

Anko then took in Naruto's right earlobe into her mouth, gently licking it and she felt Naruto's body shiver at the pleasure that she had given him with that one action on her body, she then ran her hands down on her lover's body and made him moan out even more until she spoke.

"Morning Naruto-kun, sleep well?"

Naruto nodded while taking a good sniff of the Jonin's body as she used a special bathing gel that smelled nice on her. As soon as he smelled it, she spoke.

"I did, and you smell very nice Anko-chan."

"You like the smell Naruto-kun? It's some of my favorite bathing gel and also helps relax my body, if you like, I could buy you one for yourself since they sell male versions of the stuff."

Naruto smiled at that and nodded at that.

"Sure thing, I would really like that."

Anko then kissed her lover deeply and Naruto naturally responded and the two decided to pleasure one another a bit more before the two of them decided to go out of the bed room and have some good food to eat before they would then get back to their duties. Naruto had to admit that these times have been good and the lack of activity was a blessing that he was going to enjoy for as long as it lasted for this month.

--------

Enjoy it while you can Naruto….for things are going to get interesting soon enough.

--------

In a hidden base, two weeks later…

Orochimaru managed to relax somewhat as the pain in his arms had begun to heal somewhat but his anger had certainly not cooled in the slightest, Sasuke and his Sharingan was still out of his reach while the Jonin forces he had dispatched to locate the sword known as Death Fang had not been able to turn up anything at all that would help for him to use that sword to his own purposes.

For now he had to decide on how to best lure out Sasuke and he began to think about using the best of his elite ninjas, granted the mission would no doubt result in either their deaths or captivity, but he was more than able to cover all the needed bases so all he needed to do was bid his time and plan this mission out with more detail before committing his full assets to the task at hand.

Kabuto arrived with some new medicine and he was a bit relieved that his master was able to keep himself relaxed for the moment. The Sannin had been able to hold on despite the pain his still dead and disabled arms were giving him and he was now going to give the medication that he was able to create, the only good news for the lack of activity was that this allowed the personal Medic Nin of Orochimaru to the find the ingredients he needed to create the more potent and effective medication until the time was right.

The Medic Nin then gave the medication to Orochimaru who took it and after taking the medication, he then spoke to his second in command.

"How are things Kabuto?"

"They are not doing so well….our forces have not found Death Fang, and no word has come out from Konoha about Sasuke-kun's whereabouts, though he is still reported to be taking missions with the village, though there are rumors that he is…."

"Sasuke-kun is what Kabuto?"

"He is getting, malcontent, no doubt because of Naruto-kun's achievements."

The Sannin smiled at that, this could work very well to his advantage yet.

"I see….are the Sound Five ready?"

"They are."

"Good, have them continue their efforts to locate Death Fang, I will have that sword and Sasuke-kun's Sharingan as well."

--------

In it's new lair…

Death Fang relished the feel of the energy of the earth and it fed hungrily at it, the sword had been able to convert the land around it to suit it's needs for the time being and it would remain here in the new lair for a while, the evil sword could feel the spirits of it's minions and former owners getting restless and impatient for more carnage and slaughter. For now however, he decided that in order to satiate it's hunger and also give Naruto another test to pass, it was going to send out another agent…

Only this time, this agent was going to be a lot harder to spot. As soon as the plan it had in it's dark core came to form, the sword glowed and out came a powerful glowing orb but was only the size of a small fruit, but there from the orb came a dark and sinister voice….that sounded totally reptilian.

"What is thy bidding master?"

((("Go forth into Konoha….seek one out with dark intent among them….grant him power….and let us test our young foe how he deals with this mess. Hide yourself well my pet….they have no doubt placed sensors to detect our power….but I have no doubt you can find a way….go now, stir the hearts of evil and tempt the hunger for power.")))

"It shall be as you wish master…."

The orb left as Death Fang spoke.

((("Now….here it begins….let me see how you pass this test Naruto Uzumaki…")))

--------

The glowing orb flew out of the hidden lair and soon floated it's way to Konoha's location, it somehow managed to avoid the sensors that Naruto build by making itself extremely tiny and then moved to another side of the village, evading the placed sensors as well as the golem guardians that Naruto had placed there to defend Konoha, the orb managed to find a lull somewhere in the village perimeter and then move in.

The orb was now only the size of a grain of sand in the wind and kept it's Chaos energy to the lowest point without fading away into nothingness, but such was the need to evade the sensors of the village of Konoha, as soon as it was in the area, it began to seek out any people in Konoha with evil hearts and intentions, the glowing orb that was like a grain of sand found the cesspit of evil in the village in it's prison center.

As it made it's way through the center, it began to scan the people there to sense who would be worthy of being aided, and then, after some time filing through the people who were not fit in it's mind to receive it's powers, it arrived to the dangerous prisoners wing and soon spotted a person that fit the bill, so to speak.

The man was already an interesting specimen and also carried a good deal of evil in his heart and possessed some potential that was going to be worth exploiting, the orb could read it's mind well enough as the human didn't hide it's nature very well and it was able to show something that the orb happened to like sensing, an intense hatred for one blonde Chuunin and Dragon Champion.

As soon as the guards were away, the orb grew in power and soon reverted to it's larger form and then the appeared before the person who was just about to talk to two others in the prison.

"Well now….planning to escape human?"

The man was surprised as he had not noticed that orb earlier and quickly moved back a bit and glared at it and spoke seriously.

"Who or what are you?"

"Who and what I am should not be something to concern yourself human, or should I call you Mizuki instead?"

"You know me name?"

"Of course."

Mizuki, the traitor who had managed to deceive many others including Naruto in the past was surprised that this glowing orb knew his name right off the bat and he got ready to use some jutsu and fight this new arrival until the orb spoke once more.

"I take it you are planning to escape to complete that formula that the one named Orochimaru left you and get your revenge on one Naruto Uzumaki I believe."

"How do you?"

"You're thoughts are fairly easy to read Mizuki, however do not think that I am here to stop you, I came here from my master….with an offer."

"What sort of offer would that be?"

"Fairly simple enough….power."

Mizuki snorted and replied with a very serious tone.

"I already have the power I will need from Orochimaru-sama's formula and once it is completed I will have my revenge on all who looked down on me, especially that Kyuubi brat! I don't need any other powers!"

"Oh really….I think you have not been able to keep well informed with the times while you rotted here in this prison, but if you want to know what sort of power I speak of, then allow me to let you have a taste."

The orb then turned into a larger snake like being with three eyes and dark blood red scales on it and then it bit Mizuki and then fed the power it had into the former Konoha ninja, Mizuki gasped as he felt the power flow through his veins, it was powerful indeed, with this….and the formula that Orochimaru-sama gave him as a gift, then he would finally be able to crush all of them.

Mizuki was unaware of the fact that the creature sent by Death Fang was merely using him as a test subject for Naruto to put his growing skills to the test once more to determine how much the blonde Chuunin had grown as a Dragon Champion, it was well aware that it's transformation would alert the golem guardians that Naruto had created, yet that didn't matter in the least, it had done what it came to do, it's new pawn was ready, unaware of the bloody price that it was going to demand from Mizuki, but for now it would aid him in his current goals as it spoke once more.

"Now that I have your attention, would you like to have more power?"

"Yes…."

"Good….now, I think it would be best we leave this place. Unless of course, you have other business to attend to Mizuki?"

Mizuki smiled and then decided to continue the conversation he had struck with his other cell mates.

"Fujin, Raijin….can I have a word with the two of you?"

And in the case of the minion sent by Death Fang, it decided to aid it's new…partner.

--------

At the Hokage Tower, hours later…

Tsunade was shocked by the news and spoke out.

"There was a riot in the prisons?!"

The ANBU Captain nodded at that and replied.

"Yes Hokage-sama! The prison was going through an inspection check when some sort of powerful Genjutsu was cast on the area, it brought down a number of the ninja guards who were there and as soon as the guards were taken out, the prisoners were released, there have been several casualties though reinforcements were able to quell the fighting prisoners. But a number of high profile prisoners have escaped from the prison."

The Hokage wondered just how did this happen all of a sudden and she spoke to the ANBU.

"How did we even find out about the prison break?"

"The golem guardians created by Naruto-san suddenly came alive and headed for the prison, we then went to the prison just as the first prisoners clashed with Naruto-san's golems, the golems held off the escaping prisoners but in the melee, that's when the high profile prisoners escaped."

Tsunade understood the implications of this, as well as the news that the golems that Naruto created had come to life and went there to the prison. She knew that the only way the golems would come to life was when Death Fang was causing mischief somewhere in Konoha as the golems were made for the express purpose of halting any possible attack, even more so when Death Fang's power and minions were concerned. She then decided to get a list of the prisoners that had managed to escape.

"Who among the prisoners managed to escape?"

The ANBU then gave out the names of the said prisoners, some were easy enough to locate and bring back under the custody of Konoha, but the last names were something of a concern to Tsunade as she knew who they were, one of them being someone that Naruto knew of all too well and he was no doubt going to be a problem if left alone. She then recalled that Naruto was currently on a mission and would be arriving hours later, she had to give Naruto advanced warning of the escapees from the prison as well as tell him to get back to the village as quickly as possible.

"Locate Naruto and tell him to come back to Konoha at all possible speed, send Uzuki and Yamato to send him the message ASAP."

"Hai Hokage-sama!"

--------

Later in the Hokage Tower…

Naruto was now in the presence of Tsunade and as soon as he was informed of both the prison riot and the break out of the prisoners in question, he was not happy to say the very least. The people in question were going to be a serious problem and he already knew that one of them was going to be someone of very serious concern for him due to the past history he had with him.

"Mizuki's escaped?"

Tsunade nodded at that and replied.

"And he was not alone either. He had Fujin and Rajin with him, those two are going to be a bit of a hard case to deal with."

Naruto raised an eye brow at that as he had no idea as to who the two were but it seemed that Tsunade knew just who they were. And it was not long before Tsunade explained just who the people were in question.

"Fujin and Rajin are known as the Legendary Stupid Brothers, they are dumb to the core and the only thing that love is food, so much so that they willingly killed their own comrades over a meal, we found them and took them into the prison. However they are extremely strong and it's only the fact that the staff in the prison regulates their food supply that they haven't broken out just yet. I believe that Mizuki must have duped them into breaking out and now they are coming with him. They might be dumber than dirt, but they are not to be under estimated all the same."

"Hmmm…anyone else with them?"

"No, and Naruto-kun, your golems reacted to the prison break, so it's safe to bet that Death Fang might be involved in this somehow, but it still puzzles me as to why it would want to break someone like Mizuki out of prison."

"I don't know….what could Mizuki be after though."

It was then that Iruka came in carrying a badly wounded woman who was also a Konoha ninja into the Tower and he spoke to Tsunade.

"Tsunade-sama! Tsubaki-san needs some help!"

--------

In the Konoha hospital…

Naruto looked at the young woman who was currently being tended to by Tsunade as well as Shizune and a handful of Medic Nin, and for good reason as Tsubaki had a number of bad injuries that were caused by someone with considerable strength in him or her. But Naruto naturally had a feeling that this was the handiwork of Mizuki, though why the former Chuunin would go after this woman in question. So far her injuries were not life threatening so he was not going to interfere with Tsunade, Shizune and the Medic Nin, he did however turn to face Iruka and spoke.

"Who is Tsubaki to Mizuki anyway Iruka-sensei?"

Iruka shook his head and replied.

"She used to be Mizuki's fiancée Naruto-kun."

"What?! Mizuki had a fiancée?!"

Iruka nodded and explained that Tsubaki herself was a Chuunin and was skilled for someone of her rank, she was known to be a kind and loving person and had been shocked as well as he was when Mizuki's traitorous actions had come to light when the traitor had been beaten by Naruto nearly months before. Naruto himself was surprised that Mizuki even had a fiancée, and to know that there was a chance that it was Mizuki himself who attacked Tsubaki, then it made him get all the more angry with the man.

He turned just as Tsunade and the others moved away from the now waking woman. Tsubaki looked about and then spoke.

"Hokage-sama…."

Tsunade then spoke seriously to Tsubaki, as much as she didn't like to sound like she was interrogating the still recovering Chuunin, she needed to get answers and fast.

"Who did this to you Tsubaki? Was it Mizuki?"

The Chuunin nodded and cried a bit.

"He…came to my home, I was surprised to see him….and he came to tell me that he was going to complete it….some sort of formula."

"Formula? What sort of formula?"

"Something….something he got from Orochimaru years before."

This got the attention of everyone in the room, but they all held their comments as Tsubaki continued with what she was trying to say to them.

"He wasn't like this before….but he changed a lot ever since working with….that man….or maybe…."

Tsubaki was about to cry when Tsunade placed her hand on her shoulder and replied.

"I know this is hard for you Tsubaki, but we need to know what happened to you when Mizuki came to your home."

Tsubaki nodded slowly and continued to speak about what had happened to her recently with Mizuki escaping from the prison.

"He….came there with them…the brothers Fujin and Raijin….I tried to find out what he was doing. He said that….he wanted to get the power promised to him by Orochimaru….and by someone else, he wanted to take revenge on Naruto-kun and Iruka-san for being the ones who brought him to jail. I tried to tell him to give it up, that you both have done so much for the village. He refused and I….got beaten up badly…."

(That bastard….)

"But they soon left and….I was found by Iruka-san….that's all I know Hokage-sama."

Tsunade nodded as she could tell that Tsubaki meant it and she turned to Naruto who nodded as he could tell that she wanted him to stop Mizuki. However she then turned to Iruka and spoke seriously to the Chuunin.

"Iruka, I want you to get Team 8 here immediately as well as Team 10 here immediately, we're going to go after Mizuki and if he is being helped by the two idiots Fujin and Raijin, then we're not going to take any chances with them."

"Hai!"

She then turned to Naruto and spoke seriously.

"Meet up with Kurenai and Gai's teams and as soon as they arrive, then you can help in dealing with them, if you need backup, then I will send whoever I can."

"I understand Tsunade-sama."

--------

Later…

Naruto was dressed in a full set of leather armor that was made to be light yet very strong. The leather armor was made with a cuirass, forearm with hand guard protectors as well as upper arm guards, there were also thigh guards and shin guards as well, and underneath the armor was a black colored enameled suit of Orchaelium chain mail to add further protection for Naruto, this was naturally the very same outfit that he wore when he was on that mission earlier, he had Holy Talon already with him and his usual kunai holster and back pouch as well as several other useful tools.

He waited for the others and then as he turned to look, he was able to spot them, both Team 8 and Team 10, only this time, they were not alone in this regard. Neji and Lee were being joined by none other than Coryin and Valeena, while Kiba, Akamaru, and Shino were accompanied by Tellis and Liara. This was somewhat unexpected and as soon as the teams arrived, he spoke to the others who were with the teams.

"What are you guys doing here?"

Coryin was the one who spoke first.

"Your Hokage asked us to lend our support on this mission; we were more than willing to lend our aid for this mission."

The others nodded and Naruto knew that with their support, they would have a better chance in battle with Mizuki and if the information about the golems reacting was correct, the Death Fang must be involved, the group knew that they had to hurry, there was no doubt in their minds that with Mizuki getting a good head star he would be far away from them and there was no telling what he would do along the way.

It didn't take long for them see the results of Mizuki's escape….as the smoke from a nearby village would attest, as soon as they got there, they found the village inflames and people were in panic.

Gai didn't like the sight and they all moved out with Gai suggesting that they take the wounded and badly injured back to the village of Konoha for treatment and come back for the rest until the village was safely cleared of people.

Naruto nodded and he and the others stayed behind to protect the villagers lest they got attacked again. He had no idea who did this since many of the people were still in deep shock so he spoke to both Tellis and Liara to find answers in their own fashion while he and the others kept watch on the village. The two female Druids nodded and wasted no time to find the answers that they seriously needed in order to find out who did this.

--------

In the field…

As Naruto surveyed the scene before him, he felt his heart grow hot at the sight of the now destroyed village, the blonde felt happy that there were those they were able to save from the attacks, but it was going to be a while before they could tally the dead and wounded. The blonde wished that they were here a lot earlier to prevent this attack, but at the very least, things were not too bad.

He turned to face Hinata who was scanning the area with her activated Byakugan and spoke to her.

"You see any sign of attackers Hinata-chan?"

Hinata looked about carefully and shook her head at that, despite using her Byakugan, there seemed to be no sign of the attackers at the moment as she did her best to track down who had done this.

"I don't see anything Naruto-kun."

Naruto sighed and looked back at Kiba and Akamaru along with Liara who was using her Nature Magic to speak to a number of small animals, in this case as small band of mice that appeared to be none the worse for wear despite the damages that hit the land along with the village, as soon as she was done speaking with the mice and sent them on their way to safety, the human Druidess spoke.

"It seems that some people came here and started attacking the villages, two of them were massive men who appeared to be brothers."

Kurenai who arrived on the scene nodded as she spoke.

"Those two must be the Thunder Brothers that Tsunade-sama spoke of, was Mizuki with them?"

Liara nodded at that and continued just as Shino and Tellis arrived on their own search for answers but they turned up only the same information as well so it was Liara who told the rest of what she had learned when talking to the mice.

"They said that he was with them and was heading off with a pack of chemicals of some sort, no doubt to make a potion, what they are is something that we don't know as of yet, they also said that they saw some sort of small glowing serpent with him on his shoulder."

"Glowing serpent?'

Naruto turned to see Neji, Tenten, Lee, Gai, Valeena, and Coryin arrive there after they had taken all the survivors of the ruined village to safety and it was Gai who asked that question and the blonde naturally couldn't blame the Jonin for the confusion, he then spoke to Holy Talon mentally to see if the Holy Dragon Sword had any prior knowledge on this glowing serpent that the mice spoke of.

(You have any idea what that glowing serpent was Holy Talon?)

(("I do, it's a servant of Death Fang known as a Sin serpent. Sin serpents are powerful creatures that use curses to empower individuals who make an oath to serve Death Fang, once the person makes that oath, the Sin serpent bonds with them in some fashion to give them power. It is similar to the Cursed Seal used by that ninja Orochimaru, but in this case, it's different."))

(How?)

(("Once the oath is made, the person in question will slowly be perverted and corrupted by the Sin serpent and then transformed into a monster. It's happened before and unless the spell of the Sin serpent is broken, then the man is lost, it's more powerful when the man in question is already evil at heart. One such curse power is known as the Black Moon Curse."))

(Black Moon?)

(("It's a powerful curse spell that summons a vast nexus of Chaos energy to amplify the power that the person has in exchange the Black Moon curse feeds on the person's body, the curse appears as black mist that then solidifies into a solid mass that resemble a moon to block out the sun and allow the dark nexus of energy to grow stronger. If the curse is broken then the Black Moon will fade away and person is severely drained and the damage can depend on the level of power in the curse given by the Sin serpent."))

(How does the Sin serpent empower the person?)

(("Either by a bite which is somewhat easier to counter, or by forcing the person to eat it, giving the full power to the person, in exchange for his or her body being corrupted and his or her soul tainted by Death Fang's powers forever."))

(That's not good.)

(("Truly."))

Naruto was about to explain what he knew when Coryin, being passed by a small butterfly then turned around and readied an arrow in her bow as she spoke.

"We're being followed."

The group turned and to their surprise, the person or rather persons who were following them revealed themselves, as Naruto gasped as he was quick to recognize the woman.

"Tsubaki-san? Yamato-san? Uzuki, Iruka-sensei?! What are you all doing here?"

Yamato replied.

"Tsunade-sama sent me and Uzuki-san to help you in this matter while Iruka came here to help Tsubaki-san. We were trying to convince her to return for treatment back in the village but she insisted on coming to you."

Tsubaki looked at the fully assembled team and bowed to Naruto, she should have been resting in the Konoha Hospital after the injuries that she had suffered from the hands of her former boyfriend Mizuki but after learning the full extent of Mizuki's plans and how far he had fallen from the man she once loved, she made a promise to herself to end his schemes once and for all, she was doing this to stop him now and make sure that he would never hurt anyone ever again in the course of his mad quest for power at the cost of so many innocent people.

"I came here to help….I want to stop Mizuki with you all."

Kurenai was not entirely convinced and despite understanding Tsubaki's intentions, she wanted to know if Tsubaki was serious about her desire to put an end to Mizuki once and for all.

"Are you sure about that Tsubaki-san?"

The woman nodded and replied.

"He's no longer the man I loved, I know that it's hard for me to accept it, but seeing this, I know that I have to help stop him before he harms even more people, I have to do this Naruto-kun…please let me help."

Naruto could tell that Tsubaki meant this and he was not going to contest her determination to stop Mizuki and his companions, but he knew that time was against them as the three ninja in question already covered a good deal of ground, it would take time to find them and deal with them, and he also still had the hidden support of Death Fang though what would the evil sword see in Mizuki was beyond him at this point and time.

"All right Tsubaki-san, but we have to hurry, they got a good head start on us already."

The others nodded and they moved out, however, they had only gone a few hours when they saw something that shocked them. A massive black mist began to climb over the sky, blocking out the light and making the day turn into night, it was not long before the mist turned into a solid object that resembled the moon and then it blocked out the sun in that moment…plunging the day into darkness.

Hinata was surprised at this and spoke out.

"What's going on?!"

The same question was in the minds of everyone else except Naruto and the women from Dagern, in Naruto's case, this was already explained to him by Holt Talon, while for the women, they had seen this power before in their own world and knew what that meant. Naruto spoke at that moment with absolute seriousness.

"The Curse of the Black Moon."

The others looked at Naruto and were curious and the blonde Chuunin and Dragon Champion shook his head and replied.

"I'll explain later….we have to hurry, Mizuki's already making his move."

As the others hurried, Naruto knew that this was going to be hard, whatever powers Mizuki got from the Sin Serpent, coupled with the power that formula he got from Orochimaru were going to push him to the limits yet again. But he was not going to give up. And thankfully, he was not alone in this mission.

--------

To be continued…

--------

Author's Notes:

Yet another chapter for Naruto Dragon Champion as it grows ever closer to being considered a finished product of my imagination. It's going to end well soon and before we do reach that end, I hope to have this story filled with enough good content and material so it would be all right once I start working on the next story as well as my other projects.

This was conceived when one of you, yes you, readers asked me to make a chapter where old Mizuki came back to make Naruto's life a lot more interesting, and here is the result, now there are some changes, one is that old Mizuki's not only going to try and use the formula Orochimaru cooks up, but also it seems Death Fang as taken an interest in raising hell by using Mizuki's desire for power to make the move.

How will this turn out for Naruto and company?

On another note, it seems that it's now Kurenai and Anko's turn to get some gifts from the young man in question, and also go out on dates with the young Chuunin. And you know what that means right?

Now what sort of things did Kurenai do with the wine on that night when she and Naruto were in her home?

And how did Naruto and Anko's time together turn out?

You can bet that after the three day special is done in the Naruto Dragon Champion Lemon Section will be very interesting indeed.


	43. Black Moon Rising Part 2

Naruto The Twin Swords

Disclaimer: I do not have any control over Naruto and all things related to it.

Chapter 30

Part 2

Black Moon Rising

( ): Thoughts

((" ")): Holy Talon's voice

(((" "))): Death Fang's voice

((( ))): Kyuubi's voice

--------

Mizuki reveled in the new found power that he had as he finally completed the formula that he had been given and that of the Sin Serpent's powers, he had taken a brand new form and the power, the sweet power flowing through his veins was worth every single moment of it and now he was going to make good use of it by bringing Konoha to account for his imprisonment and hunt down the one he knew was responsible for making his life hell….

Naruto.

He looked at a different direction and through his gifts, he was able to see the incoming force that Konoha sent, he was impressed at the line up, Yuhi Kurenai, Maito Gai, Iruka himself, His former girlfriend Tsubaki, Hinata, Hyuuga, Neji Hyuuga, Rock Lee, Tenten, Kiba Inuzuka, Akamaru and Shino Aburame himself, along with a pair of ANBU. The force was quite a sight and would be an excellent test of his new found abilities in battle, though he had no idea who the others were at the moment.

But the real prize was Naruto himself who was there as well, he was going to be his real prey and soon he would make the blonde demon carrying brat pay for messing things up for him, but for now, he was going to have some fun with them as he began to summon portions of his new found power to finally bring a very big surprise to them all.

Behind the former Konoha ninja were Fujin and Raijin but they too were different now, they were bound by several powerful and evil glowing tattoos that seemed to control them. The Sin Serpent had already been consumed by Mizuki to gain the full might of the power he had been allowed to taste and afterwards, the man, gripped in the frenzy of the power that he now commanded used a special cursing power to bind the two idiots to his service even more though they had briefly tried to fight him for a moment when they thought that he was going to take their food from them.

The two idiots were going to be useful as shock troopers as Mizuki decided to test his new found powers on his pursuers as he focused his chakra and the power that had been infused into his body, the former ninja then touched the ground and out came from the ground a number of beings constructed from the ground to act as the first wave of attackers and the former ninja then decided to really bring out the full power as he summoned a greater deal of Chaos Magic and then spoke to himself.

"Now….I will have my revenge!"

--------

Naruto tensed up a bit as he felt the power of the Chaos Energy before him, the sheer amount was enough to make him very uneasy. However he managed to keep himself calm as he knew that considering what he knew of Mizuki, the arrogant ass was going to show off his power to prove that he was better. That guy was radiating so much Chaos Magic that he might as well would have worn a neon sign on top of his head that said 'idiotic traitor' in large letters.

Naruto however placed aside his humor and focused on dealing with the foes that he was soon going to be running into as he looked at his companions and began to think on how they were going to be able to the enemies that they were no doubt soon going to face once they were in the area where Mizuki was, he could only trust their skills and determination and hope for the best as soon as it happened. He then thought about just how he and the others were going to deal with Mizuki as he had no doubts in him mind that he was going to be quite the handful.

As they arrived in a nearby valley he quickly felt a wave of pure Chaos energy coming at them and he quickly made a raised gesture to the others to stop as he knew that the wave of malevolent energy he felt was coming from Mizuki and the kinds of monstrosities that he had unleashed, he raised his hand to stop the others and the others responded, Kurenai and Gai knew that while they were Jonin, and were of higher rank than Naruto, he had far more experience than they did with this threat and they moved forward with Gai speaking first.

"What is it Naruto-san?"

"We got company coming in Gai-sensei, you and Kurenai-sensei and the others get ready, I get the feel we're in for a fight."

The others nodded and got ready and their Dagern allies did the very same thing, and it was at that exact moment that several massive creatures came out of nowhere, followed more like them. It seemed like a wave and Holy Talon recognized the creatures as the others saw them.

They were humanoid in shape but seemed to be hunched on the back and shoulders, their arms were long and strong looking, though their left arms were the only things that the resemblance of humanoid limbs, their right arms were in the form of three to four tentacles that resembled that of an octopus and they seemed to be very much a threat as they had faces that resembled that of crabs, but horribly grown and mutated crabs as well. As soon as the monsters saw the gathered ninja and the Dagern-borne women, they roared out a high-pitched sound that spoke of battle as they revealed their other arm which was a single long bone like blade on them

Coryin snarled a bit as she readied an arrow as she spoke.

"Swamp Reapers…just what we need."

Neji was the first to ask the question to the Falcon Ranger as to what these creatures were.

"What are they?"

"Foul experiments of the Chaos followers that worship the dark nature Dragon Flights, they took human beings and twisted them through Chaos magic and foul magical surgeries to create these things, they serve as shock troopers and can be deadly in battle since there are few areas where they can be seriously harmed and it will take some serious hits to kill them."

Naruto and the others got ready as they were being approached by the horrors and soon the battle was joined with Coryin providing long range support with her bow while Neji and Hinata then decided to even things up at the moment as the two cousins activated their Byakugan to see their foes, they spotted the creatures' own inner energy pathways and decided to do what they could with Neji and Hinata taking several kunai and shuriken and began to aim at the monsters as they closed in, Neji fired first and his kunai struck one of the Swamp Reapers in the area which was similar to the shoulder in between two overlapping bone-like plates.

The result was good as a fountain of deep yellow fluid raced out and the creature howled in great pain as it could no longer move it's arm to attack as it came closer, Neji then aimed his next shot and fired a shuriken at the creature's stomach, the weapon guided by Neji's Byakugan hit hard in between several plates and the creature roared out as another but much larger stream of it what appeared to be it's life fluids and this time, the creature died.

Hinata did the same thing and her attacks had good results, as her first strike struck the creature in the area between the left thigh and the hip, resulting in the creature crying out in great pain and seemed to stop and when it recovered, Hinata fired another weapon and this struck right at the elbow of the tentacle arm, unleashing another stream of the creature's life fluids as it roared out once more and began to lose it's strength and the young Kunoichi then took another shot and this time, the strike was able to hit the creature right in the face as it roared out in pain once more before dying.

The Falcon Ranger was not behind as she fired a powerful arrow right in the face of the next creature while summoning her own power into her shot as the arrow that she had fired was now glowing the same color that Naruto had been able to coat on his very own arrow.

"PIERCING SHOT!!!"

The arrow cut through the creature and was buried deeply in the face of the creature as it howled in pain as the arrow was able to punch through the shell that was on the back as it fell dead. The arrow then buried itself deeply into the chest of another one of the creatures and that had very obvious results as the monster roared in pain as she spoke to the two cousins.

"Nice, that Byakugan you two have is going to be good in this fight, fighting these creatures in close range is going to be very dangerous so that will be very helpful."

Gai smiled at that as he and Kurenai got ready to fight while Liara and Tellis also used their powers as well as their weapons while Tenten, Lee, Kiba, Akamaru, and Shino got ready for their own battles as the monsters came closer, Naruto then took out his tri-bladed spear and got ready for the fight before him as Gai then spoke to Neji and Hinata.

"Neji-kun, you and Hinata-sama focus on guiding our attacks on the right spot and cover Coryin-san as she will help us."

Neji nodded and so did Hinata and Kurenai spoke next to her student.

"Keep cool and we'll get through this Hinata."

"Hai Kurenai-sensei!"

As the battle carried onward, the combined ninja forces of Konoha and the women warriors from Dagern were doing well enough on their own, Gai and Lee followed Valena as she attacked fast and hard on the Swamp Reapers and with their own respective skills, both master and student were able to inflict as much punishment as possible at their foes, Kurenai used her skills in Genjutsu to close the gap and attack the creatures as best she could without exposing herself to attack from them while Kiba and Akamaru were fighting alongside Liara who turned into a much larger wolf form to attack the creatures in battle using her ties to magic. Shino and Tellis worked in unison as well with Tellis taking the form of a massive bear which was being shielded by Shino and his Destruction Bugs. Neji and Hinata along with Coryin were able to provide long range support and both Hyuuga cousins were able to support one another.

The others were more than ready as Iruka, Tsubaki, Tenzo, and Uzuki were able to hold their own as both ANBU used their weapons and their own skills to even up the odds before them in battle, while Tsubaki showed her own skills as she used her kunai to block and attack, however, they were still a bit unused to fighting these creatures, though the ANBU were a bit better off after having access to the book that Naruto had made for the ANBU. They moved quickly to support the others while Naruto was on his own for the moment as he was busy fighting his own battles.

Naruto noted that and was happy that both cousins were able to work well in unison, however he placed that aside as he was in his own battle, two of the Swamp Reapers lashed out with their tentacles at him as he dodged their attacks while lashing out with his Spear while being guided by both Holy Talon and his now battle hardened senses as the creatures were divided into two groups, one was engaging his comrades and the other was engaging him. He evaded several more attacks by using his spear as a vaulting pole and he then quickly pointed his spear blade tip first downward and speared one of the creatures in the face, making it scream out in pain and rage as the blonde quickly slide down on the spear's length to land both feet on the chest of the creature and with one yank, pulled out his spear and used the body of the slain Swamp Reaper as a spring board and landed on the ground while focusing his chakra through his spear and to the blades as he lashed out at a trio closing in on him.

"FUUTON!!! KAZE KIWA ENKO!!!"

The glowing blade of the spear cut through the creatures as Naruto channeled his chakra to further increase the cutting power of the blade, cutting the creatures hard as Naruto spun the spear while holding the back end pommel of the spear, the creatures fell down as Naruto quickly held the spear in the middle, spinning it diagonally and cut down two more coming at him while using the spear once more as a pole for vaulting into the air and crashing the spear blade down and cutting another Swamp Reaper in half.

The others saw that and Gai was impressed as well as Kurenai, Iruka, Tenzo, and Uzuki as well. They had all heard that Naruto was a Wind Elemental Type and was one of the rare ones in Konoha from Asuma who was one himself. Apparently Naruto had been taking his training to greater heights in his desire to be a true ninja and worthy Dragon Champion, and that further elevated his stature in the eyes of those who saw it. The other Genin saw that as well and they too were impressed.

Naruto however was not done just yet as he began to focus his reserve of Dragon Fire and as soon as he felt his power flow into his body he called out the spell.

"ZEALOUS FERVOUR!!!!"

The energy flowed into his body as he focused his Wind chakra once more and when he felt ready he unleashed another attack.

"FUUTON! ICHI IKUSEN KAZE YARI TSUPPARI!!!!"

The blonde Chuunin unleashed a massive barrage of spear thrusts with his weapon and they spotted glowing spears of wind chakra flow out of Naruto's spear and those cut deeply into the blonde Chuunin's foes with tremendous results as the creatures were spilling their life fluids everywhere as well as their bodies falling down with holes and even their limbs fell down hard, Naruto then finished that attack with a powerful spinning strike that unleashed a powerful arc of wind chakra that cut down those still there. In that moment, Naruto had been able to take down at least two dozen of the creatures by himself.

"Wow…"

Lee spoke out and Neji himself was impressed, the Hyuuga genius of the Branch Family had to admit that if he had faced Naruto the way he was now back in the Chuunin Exams, he would have been in the fight of his life. Naruto however was not done just yet as he placed his spear aside and took out some kunai and these had explosive tags as well as metal wire. He had come up with this move and hoped that these would work as he quickly made several Kage Bushin.

"KAGE BUSHIN NO JUTSU!!!!"

As the blonde Chuunin was surrounded by the Kage Bushin, he nodded to them and they closed in the gap, some fired the kunai and those moved in different directions and the wires with the explosive tags quickly surrounded the Swamp Reapers and Naruto quickly fired several more of the modified kunai and then when the Swamp Reapers were surrounded, the blonde quickly used his chakra to ignite the tags which were imprinted to react to his chakra. The explosions were more than enough to kill the creatures as Naruto landed and quickly flipped backwards as a Swamp Reaper came at him with it's blade, as he did so, a Kage Bushin he made came forward and smashed an explosive kunai into the face as Naruto activated it and blew up the creature in a very bloody display.

As Naruto looked about, the others were impressed at the growth Naruto revealed but decided to think about that later as more of the creatures came right at them, however, they were accompanied by none other than Fujin and Raijin, however, these guys were not acting normally for some reason as they seemed to be more like zombies yet still living from what the others could see. Naruto then spoke to Holy Talon.

(They seem different.)

(("Yes, that seems to be a seal of thralldom, similar to the ability used by Solana when she attacked Konoha, only in this case, it is to bind them into service until either the one who gave them the seals dead or it's broken. It appears to be connected to their stomachs for some reason."))

Naruto nodded as the two brothers came at them and he was quickly evading their attacks while drawing out Holy Talon from his back and fought with the pair, he evaded their attacks and was about to attack when several of the Swamp Reapers came at him and stopped him from attacking the two. He moved back and it was then that Iruka spoke.

"We can't waste time with these two Naruto, if Mizuki is using the power of the Black Moon, then he takes priority before these two, besides, he must have sent the two of them to slow us down and buy himself time to do Kami knows what sort of mischief and worse."

"I know….but these guys are dangerous Iruka-sensei even if they are as dumb as Tsunade-sama said them to be, we can't just leave them like this."

Neji then replied as he joined them.

"We'll hold them here Naruto-san, you and Iruka-san go ahead."

Naruto looked at Neji and the others and could see that they were serious and Tsubaki was eager to join them, he decided to trust them with this as he and the two ninja moved ahead. Neji and the others knew that they were not going to have an easy time with the two brothers and who knew what Mizuki had done to them, but they knew that they had the chance if they worked together.

As Naruto, Iruka and Tsubaki moved ahead, they finally arrived in an open valley and before them was none other than Mizuki himself. Iruka and Mizuki tried to find the words to say but they already could see the effects as there were arcane tattoos that seemed to radiate evil coming from Mizuki, the Mizuki the two of them knew was long gone, this monster before them was not human anymore as they closed in towards him, as he seemed to be aware of them yet daring them to come closer.

Naruto could sense the presence of traps somewhere and he didn't need to guess that Mizuki was trying to lure them in so he was ready for anything at this moment as they were only several feet from Mizuki who looked at them with pure evil in his eyes as the tattoos on his body continued to glow in evil and vile power.

"So I finally get to test my new powers on you three. I hope those two are going to do what I sent them to do. "

Iruka sighed a bit and got ready to fight and Mizuki noticed that and replied with an evil look on his face as he taunted Iruka.

"Hmph, you want to fight me eh Iruka? Unlike last time, you are not going to get lucky this time around!"

"I don't care, I will stop you Mizuki, you've gone too far this time and even if it will take everything I have, then I will defeat you."

Mizuki laughed and then looked at Tsubaki with a sneer and replied.

"And what about you eh? You think you can still save me?"

Tsubaki couldn't help but feel a great deal of emotion at this, but she knew that there was no turning back here and now, she had to stop Mizuki, she had seen how much he desired power above everything else so she had to stop him no matter what.

"No….you doomed yourself to this madness Mizuki, I will stop you, even if it means having to die to do it!"

Mizuki laughed and replied at that.

"You two think you can kill me?! When I have this power from Orochimaru-sama and this new gift?! Then try it, I will be more than happy to end your lives right now!"

Mizuki then looked at Naruto and there he noted the changes on the blonde Jinchuuriki and couldn't help but feel that the blonde had indeed changed and was more powerful than before. However his confidence in his newfound abilities, the training he had undergone and this power, he could easily match the blonde brat.

"And you….I want to see this newfound power they say you have, let's see if you really have the power to be a ninja, you stupid and worthless brat!!"

Naruto normally would have lost his cool, but he didn't and merely replied in a very cool and focused tone with only small hints of anger.

"Hmph, why don't you find out just how much I've changed Mizuki? You think that you can goad me into making the wrong move like before? Sorry, that was then, this is now."

Mizuki felt himself get angrier at the way Naruto was acting, this was not what he expected at all from the blonde. He had hoped that despite all this, he could still try and goad Naruto to do something rash, but he could tell that Naruto had indeed changed. No matter, he had power and now he was going to show Konoha and the world that his power was more than a match for anything….even this vaunted power he had heard so much about that was in Naruto's possession. However, he was quick to make the move to try and imbalance the trio before him with a few attacks of his own on them.

He attacked Tsubaki first as she barely managed to block his attack, but that was enough to send her flying backwards, Tsubaki managed to right herself properly and move out of the way as Mizuki attacked her, she however got hit by a powerful kick to the side from the traitor and she was sent flying to the side as she gritted her teeth in pain. Mizuki was about to attack once more but Tsubaki was able to throw some smoke bombs at him and escape a few feet. She got ready as Mizuki came at her once more with a maniacal grin but she is saved as both Naruto and Iruka arrived, the Chuunin using several kunai to distract Mizuki while Naruto quickly got Tsubaki out of the danger zone, Iruka was quick to evade several attacks from his former comrade in arms but Mizuki was just playing with Iruka as he managed to move faster than Iruka thought and was able to land a full hit on the Chuunin's stomach with his knee and followed up with a powerful uppercut that sent Iruka flying backwards. Mizuki roared and was about to attack Iruka but he was forced back as Iruka tossed several explosive tags on kunai at him, forcing him back as Iruka got some fighting room. The Chuunin got ready and began to fight with Mizuki in close combat as they fought with one another. However the former Konoha ninja was stronger now and was able to fight with greater speed and power, forcing Iruka back once more in pain, and as Mizuki attacked he was stopped by several wires that wrapped around his arm, he turned to see Tsubaki holding the wires, he snarled at his former fiancé and pulled her towards him to finish her off, but as he got ready to attack, Tsubaki was quick to take out several shuriken and toss them at him, forcing him to block with his hands and when he blocked them, Tsubaki launched a powerful series of kicks on his body and landed a blow to his face.

Mizuki however laughed and replied as he glared at Tsubaki.

"You can't hurt me like that! My turn!!!"

Tsubaki moved away at the last moment and evaded Mizuki's attack, just as Naruto arrived and planted a powerful punch into Mizuki's face, despite the increase of his power, Mizuki was sent back by Naruto's enhanced strength and both Iruka and Tsubaki took full advantage of that by attacking at the same time, both Chuunin were able to hit Mizuki and send him back as he reeled and looked at them with hate filled eyes.

"You think you can really take me on?!"

Naruto could tell that both Iruka and Tsubaki were going to have a hard time with Mizuki as they had been injured, apparently the serum that Mizuki got from Orochimaru's previous works had given him some advantages but the blonde Chuunin and Dragon Champion was the all that worried as he was quick to launch his attacks this time by summoning several Kage Bushin and they charged right at Mizuki and the former ninja laughed and replied.

"Not this time brat!!!!"

Mizuki unleashed several whipping tendrils from his arm and lashed out at the Kage Bushin and destroyed them, however, the last one suddenly erupted into directed attack of kunai that were armed with explosive tags and the former ninja was unable to block the attacks as he was surrounded by the explosions and when the smoke cleared, he roared in anger and also arrogance as he was unscathed.

"Hah! I am stronger you brat!!! I will not be…"

However that was when he saw Naruto suddenly become bathed in pure energy and the blonde replied to the former Konoha ninja in a calm and relaxed tone.

"All right then, time to fight fire with fire, or in this case, claw to claw."

The energy blinded the others and soon as the light faded, Naruto returned and this time, he had been transformed into a new form that was going to give him a much better chance in fighting the former ninja of Konoha and also to show to Mizuki that his power was soon going to become useless to him.

--------

Mizuki was utterly stunned at the sight before him as Naruto roared out a bestial cry as he was now in his lycanthrope form through the spell the Holy Talon had taught him only days before this whole mess. The blonde was in a pure beast form that resembled the form of the Alpha Werewolf that he had fought with before, but there were natural substantial differences to his form from that of the Alpha Werewolf in question.

For one, the fur was silver white with a golden streak of fur on the back and the eyes were blue with silver mixed in, and the difference was that Naruto had managed to place aside his armor and was very much covered in fur though there were greaves, gauntlets, and pauldrons on his shoulders as well, the spell placed aside clothing and the rest of the armor as well as Holy Talon in a special pocket, once the spell wore off, Naruto would be able to return to human form with full armor and clothing back on…unlike Mizuki

The former Konoha ninja laughed and taunted Naruto.

"You are a real monster you brat to have that form!!! If only the village could see you now, they would have you thrown out for sure!"

Naruto snorted and replied with a bestial tone in his voice however.

"News flash Mizuki, have you looked in a mirror lately? You're uglier than the stuff that comes out of a cockroach's ass, and that's being kind to the cockroach in question, and here's a difference between you and me ugly….this form is only temporary and unlike yours, I never gave up my humanity to get it."

Mizuki snorted as he raised his hands as he readied the bone claws on his hands and spoke.

"Big words for a brat like you…come on!"

Both Naruto and Mizuki roared out in battle fury as they charged right into one another. Naruto's werewolf claws lashed out and so did Mizuki's bone claws in that exact moment, both of them roared out as they began trading punches with one another as well as kicks in order to try and score either a direct hit. The blonde wished he could be there to help the others but he could only hope that they were all right.

(((Hey kit! Move!)))

The blonde Chuunin heard the warning from the Kyuubi and quickly did so as Mizuki smashed his fist down hard and crushed the ground where Naruto stood before and the guy charged and began to transform before him, much to Naruto's surprise. Several bone growths appeared on Mizuki's forearms and they were sharp, the former ninja's white hair began to grow longer and more scale like while patches of fire began to cover his body and his fingers became like claws and several pore like growths were on his shoulders while several parts of his body began to be covered in a bone like substance

Naruto only said one thing to that.

"You are really ugly Mizuki, the appearance fits though."

Mizuki snarled in anger at that and replied.

"Laugh all you want you demon carrying brat, I'm going to carve you up and hang your skin on a wall!!!"

Naruto growled and replied.

"Bring it on you lab reject!!!"

Both attacked once more and soon the battle was between them as they unleashed claw swipes and kicks at one another, Naruto managed to incorporate the Taijutsu training he had gained from the two Hyuuga cousins as well as from Gai and Lee, along with the training in the Boundless state, melding all three styles of Gentle Fist, Strong Fist, and Boundless State into a powerful form that was striking fast and hard into Mizuki as the blonde's attacks bypassed his defenses and hit he guy hard.

Iruka and Tsubaki watched in awe as Naruto's attacks were moving ever faster and hitting harder as he traded blow and blow with Mizuki and inflicting a great deal of damage to the former Konoha ninja with each powerful strike. Naruto had indeed grown up to become a very skilled and dedicated ninja, more than they had ever seen of him. Mizuki himself was furious as he tried every trick in the book to attack Naruto as well as several of the new attacks that he was able t use, but Naruto had indeed changed, he was not the same young kid that had been easy to fool, he fought and acted differently now.

(No! The brat is still the same idiot, I am going to kill him no matter what!)

The former ninja unleashed several slashes with his bone blades but Naruto quickly blocked and evaded, knowing full well from what he had been told by Holy Talon that the poison that was coating those bone blades was deadly to him even in this form so he would have to exercise caution even with the enhanced protection, Miozuki continued to press the attack and then lashed out with the tentacles to strike at Naruto, the blonde Chuunin in werewolf form ducked and charged head on and slammed hard into Mizuki and sent the traitor flying back, he recovered however and attacked once again with several powerful lashing attacks with his tentacles, forcing Naruto to be on the defensive, but not for long as he summoned his Kage Bushin and attacked en masse, but this was just a diversion as the Kage Bushin were soon to keep Mizuki company as Naruto made the hand gestures and unleashed a powerful blast Wind Chakra as the Kage Bushin were knocked out and Mizuki was about to attack.

"FUUTON!!! KAZE KANADZUCHI!!!"

The blow of pure wind chakra that was solidified into a powerful hammer smashed hard into Mizuki before he could respond and the result were extremely painful for Mizuki as the attack had been enhanced by the power of Holy Talon, Mizuki roared in pain at the attack as he was now bleeding from the attack and couldn't move and that was when Naruto attacked with another set of Kage Bushin and he then unleashed his full assault as both he and the Kage Bushin unleashed several massive claw swipes that tore into Mizuki and drew blood.

Mizuki was enraged and this finally snapped his ability to think straight and he got the punishment for letting his concentration falter as both Kage Bushin used the training from Hinata and Neji to deadly effect as they both lashed out with several fast strikes that hit the former ninja hard and disabled him from using any other attacks briefly, this was not lost to the enemy in question as he gasped at that.

(That….that is the Gentle Fist of the Hyuuga Clan!!! How the hell did the brat learn how to use that style of combat?!)

Mizuki had no time to attack as he was unable to move briefly and began to recover, but that was when both Kage Bushin exploded with a massive burst of gun powder covering him a fine mist and that was when the Chuunin and Dragon Champion took out a pair of stones, fueled them with chakra and threw them at Mizuki, these stones in question were flint and when they were able to hit one another, they caused a spark, and this was increased by the presence of Naruto's chakra, the results were naturally explosive and the sound of the explosion was more than enough to be heard. Mizuki was hit hard and he was furious at this as he charged right at Naruto, but the blonde was quick to react and hit Mizuki with a powerful kick which was then followed by a double fist strike with an elbow charge into the chest

The blonde then reared a powerful fist and smashed the attack hard into Mizuki's face and sent the former traitor flying back and as soon as the traitor hit the ground, he roared and then decided to end this by weakening Naruto's resolve and he reached behind him and took out a pair of giant shuriken and tossed one at Naruto and the blonde who was in werewolf form whacked it aside and in that moment, the former traitor tossed it at Tsubaki, Iruka saw it and went to block the attack with his own body, he had a feeling that since Mizuki's strength was far greater than before, he would be killed by it.

Naruto saw that as well and quickly tried to reach his father figure. However he had not expected a trap from Mizuki that comprised of powerful wire that somehow lashed out and trapped him briefly, but it was enough to keep him from being able to reach Iruka in time, but in that exact moment he then spotted a blur of movement and so did Mizuki.

--------

CLANG!!!!

Mizuki growled out in anger as his giant shuriken had been blocked by some sort of shield as the person revealed himself, or rather herself as Naruto looked on in surprise as well as Iruka and Tsubaki herself, it seemed that someone else had followed them.

"VALKEN!!!"

The Sword Adept turned to smile at Iruka slightly as she spoke to the Chuunin.

"You all right?"

"Better…."

"Good, let me help you guys against this monstrosity."

Valken then focused her full attention on Mizuki who growled at her darkly as he unleashed another wave of large shuriken, in the attempt to punish Valken for saving Iruka but the Sword Adept showed her skills with both sword and shield as she blocked them with skill and patience, she used the force of the shuriken against them as well as moving them aside with enough efficient effort to not waste her strength.

Valken had spent a good deal of her time reading books in the house she had been given alongside her fellow comrades from Dagern by Tsunade previously. Since she had not been able to get a chance to have a spell help her understand the language, she had taken the time to read all the material she could find that would help her out in translating the language. Of course she also spent time talking to Iruka who was the only person she had met before and she developed a good deal of respect for Iruka who also helped her on his off hours whenever he could.

Now she planned to return the favor by helping him fight the former Konoha ninja before her, Mizuki's shuriken were keeping her pinned, but she had trained well back in her world to hold her own and this would help her a great deal until they could mount a counter attack. She however knew that while her shield was tough, it couldn't last forever and any more hits would severely damage or outright destroy it.

Mizuki roared out and shouted.

"DAMN YOU!!! DIE ALREADY!!!"

The transformed monster unleashed a powerful slash of his extending tentacles made from flesh and bone and Valken realized that it would be too risky to take the blow head on and she quickly ducked away and avoided the attack, Mizuki unleashed yet another one and she knew dodging was not going to work so she then jammed her shield down hard on the ground and moved away as the next attack smashed hard into her shield, sending it flying away as both she, Tsubaki, and Iruka were now out of the way as Naruto freed himself from the trap that Mizuki had made with the blonde Dragon Champion still in his lycanthrope form as he charged fast and hard into Mizuki and unleashed several claw swipes that wound the traitor ninja hard and fast.

The wounds were enough to make Mizuki roar in pain just as Naruto realized that now was the time to revert back to human form, he does so and was now back to his original form and in full armor, he moved in as Mizuki was still in pain, unleashing several powerful punches and ending with a powerful spinning heel kick that struck Mizuki right in the face, he soon landed on the ground and did a powerful shoulder charge that forces Mizuki back even further as he then used several powerful kicks using the Boundless State to send the former Konoha ninja reeling backwards, as soon as that was done, the blonde unleashed several Kage Bushin as he attacked once more while Mizuki was imbalanced and then decided to put his training under Tsunade and Shizune concerning the art of chakra control to good use, it had taken some time but with the increased control of the seal by Holy Talon and his own dedication to mastering himself as a ninja, he was more than ready for this task and as his Kage Bushin charged the moved their right hands to the sides as he placed Holy Talon aside as he spoke to the two beings who were with him.

(Holy Talon, Kyuubi, use your powers now!)

(("As you order."))

(((About time!!!)))

The blonde felt the combined power of Holy Talon and the Kyuubi flow into his body in that moment and he focused his chakra and that of the three powers, he used the power of Holy Talon and his training to form a powerful shell covered in elemental energy while using the Kyuubi's chakra to further amplify the attack while using his own chakra to add extra power to it, the end result was a massive Rasengan several times larger than the one he had made before in the past, only this time, this one cracked with white and red waves, the white from Holy Talon and the red from the Kyuubi itself.

And here was the real change, the other Kage Bushin were also using the Rasengan in their own hands, as such, Mizuki was stunned and tried to mount a defense but it was too late as he was hit on all sides by Naruto, just as the others arrived with the arrival of Yamato and Uzuki as well as several ANBU along with Tsunade and Shizune. Gai and his team as well as Kurenai and her team were able to witness this despite the fact that they were tired and exhausted alongside their fellow allies who were also tired.

They had been able to hold their own on the two brothers and managed to defeat the other creatures in combat and focused on the siblings, they knew that a direct attack was not going to give them the right kind of results so they used hit and run attacks as well as long ranged hits to even things up and it proved very effective with the two ANBU using their powers as well as Yamato used his power over trees and nature to even it up while Uzuki used her sword skills and her own Jutsu to even things up while Kurenai used her Genjutsu to befuddle the brothers even more while both Gai and Lee attacked at the very same time.

The other were more than ready to attack as Tenten used the weapons given to her by Naruto, Kiba and Shino along with Akamaru and the Destruction bugs attacked as well and the women of Dagern were more than able to even up the odds, and it was then that both Hinata and Neji struck a certain part of the brothers' respective bodies that broke the flow of the seals that bound them to Mizuki, and it was here that the Hokage, Shizune, and the ANBU arrived and soon they were able to restrain and defeat the brothers.

And when that was done, and they were restored somewhat by Tsunade who had picked up some tricks from Naruto on how to counter certain seals along with the aid of the two Druidesses' use of their magic in this stage of the battle. They all watched as Naruto smashed all seven Rasengan hard into Mizuki from all sides and it was only due to the power given to him by the Sin Serpent and the serum developed by Orochimaru that he was able to be fairly intact though his form had been severely cut and torn up in the battle and he was barely able to stand, however, the arrogant warrior snorted and tried to attack while shouting in anger.

"I will not be defeated!!!!"

Iruka and Tsubaki however attacked in that as they leaped in despite their injuries and struck in that moment with their own attacks, knocking Mizuki back, apparently the power he had been given by the serum had finally faded and the power of the Sin Serpent faded as light filled the area, the others glanced up and saw that the Black Moon was fading from view and was soon gone, the former ninja then fell to the ground as his body began to turn into a gaunt skeleton as black energy flowed out of his mouth, reforming into the snake and it spoke in a tone and faded away but not before somehow laughing in a loud tone despite it's rather small size.

None of the others understood or heard it, though only the three were there and Naruto knew just what the Sin Serpent had said to the former Konoha ninja as he understood the language that the Sin Serpent was talking about to Mizuki who was still very much clueless in the language being spoke to him by his former partner.

"You have served your purpose human….you have tested the young Champion well, the master will be pleased at his growth and he will serve well as a worthy foe….now you are in their mercy, and with your soul tainted, you will not live long, shame, you would have been a bit more useful to the master had you been less arrogant in battle."

--------

Mizuki spoke in a heavily weakened tone as he fell to the ground as he life blood flowed out of his now shriveled and dying body as he gasped for life…

"Noooo….I….won't lose…..I can't lose…"

Naruto looked at Mizuki as he was moved to some degree of pity for his foe despite the fact that he knew Mizuki was too far gone from the very start he broke out of prison. The blonde thought it over and spoke to Holy Talon.

(Can he be saved?)

(("The damage to his body is extremely extensive….we can keep him alive for a while and he might recover….but any hope of him being a ninja is over….his body has suffered irreparable damage….as to be expected when one eats as Sin Serpent to gain power for themselves, and that has been further increased by the fact that the serum had began to fade away."))

The shriveled shell of a former man turned his face which resembled more of a skeleton with wisps of hair left over on the head to look at Naruto who looked back as he placed Holy Talon on his back.

"You….brat….you bastard….what have you….done to me?!"

Naruto snorted as he replied.

"I don't need to explain myself to you Mizuki, I stopped you, and you brought this to yourself."

"W-W-What?"

Naruto snorted and replied as he was told already by Holy Talon what was the side effect of anyone being given the power of the Sin Serpent so he was not the least bit troubled by what was happening to the former Chuunin of Konoha.

"You wanted power so badly….you never thought about the cost of getting it. In your case, you lost your soul and in turn your humanity, whatever was left of it anyway. That is the price you paid to be given the Sin Serpent's powers. When I stabbed you….I also aimed to attack the spot where your power collected the most…and this is the result. After all, you were just a simple and expendable pawn to it."

"N-No….I had power to….rival you!"

"You might have, but you lost it now…and the price is too high, you could be saved, but your fate would have been the same either way, even more so that you got that formula from that snake summoning bastard. That curse ate away at your body and spirit, as well as your mind, when you were defeated, the curse was broken and your body is now paying the price."

Mizuki growled or tried to growl as his voice was dying away.

"Y-You lie…."

That was when another voice came into the scene.

"Naruto-kun is not lying Mizuki."

Naruto turned to see Tsunade as well as Shizune with her, the two dressed in the same armor that he had Rumkil and Torril had made for them and with the two were a pair of ANBU along with the others who thankfully were in good health and were safe. The blonde then spoke to the Hokage as she was next to him.

"Good to see you Tsunade-sama."

Tsunade smiled briefly at Naruto and turned to look sternly at Mizuki and spoke.

"That formula that you gained from Orochimaru was nothing more than a dead end experiment that he had discarded years before. He had tried to fuse the raw physical power of animals with humans to see if creating hybrid ninjas was possible, it was a failure and he discarded the formula eventually. He wrote in a set of notes that I recovered from that lab he had before he defected from Konoha years before, which he considered it worthless and incomplete. He only gave it to you to both have some fun seeing it fail and gather the results."

Mizuki looked shocked by this, at least he looked to be in shock.

"Y-You're lying….Orochimaru-sama would never…."

Tsunade sighed and replied.

"He lied to you….and the damage done to your body by the powerful curse of the Sin Serpent further added to the damage, you are dying Mizuki, and even if I could save your for interrogation, the damage you have will cripple you for the rest of your life."

Mizuki tried to deny it as he was now being tended by the ANBU to keep him from expiring too early before he was subjected to a full length of interrogation by Ibiki and his group of ANBU torture specialists, but he couldn't help but feel that there was some truth in the words spoken by both Naruto and Tsunade as he felt his body become weaker and he spoke out.

"This….can't be…."

Naruto snorted and replied.

"It is the truth, but you're a fool to blame anyone here… you have yourself to blame for your fate Mizuki, you now know the price of taking power without thought of the what it will cost you in the end."

As the husk of a man was brought away, the blonde decided to check on his comrades who apparently had been able to hold their own, he was happy that Tenten, Kurenai, and Hinata were all right and the same sentiment went also to Kiba, Akamaru, Neji, Lee, Shino and Gai. The male Jonin was showing happiness at how his students had performed and lauded the efforts that Lee, Neji, and Tenten displayed in the fight as well as Coryin and Valena, Kurenai herself was also happy, commending the efforts shown by her students Hinata, Kiba, Akamaru, and Shino as well as Liara and Tellis.

As for Tsubaki, Yamato, Uzuki, and Iruka, he was happy that they were all right though he had to thank the Sword Adept Valken for being there for Iruka as she had been the one to block the attack Mizuki had made to kill his sensei and defend him well. However, he would have to make her a brand new shield for the one that Mizuki had ruined. Iruka himself was happy that Valken had arrived at that moment though how she was able to track them was something that surprised him, until Valken told them that she had heard reports of them leaving Konoha and decided to follow them, along with the way she encountered Gai and his team and headed that way after deciding to help with the removal of the wounded people, this was why she had been late in arriving to be of much help in the battle, she had hoped to enter the fight but seeing her fellow comrades holding their own, she decided to head off to find them to see if she could be of some help.

And she did as well in that moment to defend both Iruka and distract Mizuki long enough for the others to make their attacks on him to weaken and finish him off at that exact moment. As the now ruined body of the still alive prisoner was sent away, Tsunade directed her attention to both Fujin and Raijin who were still recovering while eating, she looked at them and could see that the seal had severely weakened the two which was why they were much easier to handle than they were before this whole mess.

She then coughed a bit to get their attention and they looked at her.

"You two are going back to your cells, I have a feeling that they are serving good food there."

This brought a smile to the faces of the still recovering brothers and amazingly, despite having fought them herself, Liara took a piece of her specially made bread and gave it to them and the moment they ate the pieces, the two brothers literally had hearts appear in their eyes as the taste was delicious to them and that was more than enough to further pacify them further as they were transported back to the village.

--------

In the Hokage Tower two weeks later…

Tsunade looked over the reports for the day and was happy that the prisons were now back to full control and Mizuki was kept in the deepest and most secure isolation facility in Konoha to keep him from causing more trouble for the people there and the blonde Hokage personally requested a pair of golems to act as security for the cell itself. Naruto was more than willing to help her out in that regard, the Thunder Brothers were returned to their prisons and amazingly they were quite docile now….apparently sampling the bread cooked by Naruto's Druid companions had served to make the two more docile and more cooperative. They were still strong on their own, but the curse that Mizuki had used on them had drained the two of their original power and had made them less powerful than before. They were back in their cells and were now restrained by Orchaelium chains to keep them from going about and causing havoc in the village.

She then thought about Tsubaki who was currently on probation, the Chuunin ranked woman was willing to take any punishment for what happened, but Naruto and Iruka intervened and she was off the hook from more serious accusations and would soon be allowed to return to her work, she was happy that Naruto did that and she was more than willing to work hard to bring herself back to being a respected member of Konoha.

As for the blonde in question, Naruto was currently working on another set of weapons and armor for the ANBU forces as well as sending another shipment to Suna as well as taking a much needed break from all the things that he had been part of for the rest of the week as he was now in his home. She smiled at how much Naruto had grown and decided that he deserved to take some time off for now and she then hoped that they would get some peace and quiet around the village for as long as it would last.

She then recalled the Konoha was soon going to have an annual festival that would be paid for by the Feudal Lord and it would certainly be a welcome respite from all the things that had happened to the village for the past few months. The festival was still a few weeks off so she had plenty of time to plan things out with the rest of the Konoha Council

--------

In his home…

"Ahhhhh…..this feels good…."

Naruto was currently enjoying a hot bath in his tub with some good hot water and a towel on his head, the blonde felt happy that he was abler to get some smelling salts for the water for it to smell a lot nicer than before and help him feel more relaxed, he also tried some of the herbal balm that Liara gave him to help heal his body and relax him as well. The blonde had nothing on his schedule to deal with so he was more than happy to finally take a short break from work.

He thought over all that had happened and he had a feeling that sooner or later, he was going to be back in dealing with yet another threat cooked up by Death Fang, but so far the sword had been rather silent, he wasn't going to bet any money that the sword would remain quite for long. But for now, the peace was worth it and he would enjoy it as best he could.

He then thought about his earnings for the past few months, ever since he became a Chuunin, he had been earning quite the fortune and he had saved it away for him to use at a much later date as well as let it grow more for him to use when the time came. However, despite being very thrifty and conservative with money, the blonde also had plans to use his money well for the right time and occasion.

As he relaxed more, he then began to think on how he could use some of his money and then decided to see if he could help out a certain couple, namely none other than Asuma and Vlana, the blonde had seen them being together a lot more than before and while he knew that Asuma had his own supplies of money, he wanted to thank Asuma for helping him unlock his elemental affinity all those months before when they had been sent by Tsunade to help them protect Koyuki from Chumaza, and helping him court the skilled Silver Star Mage.

Not to mention that he would need to give Ino something nice for all the things she had done when they were working side by side in battle, something that would thank her properly her efforts as well as being something that she would be able to use in the right circumstances and the right situation as well. But what sort of gift would be worthy for Ino's help in all the missions that they had undertaken together?

He then wondered on how to present a gift to none other than Gaara's sister Temari, it would be rude of him to not give her one after all and also he would have to give something to Koyuki as well in thanks for all she had done for him as well as also make her happy. The gift would have to be something that she would like and that would have to be important.

He also decided to see if he could have some time to say hi to Hinata and thank her for teaching her all that she was able to teach him in their time together, not to mention he wanted to see just how she was taking the gift that he had been able to give her previously. He couldn't help but admit that ever since….they had become very intimate, Hinata had become a lot more confident in herself

(What to do….I can do that later when the time is right, for now, I need to have some much needed sleep and relaxation.)

With that train of thought, the young man decided to get some shut eye as well as enjoy the bath he was having right now and when he was done he was going to go out and grab another hot series of meals from the Ichiraku Ramen stand once more and with his money supplies as high as they were now, he could afford to use some of it for his own needs.

--------

The next day…

Asuma looked at Naruto with a slight look of surprise as he and Konohamaru were currently having breakfast in a nearby shop, he couldn't believe that Naruto was actually willing to do this for him.

"You're willing to pay the whole expense of me and Vlana having a date?"

Naruto grinned in his usual fashion and nodded.

"Yeah, tell me where you two want to eat, have some alone time, and have fun, I'll fork out the money and help plan it out."

The Jonin raised an eye brow as he looked at the blonde Chuunin and wondered what was going on in Naruto's head and couldn't help but try his best to find out what that was in all. It wasn't that he was not keen on the idea of dating Vlana, in fact, over the past few weeks, he had gotten quite close to the Silver Star Mage, but he was wondering what would prompt Naruto to do such things for him.

"Not that I'm refusing or anything, but why are you asking that of me?"

The blonde grinned and replied honestly.

"Think of this as my way of thanking you for all the things you've done for me for some time now, come on Asuma-san, let me do this for you as a favor."

Asuma sighed a bit as he could see that Naruto was dead serious about doing this for him and he was not the kind of person to say no to this sort of thing actually and made that rather plain to Naruto as he replied to the blonde.

"All right I'll do it, I just hope that this date is all right with Vlana."

Naruto grinned happily and nodded.

"I understand, I'll go chat with her and if she is all right with the idea, then I'll tell you where to meet her."

As soon as Naruto was out of the area, the Jonin was soon being teased by none other than his nephew Konohamaru who was very happy that his uncle was not at long last finally able to go out on a date and with someone who happened to be rather nice, he had met Vlana before as she at times would use her magic to surprise him and many others in the Academy when she was able to come there and she had the time to make something happen for them to see. Konohamaru smiled impishly at Asuma as he continued to tease his uncle.

"So you're going out on a date huh?"

"Yes…"

"Are you and Vlana-san going to?"

Asuma's eyes widened at that and he quickly smacked Konohamaru on the head gently but hard enough to send the message for his nephew that treading on that part of the whole thing was asking for trouble, he cared for his nephew but sometimes his nephew's perverted streak was something that really gave him a head ache.

"Don't say that Konohamaru."

"Ow…but you want to be with her right?"

Asuma could tell that Konohamaru was not going to let it go that easily and he couldn't help but sigh at that and reply.

"I guess…but we'll have to wait and see."

--------

Later…

Naruto walked over to the training field to the sound of sparring going on and he decided to see just who were busy training at this time of the day, and he didn't have to wait for too long to see just who are the people there in the training field. It was none other than Rock Lee himself and Valeena and the two of them were really going at it and the blonde Chuunin could tell that Lee and Valeena were doing well together in battle, just as they had done when they had gone after Mizuki and the two brothers. At the moment both were throwing punches and kicks at one another with amazing speed as both fighters were giving it all they had.

It was also when Naruto noted something different in the air as the two continued to fight with one another, Lee seemed more….active and energetic if that was to be possible for the normally upbeat and strong Genin as he continued to trade punches and kicks with the female elven Fire Dancer, in fact, he could swear that Lee had what was like a love struck expression on his face and when he glimpsed at Valeena's face, there was a face of pure concentration there mixed with respect and affection. He had learned much from Holy Talon and one such lesson is that while the Fire Dancers were something akin to monk order, they were not above having relationships and it was not unheard of for husband and wife who were both Fire Dancers to be fighting side by side as a fighting pair, that happened when the pair had fought together and were able to fight well and sync with one another flawlessly and having genuine feelings for one another.

And of course, there were stories of Elven Fire Dancers who were of either gender who married with humans and their children took the professions of their human parents or took to the Fire Dancer lifestyle and customs. On the matter of a Fire Dancer marrying an outsider, there was a custom for that matter and it worked in this fashion, when the Fire Dancer had an affection for a person, either male or female they would have what was called a courtship match, it was a non lethal match though the rules were for the fighters to use all their techniques in battle to win, if the Fire Dancer won at the end of the match, then he or she would have to either cut the romance short for a time until the one she or he wanted was ready and willing to try again, or find another person to care for. If the person won the battle, then the two were recognized as a couple and are considered married in many ways, including being able to be intimate out of wedlock, and it is further reinforced when they consummated it through the formal tradition or either elvish marriage or human marriage

Most of the matches ended in the later since there were few, elven or human who could equal Fire Dancers in their chosen style of fighting, but there were some who were of the former, and there were those who did win and become married to the Fire Dancers, he had no idea if Lee had any idea on that matter.

As the pair finally stopped, he decided to say hi to them and see how they were doing at this moment. Lee was happy to see Naruto and made that obvious as he greeted the blonde Chuunin.

"Naruto-san! Good to see you!"

"Right back at you Lee….anyway, how are things with you?"

Lee nodded and thought back on the events of the past few weeks, his body had now fully healed and he was more than ready to go back on doing missions and that was something that he was looking forward to.

"I'm well, fully recovered and ready for a mission!"

Naruto grinned at that, Lee was back to full throttle as far as he could see and on the corner of his eye, he could see that the elven Fire Dancer smile warmly at Lee, making him all the more curious if she was going to try and use the courtship match to bag the young man, he was not against, it, after all Lee had done, he deserved to have some level of happiness, and besides that, he seemed to like Valena a lot more now, as well as showing less interest with Sakura in the romantic sense though they were still very much friends. He then decided to chat with Lee later as he spotted Gai calling Lee over, Lee noted that and bid farewell to the two and that allowed Naruto to speak to Valena.

"Valena, how do you find your time here in my world and my home village?"

The elf thought about it and replied.

"It's a nice village, good people, and you have very interesting customs, and more besides. So I don't find anything bad with the village, in fact, it's not a bad place to stay in."

Naruto could tell that she was telling the truth and that was good news to him as he hoped that the women who came from Dagern were being treated well by his fellow villagers as they were doing all that they could to help the village out with whatever they needed in this situation. And it was good that the villagers were not trying to harm the women at the moment. He smiled at that and decided to direct his line of questioning to none other than Lee himself.

"By the way….what do you think of Lee?"

Valena smiled warmly at that and replied.

"He is a good man, dedicated, honest, brave, and quite loyal to a fault, good traits in any man who is skilled, while he cannot use those arts that you call Ninjutsu, and Genjutsu, he has amazing fighting skills in the art of hand to hand combat, he would make an excellent Fire Dancer. Plus, he has a warrior's spirit by most if not all standards in my world."

"I see….well, do you like him?"

Valena smiled a bit more and replied.

"Yes….though if you're referring to a more romantic setting, then I will have the challenge him to the kind of match that my people undertake and as a Dragon Champion I am well aware that you know it as well."

Naruto grinned and replied.

"I see….so, do you plan on asking him to take part of the match?"

The elven Fire dancer smiled a bit and replied.

"I might do that, but I would like it better that I have time to get to know him more before I extend the idea to him so he would understand the situation. He is a good man and despite being young I believe that by your law regarding ninjas, he is already an adult so this should help him feel better. Besides, he is a good man and deserves happiness as well as the next man, it would be a serious crime if he is not given the chance to be given something for his efforts."

Naruto laughed at that and recalled that as an elf, Valena had a very different outlook when it concerned relationships, this was very obvious in his studies with Holy Talon when it concerned the elven race, though he knew that elves had different customs and beliefs, depending on where they were born and their culture. He then replied to that as he thought about the implications.

"I guess so, by the way, I'll go see and chat with Gai about that, he might be surprised by this if you just do it without telling him, by the way, you know where I can find Vlana?"

Valena thought about that and replied.

"As a Silver Star Mage, I can bet that she is currently there in the library to look over all the information that she could find, so that would be the best place to find her."

Naruto nodded and headed off to the location, it took a while for him to find Valena though the librarian was on good terms with the Silver Star Mage and directed Naruto to the woman while she told the blonde Chuunin that Vlana was by far the most dedicated reader her place ever had and she wished that people took to reading books and scrolls more often than being in front of the TV all the time.

The blonde Chuunin merely laughed a bit and nodded his head, as he arrived to Vlana's place in the library, he could see why the library owner was praising the woman as she had several piles of books nearby as well as some open scrolls and she was very intent on reading what was before her. In this case, Vlana was the epitome of a book worm….though in this case a very gorgeous book worm who had the skill to back up the smarts.

As she looked up, she smiled at Naruto and spoke to him.

"Greetings Dragon Champion Naruto, is there something you want to talk to me about?"

The blonde Chuunin then told the Silver Star Mage of the plan for a date and asked if it would be all right to her to go on a date with Asuma and she smiled at that and decided to agree, she found the man to be rather nice to say the very least and told the blonde Chuunin to tell Asuma to wait for her as she would be in the apartment that they were currently staying in. The blonde Chuunin grinned at that and nodded, he was looking very much to this moment so he moved out to give the Jonin the good news.

--------

The date between Vlana and Asuma…

The Jonin checked his clothes once more and hoped that he had been able to get all the possible stains and creases out of his clothing for this day, he knew that he would have to look the least bit presentable for this date and not make a fool of himself before the Silver Star Mage who he had become quite attracted to, he had been surprised to learn that she agreed with the whole thing and that made this all the more important for him. As he checked himself in the mirror once more, he looked at his usual pack of cigarettes and decided to place it aside for now. He had no idea if Vlana disliked smoking and the last thing he wanted was to make a bad impression.

Once he was done with his clothes and checking himself, he moved out to the Yamanaka Flower Shop to buy flowers for the date, Ino was there and she was quick to smile at the sight of her long time sensei.

"Asuma-sensei! What brings you here?"

"I just need to buy some flowers for…"

"For your date?"

Asuma nodded at that with a faint blush on his face, much to Ino's amusement and happiness, it was about time that Asuma got to be with a woman. As soon as that was over, the Jonin arrived at the hotel just as Valena came out and she then smiled at him and headed off to meet with lee for another session of sparring though she had far more interesting plans in mind for the day than just fighting with the Genin. That was when the Jonin saw Vlana come out and he gasped out loud at the sight of the woman.

She wore a beautiful strapless gown which was very fitting for her that was made from red silk with white trim on the sides of each with a special braid of both white and red silk that was on her waist and she also had a set of beautiful golden bracelets on her wrists with comfortable shoes that were shown as there were slits on the sides of the dress that rose up to her knees, the Silver Star Mage had her long hair in a classical ponytail.

The woman smiled at Asuma and the flowers and teased him a bit.

"Careful Asuma, you might end up with a fly flying into your mouth."

Asuma noticed at that exact moment that his mouth was indeed open and managed to close it and moved forward and gave the flowers to Vlana, the Silver Star Mage smiled warmly and smelled the flowers and before Asuma could say anything, she moved towards him and kissed him gently on the lips and he blushed as she moved back and spoke to him.

"So, where do you want to go first Asuma?"

In the meantime, Lee and Valena had been sparring until she decided to surprise him with the duel and Lee, naturally accepted, in the belief that it was going to be a special type of training and they began to fight one another once more, Lee fired all of his attacks at full power, but Valena was able to block and launch his own. Throughout all this, Lee couldn't help but be enamored by the way Valena looked when she fought with him in any kind of match or when they would fight side by side. And while he tried to keep his thoughts focused on the battle which he was able to do to some degree, he still found her attractive and very skilled, not to mention she was rather nice.

(No, Lee, focus on the battle now!)

Lee did so as the two of them attacked one another with greater speed, he noted that Valena was acting a lot differently this time around, as she began to unleash more and more attacks, hitting with greater speed and power, this battle was becoming all the more intense and he couldn't help but feel the desire to go all out as well, and he did so, it would be wrong of him to not do otherwise or else he would end up disappointing Valena. As the fight continued to grow in intensity, he couldn't help but feel that he was being drawn into a powerful and utterly intimate conversation with the elven woman.

Valena was likewise seeing this in the same way, as she used the courtship duel between her and Lee, she relished that he was showing his full might and that made her all the more eager for him to show her the very apex of his abilities, she needed to go all out in this to draw out Lee's full skill and in turn she would not hesitate to unleash her own skills, The feeling of intimacy in this kind of fight was affecting her as well though unlike Lee, she reveled in the feeling of it all in this moment as they continued to unleash their full power on one another.

It was only in the later part of the battle that Lee finally scored a victory as he managed to defeat Valena though barely and the Fire Dancer was sent down and on her back, lee gasped and quickly tried to apologize to her for his actions.

"I'm sorry Valena-san! I didn't mean to go all out that much!"

Valena groaned at that, he did hit her rather hard in order to win the fight between the two of them but that didn't mean that she hated him for it, he had passed her test and she decided to speak to him.

"It's all right, you won the duel and that means I have to abide by my Order's traditions."

"Traditions?"

"Tell me something Lee, do you care for me?"

"Yes I do! You are very skilled and capable!"

The elf grinned at that as she got herself up despite the pain and looked at the Genin and spoke.

"I see, but I am asking in a more intimate sense."

That was enough to make Lee blush hard at that and he twiddled his fingers in the very same fashion as Hinata did when in the presence of Naruto before they became very intimate with one another. The Genin had no idea what to say but he knew that she deserved an answer and he was honest to himself that he found her beautiful and had a very nice personality.

"Well….you are beautiful and very kind….and I have to say that I am attracted."

Valena smiled as she then grabbed Lee's head and pulled him closer and spoke to him gently.

"And I can say the same for you, the tradition of my Order is that when a Fire dancer is attracted to one person outside of the order, they must duel to show their full power to one another as well as not hold anything back, if I had won, I had to give up on you or try again, but if you won….then you and I are bonded in battle and in peace. I guess in this situation I am now your girl-friend."

Lee was shocked and he couldn't help but feel very much embarrassed by this and looked at Valena if she was teasing him, but the happy smile on her face told her otherwise and then she kissed him gently, making him all the more awed and before he could try to deny this, he felt Valena gently caress his face, showing gentleness and a great degree of physical intimacy and that was more than enough to make Lee give in and kiss the elven woman back, running his hands on her emerald green hair and then to her ears gently touching them, making the woman moan out in appreciation at her actions on her ears.

As soon as the kissing was done, Valena explained her Order's tradition more and lee couldn't help but be surprised and amazed that he had been part of something that was this sacred among her people. She admitted that she had not told him since there was a chance he might not agree since his land was different than her own and thus the customs were quite different as well. But Lee decided to agree since he did find her beautiful and kind as well as very skilled and that was more than enough for Valena to be happy and she then whispered in his ear.

"Now I think now is the right time we can relax, this fight was good and we need to relax in some fashion."

Lee nodded and the two left for Lee's home as Lee had some medical supplies that he used to patch his injuries, they rested there and patched up each other's injuries, and it was then that Lee brought out some food and drink as they rested, Valena told Lee further of the things she knew of and the people and beings she had met and seen in her world and Lee did the same on how he had grown up in Konoha, the conversations were very good between the two of them and it certainly helped ease them into their new relationship and it was then that Valena decided to massage Lee's body, making him sigh at her touch.

It was at this moment that Valena made her move as she began to kiss Lee, the Genin looked at the beautiful elven woman and she replied.

"Now then….let me make you relax even more Lee."

At that exact moment, Asuma was currently sharing a quiet time watching the moonlight in his own home with Vlana as the Silver Star Mage and the Jonin just had a wonderful dinner in his home. He had also taken the time clean up his house of any garbage and even took the time the clean up the air and even took the time to buy scented candles for the occasion. Asuma did clean up his house and took good care of his own home, but in this case, he cleaned it up as best he could in order to make sure that it was very presentable to the woman.

They went to see a movie, much to Vlana's amazement as this was the very first time she had seen one before in her life, she also was impressed with some of the books that she had found outside of the library that she spends most of her time. After the movie the two of them also went to a nearby grocery to buy some food for their time in his home, once they were done, he toured her to the Hokage Monument to tell the stories of the men who had taken the role of Hokage in Konoha as well as tell her of his father who served as the Hokage before Tsunade took the position of leader. They took the time to talk about other things and Asuma told her about her own journey on his own accord, and how he returned and became a ninja and also about his conflict with his father in the past.

Vlana understood that in her own fashion and supported him as best she could assuring him that considering all that he had done and would soon learn in his own time, he would make his family proud of him no matter what would happen in this life. That was more than enough to endear her to the Jonin as they arrived in his home and she cooked some food and they were soon having a good dinner while she needled him in a good natured fashion on his desire to impress her with all the things he had done.

This made Asuma blush and this led to them looking at the stars but Asuma was torn to looking at the woman as the light of the moon and stars made her hair glow silver and her red eyes to sparkle and make her look more beautiful as she rested there before him, she leaned down and took all of his mental and physical discipline not to react and do something that's he might not want.

He did his best to control himself when he smelled her scent, he couldn't help but feel his body react a bit at her smell and also her own body's movements on his own.

(Easy you….if you do something bad she's either going to slap you, or fire a lighting bolt in your face!)

"Asuma…"

"Yes?"

"You seem rather tense for some reason, are you all right?"

"Uh….yeah, I'm fine."

Vlana looked at him and replied.

"Really, why do I have my doubts on that? Here, maybe you need a massage."

Before the Jonin could respond, the Silver Star Mage moved away and was now behind him and she began to press her hands into his shoulders, and back, she then told him to lean forward a bit as she began to work her magic to say the least as the Jonin felt a lot of tension move away from his body, making him feel more relaxed as he moaned out in pleasure, hearing Vlana giggle a bit at his moan.

"I see that you like that hmm?"

"Hai….it feels nice."

"Good, I wanted to hear that from you, at any rate, you really should relax, there so much tension here."

Asuma nodded and before he could do anything, the Silver Star Mage moved forward and he was surprised when he felt her breasts press into his back and before he could say anything the Silver Star Mage, she gently whispered to him.

"Your tension is because of me by any chance Asuma?"

"Ummm…I…"

Before he could say anything else, the Silver Star Mage moved her breasts on his back all the way to his shoulders, making him jump a little, much to her delight.

"I see that it is because of me….do you want to do anything about it?"

Asuma was stunned and then the Silver Star Mage made him turn to look at her as she then gently kissed him, as soon as the kiss between the two of them ended she replied in a very seductive tone.

"You went through so much effort for me, and I went through some effort to look presentable for you….so why don't we enjoy the fruits of our respective labors here tonight?"

"Are you sure?"

Vlana nodded and replied to that with a smile.

"We're already adults in the right age and maturity for it, and besides, despite your smoking habits, I do find you to be a very good man and you have the right kind of personality as well as nature. You would make any woman happy and that goes for me as well."

Asuma couldn't say thing else when the Silver Star Mage decided to kiss him again, only this time around she kissed him with far greater passion and intensity than before very obvious signs that she was in the mood for them to take things to a much higher stage between them. And despite his logic telling him to stop at that moment, another part of his mind was telling him to let it happen, he was grown man and so was Vlana so they were nothing inherently wrong for them to be attracted to one another. With that train of thought in mind, the Jonin responded to that kiss as well and it was not long before the two of them began to get a lot more intimate, and it was not long before the Jonin reached the back of the Silver Star Mage to loosen the dress.

Vlana not that and decided to help him along and soon, things in Asuma's room were going to get very interesting.

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The next day…

Asuma woke up and tried to shake the cobwebs out of his brain and he was curious as to where he was at the moment. He then recalled that he was currently on his bed in his house and he was stripped naked and he was a bit confused as to how he was in this state of undress, but when his memories of the night before came back, he blushed a bit and looked to see Vlana lying there on his bed with her hair like a drape of white silk there on his pillow, he looked at her with awe at her beauty and he looked at the sun that was shining through the window of him room and couldn't help but feel a lot more happiness. And he had to admit that the potions that Vlana gave him to drink were very potent in making him stronger for the night ahead.

He was so deep in thought that it was only when Vlana gently kissed his cheek that he realized that she was now awake and right next to him, unmindful of the fact that she was now naked before him, making him blush at her beauty as she was indeed well built despite not being a serious fighter.

The Silver Star Mage smiled at her lover and spoke to him.

"So did you enjoy last night Asuma?"

Asuma smiled at that with the blush still evident on his face as he replied to the beautiful mage next to him.

"You were pretty amazing…I hate to ask…..but is this really your first time?"

Vlana nodded sincerely and replied.

"It is my first time Asuma, the only reason I know about such…things on how to be with men and make them feel more at ease around me, is because the books in the archives also taps into the more intimate side of being with people. I had studied that well apart from being a skilled mage just to pass the time. I hope I did all right for you Asuma? I hate to be disappointing you if I didn't do things right."

Asuma smiled as he replied.

"You did well Vlana-san."

The silver haired and crimson eyed woman smiled at the truth in his words and gently kissed him with a warm hug, allowing him to feel her naked form once more, making him even more aroused, but they stopped themselves for now as they got up and got dressed for the day ahead. Vlana then decided to cook some food for the two of them and cooked a special meat and vegetable dish for Asuma, and he found it to be very good and she also brought out some special beer that she had with her in her pack, Asuma normally didn't drink, but found the beer to be delicious and commented on it.

"This is very interesting beer."

Vlana smiled and replied.

"It's a traditional brew among Silver Star Mages, because of our training with herbs, and potions we have good skills in making spirits, in fact, those of our order who leave actually become good makers of drinks and potions."

Asuma smiled as the beer was well balanced but had the right mixture of spices, herbs, and alcohol to make him enjoy the taste. As soon as that was over, he and Vlana soon left his house as he decided to accompany Vlana to her usual place in the Konoha library to do her research and also to soon head off to the green house ran by her comrades to get some more herbs and components for her potions.

They were unaware that a certain blonde Chuunin and Dragon Champion was watching the whole situation before him, Naruto couldn't help but notice the aura of closeness between Asuma and Vlana and that was something that in his mind was worth every moment and action that he had been able to undertake.

Naruto then grinned and spoke to himself.

"I wonder how Lee is doing with Valena?"

He then turned to see Gai walking along and seemingly in the good mood and he decided to go have a chat with the Jonin and go see if the two of them could go and check on the young Genin. After a chat the Jonin nodded and admitted that he was quite eager to see just how far had his student gone with his relationship with the undeniably skilled Fire Dancer.

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In Lee's simple home…

Lee yawned a bit and got out of bed and wondered why he seemed to feel so relaxed….however, the very second the memories of last night hit him hard in the head and the young Genin blushed bright red and looked to see his usual jumpsuit removed and neatly placed away….next to Valena's own clothes and he looked to see the beautiful elven Fire Dancer smiling at him with a happy glint in her eyes while she wore some simple cloth to cover parts of her naked body…not that he had any problem imaging those said parts. She was already sitting on a nearby chair and smiling at the Genin and he spoke out.

"Valena-san…"

The elf however replied.

"After what we did that night Lee, I think you're going to have to give up calling me by that, I think the term chan added to my name is a better choice. By the way, I must admit that you are very fit for someone at your age and despite the fact that it was your first time, you did very well."

Lee blushed brightly at that as he recalled telling the elven woman that he had never done anything like that before, but she smiled and replied that she was in the same boat though she had been taught about such things as a young woman in her days so she was able to help him handle the situation a lot better than most. Lee then spoke to her in respect and affection, he couldn't show anything else after that night to the elven woman.

"I understand Valena-chan."

Valena smiled as she got off the chair and gently kissed him on the forehead and then took his hands to help him get out of the bed, he willingly obeyed and she decided to get dressed as well as he did and she decided to get to cooking some food for the two of them. Lee looked at himself in the mirror, he had just lost his….chastity, but to a woman who he cared for and was his equal in many ways, he sighed and smiled a bit as he felt some level of happiness and as soon as he was done, he moved out of his room to see Valeena cooking some food and placing it on the table.

The two of them enjoyed the food well and it was then that Valeena decided to leave and head off to meet with her comrades and he accompanied her to the place where the others of her group would routinely meet to discuss things and as they got closer, the elven Fire Dancer kissed Lee on the lips gently as she smiled at him and headed off. Lee blushed deeply at this and couldn't help but smile happily while looking at the way Valeena moved, showing that while she was indeed walking away, she was still making actions that got his attention fairly easily.

As he turned about, he was greeted by none other than Naruto and Maito Gai himself, the Jonin saw it and as they approached Lee, the Jonin gave his student a happy smile and was happy that Lee finally found a girl who was not only someone who liked him, but also was able to match him in terms of his abilities in Taijutsu despite the difference in their style of fighting.

"Congratulations Lee, you've finally met a woman who can be your equal and life partner."

Lee smiled at Gai as well as Naruto who was smiling warmly at him and replied.

"Thank you Gai-sensei, I'll do my best to prove that I can be the best person to be with Valena-chan!"

Lee then spoke to Naruto with a happy look on his face.

"Thank you for helping me find the courage to ask Valena-chan out Naruto-san, I owe you a great deal."

Naruto shook his head and replied.

"You owe me nothing Lee, I only helped you make the right moves to get the woman you like a great deal and respect as well."

Lee nodded and then Gai spoke out in his usual Nice Guy pose..

"All right then! To celebrate your becoming a man, why don't we go to one of my favorite restaurants and see who can eat some of the best beef hot pot in one setting!!!"

Lee was ecstatic while Naruto sighed and smiled as the three of them headed off to have their own personal pig out session. He couldn't help but shake his head at the result of all the things that he had done in order to give two guys he respected and had trained him to be a much better ninja than before. He had a feeling that sooner or later, he would face Death Fang's machinations soon, but for now he was going to enjoy all the time he had free and when the time came for him to fight once more, he would be more than ready.

--------

Naruto was right….for at this moment…

--------

In Death Fang's lair…

The sword glowed in a deep burning aura of energy as it watched the battle between Naruto and Mizuki with absolute pleasure, the human guinea pig had been worth playing with and would have been a viable candidate for being turned into a servant, but his body was too ravaged to be of any use to it so watching him fight ad eventually suffer the pain of taking the Black Moon Curse was well worth it in the sword's twisted and evil mind.

((("You will be interesting to see in action one I find my own master Naruto Uzumaki….for now, I will let you have a respite, do not let yourself get too relaxed as I am not done yet with my plans to really bring you to the limits.")))

--------

To be continued…

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Author's Notes:

This is done at last….and there's a real change now…

Asuma and Lee got laid!!!!

I have a very good guess that I am going to get some major comments about Lee finally getting hitched in the best way possible with a girl, and that is to be expected, but I for one think that Lee deserves to have happiness and a reward for all he had to do to get to the level that he is now when it comes to Taijutsu and that nice guys like Lee deserve to be rewarded for all of their hard work and dedication.

And the fact that Lee got hitched with a beauty of an elf like Valena is proving once and for all that nice guys DO NOT finish last!

Anyway, you can bet that Asuma is going to one day have kids at some point in this story!


	44. Festival Spirit Part 1

Naruto - The Twin Swords

Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Naruto so let's leave it at that all right?

Chapter 31

Part 1

Festival Spirit

( ): Thoughts

((" ")): Holy Talon's voice

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In Naruto's house....

Naruto was happy as he counted down all his current earnings from all the sales that he had been able to make with the new gear for Suna as well as that of Konoha's own ANBU forces and it was very high. Coupled with the funds that he had earned in his work as a Chuunin, he was more than able to live comfortably and could even consider retiring as a ninja, but he was not the kind of person to think such things for the time being as he counted all the money he had.

Back then in his younger days and when Sarutobi was still the Hokage, he would receive money every now and then to handle his living expenses, but he always made sure to store some away and keep it safe, now however, he had far more money than he could ever hope to earn, and it made him feel happy, though he kept in mind that his money had to be either kept safe or put to good use, and he already had some plans, he had saved up a tidy sum in the bank with the aid of Iruka who was more than willing to help him make his own bank account to store his sum away to let it grow and become larger.

The other portion was for his own needs in the house as well as making sure that he was able to buy food, clothing, equipment and the like in order to make his living a lot more comfortable while here in Konoha, and he also focused the other portions for other things. He however was saving up a good sum of his money to help make life easier for the Hokage. He knew of Tsunade's mountain of debt and he hoped to at least alleviate some of it so that the Hokage wouldn't have to worry about her debts all the time, she already had her hands full in taking care of Konoha and it's people so he needed to do something to lessen the burden on his Tsunade-chan.

He knew Tsunade was proud and would not ask for help unless she needed it, but he was still a very kind hearted guy and wanted to do what he could help make sure that the lives of his loved ones were safer. As soon as he was done counting his money, he smiled, he was nowhere near as rich as his perverted Sensei was, but he was more than able to take care of most if not all of his daily needs while in the village.

He then heard knocking on the door and headed over to see who would be paying him a visit in his home at this time of the day.

"Coming."

As soon as he opened the door, he heard a certain puppy bark in greeting while riding on the head of a certain Inuzuka youth, Kiba grinned and spoke to Naruto as he and Shino were there in front of the blonde.

"Yo, Naruto, you all right?"

Naruto smiled at the arrival of both his close comrades and friends as he replied.

"Yeah, I'm all right, you want to come in?"

Both Genin nodded and Naruto let them into his home and directed them to the living room while he got some fruit and light snacks that he had with him in the refrigerator, as soon as he set them down and they began to chat, the Inuzuka youth spoke to Naruto.

"Nice to see you having much better life though I can bet it ain't easy to say the very least."

Naruto grinned at that and replied.

"You're not kidding, but it's a ninja's life, so what brings you and Shino here to my home, no missions today?"

Kiba smiled a bit as he ate the roast beef sandwich and spoke after eating it.

"No missions, but we are planning to take part in the soon to come Land of Fire Festival, figured it would be a good thing to relax to after that whole episode with Mizuki, plus it will be nice to finally get to have some time to catch up on a few things."

Shino then spoke as well as he drank the fruit juice.

"I agree with Kiba on that one, the last battle we fought in was unlike what I'm normally used to, so a bit of a break is in order, by the way, there is something I have been meaning to ask, have you any plans for the festival Naruto?"

The blonde Chuunin thought about that and shook his head.

"Not at the moment, but when it comes then I'll think of something to do, so what do you guys plan to do today?"

Kiba was naturally the first to speak and replied.

"I figured I can go to the clinic to give Akamaru his annual check up, with my sister Hana handling things there in the clinic, it shouldn't take too long to do, plus I'm going to drop by the greenhouse grab some of those herbs that Liara makes and ask if she has more of the bread that she commonly makes."

Naruto smiled a bit at that as he had a feeling that Kiba had another reason to go and seek out Liara but he decided that it was not really his business to enter into, besides, Kiba was a man and he deserved to do what he needed to do when the time came for him to do it as well, besides, he and Liara were all right in some ways, nod doubt due to Liara's abilities and her standing with the Inuzuka family since Tsume and Hana approve of her after all.

Shino then spoke.

"I have to oversee some important matters with my family for the time being so I would have to hold on attending the opening parts of the festival, afterwards I might decide to visit the greenhouse and speak to Tellis about some other matters that I think need her attention, considering her skill in talking to insects the way my clan does."

That made Naruto smile even more to himself and decided that he should keep out of things as he had a feeling that Shino deserved to be the one to make the moves himself and therefore he would only help his friend if he asked for it, though he had had his doubts about that as Shino was always the more intellectual one of the group and asking for help was not in his forte so to speak.

"Sounds like you guys have everything settled already, so what do you guys think of the people from Dagern?"

Kiba and Shino smiled a bit or rather Kiba did as Naruto had no idea what was Shino's thoughts on the matter and they talked about much of a help they were in the village and that was something that Naruto was very happy to hear as he hoped that the women were given a good deal of support from his fellow villagers and hearing good things about them was more than enough to make him feel a lot more assured that they were doing a good enough job of being able to integrate with the people of his village.

It was then that he got a knock on the door and excused himself to see who was knocking on his door, and as soon as he opened the door, he was surprised to see none other than the ANBU Captain who was still wearing his mask and next to him were both Yamato and Uzuki and before he could figure out what they were doing here in his home of all places, Uzuki was the first to speak.

"Good morning to you Naruto-kun, we have news for you about the equipment you have made for us. We've began to put them to training use and many of the ANBU are impressed with the work that you put into them, even if there aren't that many of them for the time being, these will be very helpful indeed in a situation where we cannot have you with us."

The ANBU Captain then spoke to the blonde Chuunin.

"We have managed to gather a large donation of ryo from all the members of the ANBU and also we have decided to give you a special offer if you wish. We got approval of this from none other than Kakashi –sensei himself, if you want we can have you serve as a teacher among the ANBU as well."

Naruto was quite surprised by that and decided to think it over for the time being while Kiba and Shino were very much impressed by the news that Naruto was being considered as a new teacher for the ANBU, but considering the creatures that he had already fought with before, then he was a very good teacher. Naruto smiled and bowed down to the ANBU Captain and spoke.

"I'll think it over, but I am honoured that you are asking me to be a teacher to the ANBU."

The ANBU nodded and they were soon able to leave as they had other important matters to handle on their own terms as well, it was also when another person arrived, but in this case, it was a ninja mailman who quickly handed the blonde Chuunin a letter and spoke to him in a very respectful manner.

"Greetings to you Naruto-san, I have a shipment from you from Koyuki Kazahana of Spring/Snow Country."

Naruto wondered what this was about and signed the papers, as soon as the man left, he looked at the letter to see just what was it that Koyuki-hime had sent him.

'Dear Naruto-kun....

I am happy to say that the film we made together has proven to be a box office hit all over the world and it has truly been raking in the payoffs, which I have used to help further the research on the perfection of the Generator here in my country, but I couldn't have done it all without you Naruto-kun, you made a wonderful actor, and more besides. The crew and cast of the film think so as well and for that, they have given you a large percentage of the film's sales. As of right now, there is at least a full six million ryo here in this check to thank you. No amount of money can repay you for all you have done for me as a princess, a leader, an actress....and most important of all....as a woman. And for that reason I hope that you enjoy this gift and make good use of it all.

Koyuki Kazahana.'

Naruto smiled and planned to thank Koyuki for this gift as this would help him make part of his plans come true and that was naturally concerning a certain blonde Sannin.

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Later...

Tsunade sighed as she took a good long drink of the cold fruit tea, the Hokage would have preferred sake, but drinking sake on the job was asking for trouble and the juice was nice so there was no reason for her to complain all that much for this part of the day. She was busy overseeing the soon to come festival that was going to be lasting a week at best, it was something that she was very much looking forward to as she needed something in order to get her spirits up, the past few weeks had been really difficult and she was eager for a break. However she was not happy with the fact that she still had to deal with the debt that was there in the back of her mind, she hoped that sooner or later, she would finally have to make the money needed to pay off the debt, she however decided to place those thoughts aside and focus on making the festival better for all of Konoha, it had been some time since this particular festival in her mind and a chance to have some peace was welcomed indeed.

As she drank her drink it was then that Naruto arrived and smiled at her while carrying a large bag, this was enough to make Tsunade all the more curious as to what he was smiling about as she placed down the glass.

"What is it Naruto-kun?"

The blonde placed the bag down and replied.

"It's a special gift, I managed to get a good deal of ryo together and had it all piled neatly for you to use to pay off your debts, or at least part of it."

That got the Sannin's attention as she looked in the bag and her eyes widened, the money was a lot and would help pay a good portion of her gambling debt, it was quite a present from her loved one and she looked at Naruto with a very warm smile on her face as she looked at him. She knew that he was not the kind to waste money unless it was for a good cause, and truth be told, she decided to put this money into paying a good portion of her gambling debts as this would make her life a whole lot easier.

She stood up and hugged Naruto deeply while speaking to him in the ear.

"Thank you Naruto-kun, this is a nice gift from."

"Not a problem Tsunade-chan, I wanted to make you smile since you've been very busy here."

The Sannin laughed a bit as she parted and kissed Naruto on the cheek and spoke.

"You're such a nice man, anyway, I think that since the festival is coming, you can finally take a much needed break from all the things that you have been doing for the past few weeks, the ANBU told me that your equipment is really working out well for them and that is a good thing in my book. At any rate, since there's no missions for today, I think some simple socializing is in order for you."

Naruto grinned at that and then thought about something.

"Say, isn't Sakura-chan supposed to be training with you today Tsunade-chan?"

The blonde Hokage nodded and replied.

"She's currently working in the Konoha hospital and also studying in the Konoha Medical Archives to sharpen her medical skills....oh yes, speaking of which, I have some scrolls for her to read, could you bring those over to her?"

"Sure thing!"

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In the Konoha Medical Archives...

Sakura moved her neck a bit to lessen the stiffness as she was currently reading on some documents relating to the various kinds of poison making components and how to counter them or even to make them more potent than before. Ever since she had taken up her training with Tsunade as her apprentice, she had been doing all that she could in order to make herself a worthy successor to the Hokage's reputation and make her own in the process. She felt very much elated with the fact that she had indeed gotten better each day and her strength had grown a good deal so she could be a worthy ally to her team.

She sighed a bit and felt a slight rumble in her stomach and she felt a bit embarrassed, in all her studies, she had forgotten to bring some food and decided to take a break for a bit. But she was then greeted by the arrival of a certain blonde Chuunin who came through the door just as she was about to leave .

"Naruto-kun?"

The blonde Chuunin grinned and walked over to Sakura, this time he had the scrolls in one hand and a large bento box in the other.

"Hi there Sakura-chan, Tsunade-sama asked me to drop these scrolls to you for reading, and I figured that since you've been studying for a while, you might get hungry so I dropped by your home and asked your mom if she had some food for you to have."

Sakura smiled warmly and took the bento box and placed it on the table, afterwards she took the scrolls and spoke to him.

"Thank you so much Naruto-kun, you've made my day."

The blonde smiled and as she sat down, he sat next to her and despite not being a medical expert, he had to admit that all the knowledge that Sakura was getting into her mind was very impressive to say the very least and he had noted that her strength had grown a good deal since they had last worked together, he then noted the stiffness in her body and he decided to be nice to her even more as he then stood up and began to massage her shoulders and neck.

This action made Sakura moan out in pleasure and relaxation as the pink haired Kunoichi felt a good deal of the tension in her body begin to fade away, something that she had been hoping to tend to when she was done with her current studies, it made her all the more pleased that Naruto was the one helping her. She had begun to love him more as time passed and while she still cared for Sasuke, her romantic feelings were on the blonde Chuunin.

"Mmmm....that feels nice...right there...."

Naruto couldn't help but tease her a bit.

"If I didn't know any better Sakura-chan, I'd think you were purring like a kitten."

Sakura smiled at that and laughed a bit.

"And what if I am?"

Naruto smiled and carried on with his actions, making Sakura moan in pleasure as she felt her stiffness disappear. This carried for a few more minutes until Sakura felt very relaxed and made that obvious to the blonde Chuunin who stopped and allowed her to stretch out a bit to get rid of the remaining stiffness in her body. As he bid her goodbye to let her study, she smiled and gently kissed Naruto on the cheek and got back to her work, however before he could leave she spoke to him once more.

"Hey Naruto-kun, care to spar with me later today?"

"Oh?"

"Yeah, it'll be a good way for me to see how far I've come and how far you've come."

Naruto thought it over and nodded.

"Sure thing, I'll be in the training field later today."

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Later...

As the day hit mid morning, Naruto, wearing only his regular clothes, was currently training in the field with Holy Talon in several sword wielding techniques while sparring with a pair of his Kage Bushin in order to get into shape while also finding loop holes in his own defences. Having learned the advantage of the Kage Bushin as a training tool, Naruto took it further by using the Kage Bushin to use battle techniques that he normally used in order to test himself as well as find weak points that he could fix in order to avoid being caught off guard.

One Kage Bushin was armed with two katanas and the other one carried a sword and shield, so far, the blonde was getting into the swing of things as the Kage Bushin were really going all out on him and he was with them, the three were busy fighting long and hard with one another so the blonde would have all the time to train himself properly in battle with anyone, as soon as he was able to defeat his Kage Bushin and they disappeared, the knowledge and experience they had gained would be his, allowing him to know how to best attack and defend himself.

He took it further when he moved and summoned another set of Kage Bushin and these were armed with a set of different weapons, one was armed with the Wing Spear, another was armed with a two handed sword and the last was armed with the longbow. The one with the long bow provided long range support for the others as they began to test Naruto hard as they attacked in random intervals as well as in pairs, this was serious training that was recommended by Holy Talon as it had determined that Naruto could learn more effectively if being attacked in random patterns to learn on the fly.

He was already covered in sweat as he moved quickly through the battle, dodging attacks and blocking them as well to get his plans in order. He needed to be at the top of his game in order to be ready for the fight.

(("You seem to be doing very well at the moment Master Naruto."))

(Yeah, this training regime is really something.)

(("You will need all the training you can get at this point and time Master, I have been able to gather my powers slowly and soon will be back to full power in another amount of time."))

(That's good to hear.)

As the time wore in, it was when Sakura arrived on the scene that the Kage Bushin finally poofed away as Naruto sighed a bit and sat down on the trunk of the cut down tree, she had seen a good portion of the fight while she was there and she couldn't help but feel pride in Naruto as she had seen how dedicated he was in this manner of training.

(If he was only like this back in our Academy, he would not have been so alone.)

The pink haired Kunoichi was a bit sad at that train of thought as she recalled that back then she and the other girls with the exception of Hinata had never taken Naruto seriously, but now that she had seen how truly dedicated he was to being a great ninja, she felt a great desire to prove herself to not just to her own mind and those who knew her, but to Naruto as well, she had been training herself well and Tsunade's serious training methods had proven to be highly effective in making her a better ninja, and now was the right time for her to put her training to the test as she walked over to Naruto and called out to him to inform him that she was there to be with him today for some needed training.

"Naruto-kun!"

The blonde smiled and greeted her as she came closer to him.

"Nice to see that you made it Sakura-chan!!!"

The two hugged one another and as soon as Sakura saw the sweat there, she sighed and couldn't help but smile a bit as she spoke.

"You've been working hard Naruto-kun, you sure you want to spar with me?"

The blonde grinned and replied.

"You bet I am, I am more than ready to see how much you've trained under Tsunade-chan, I saw your strength before Sakura-chan so this will be a very interesting situation for both of us."

The pink haired Kunoichi nodded at the truth in that particular statement as she got herself ready as they faced one another while Naruto decided to place Holy Talon aside for the moment and he then faced Sakura and the two of them bowed towards one another and as soon as they were done bowing before one another, they got into fighting position and it was a waiting game for them make the first move.

Sakura was the first and quickly moved in, showing that she had increased her speed and strength, Naruto briefly spotted her feet being covered in her chakra and he was quickly able to realize that she was using her chakra to increase her movement speed in conjunction with her already present speed and he was barely able to dodge several powerful punches that were soon followed by a powerful spinning kick that he had to flip over, Sakura quickly recovered however and reached upward to grab his clothing and toss him to the side.

Naruto was able to land on a tree but quickly moved away as Sakura attacked with a powerful charging elbow that quickly smashed into the tree and the tree was cut violently in half as the pink haired Kunoichi focused her chakra control into her attacks. Naruto landed and whistled at the sight.

"Wow! That was impressive Sakura-chan, though why are you going all out on me?"

Sakura looked at Naruto as she relaxed herself and spoke back with a serious but non evil smile.

"I have to show how serious I want to be as a ninja so I have to go all out, just because I happen to be falling for you and care for you Naruto-kun doesn't mean that I can't be serious about sparring with you.....besides, I won't be able to see how far I have come if I don't face someone with full power. So please....don't hold back on me either Naruto-kun."

Naruto thought about that and knew that this was important to Sakura as he could see in her eyes that she was serious and wanted to be taken seriously by him as well. He had a fairly accurate idea on why as she wanted to be a great ninja and prove that she could be a good support for the team, he would have wanted to assure her that she was already good, but his time in learning everything he could and his experiences taught him that sometimes the best way to show your full strength is through action, not only words. Sakura wanted to pit herself against someone who could bring out her full power and it seemed that she wanted him to be the one to test her to the limits, she had already proven herself in battle in his eyes when they worked together, but this spar might be something that she needed.

He didn't know if what he was thinking as all right, but if Sakura-chan wanted to go at full power, then he should show his full power as well as doing anything less would be making her seem weak.

With that in mind, he nodded as he focused himself and took his fighting position and replied.

"All right, I won't hold back Sakura-chan....I might not completely like this but I'll do it anyway."

Sakura nodded and got herself ready as Naruto attacked, she began to fight back, keeping in mind that Naruto had received a great deal of training from many sources so she would need to go full power, she however wanted to make sure that they didn't suddenly kill each other in some fashion as they began to trade punches and kicks with one another. The result of this was obvious as the field became a battle ground of considerable force as the two went at one another.

Naruto blocked and dodged some of Sakura's fierce attacks as they began to fight in close combat with Naruto using his training in both the Hyuuga Gentle Fist with Lee and Gai's Strong Fist as well as his very own style of Taijutsu as well as the techniques he had been able to pick up in his own training with the spirits of the other Dragon Champions as well as his present mastery of the Boundless State of combat. Sakura herself was able to block and dodge the attacks well using her own experiences as well as the training she had gotten from Tsunade while using her strength training to push herself to fight evenly as she could sense that Naruto was dead serious about going all out with his own abilities.

This proved to be quite an over the top battle as the place was covered with clouds of dust as well as some shattered trees and boulders nearby as they moved from one part of the field to the next. If one who was unable to be there before to hear the discussion between the two, that person would have thought that both Naruto and Sakura were trying to kill one another, but they were not as they were able to go at it without resorting to fatal force as of yet.

Sakura was proving to be a real challenge for Naruto as she had begun to use her chakra control to her advantage in Ninjutsu as she used some more advanced moves with Bushin to keep him guessing, and when she did hit him, it really hurt but he forced down the pain of the attacks and gave as good as he got. Sakura winced in pain but ignored it as she felt happy that she was able to hold her own before Naruto. The two continued to fight with one another with Holy Talon watching over the fight between the two of them, the sword observed them well and didn't stop as this was between the two of them and it could sense that they were not having full killer intent on one another.

The two also felt something connecting them in this fight as they were able to see one another in full power, seeing Sakura fight with full power behind her was something that amazed Naruto and he liked what he was seeing from Sakura, somehow when she was going all out before him and in such a fashion, she seemed to be more attractive to him, it was as if seeing her like this was an arousing sight and for a brief moment, Naruto wondered if he had lost his mind. The same could be said in Sakura's case as she sparred with her team mate and loved one as she was able to see up close how intense he looked in this fight, he was not holding anything back and showing his full power and that seemed to make him look all the more attractive to her.

The fight lasted for another half hour, one of the longest and the most explosive fights anyone would see from such young people, so it was natural that some people would be able to see it and soon enough a small crowd was there. This crowd kept a fair distance from the sight and the people there were none other than Kakashi, Kaelyn, Iruka, Tsunade, and even Ebisu. The Jonin sensei of the two fighting there whistled and spoke.

"Wow....this is the first time I've seen those two go all out at one another like this....for a brief moment there I thought both had lost their minds or something....but they seem to be....enjoying themselves."

Kaelyn nodded and replied.

"They are....if I didn't know any better, I would think that Naruto was using the courtship duel of the Fire Dancers with his team mate there."

Iruka was also impressed at this, he had never seen Sakura use her training from Tsunade before and seeing this was an impressive feat to say the least. Ebisu himself was enjoying the sight as he saw shades of the same Taijutsu training he had given Naruto on his off hours.

Tsunade herself was looking at the fight with an interested eye as both Naruto and Sakura were fighting one another, she had been on another run when she sensed the fight going on and headed in that direction, when she saw that Naruto and Sakura were fighting she had thought of stopping it but seeing that they were sparring as well as enjoying themselves she stopped herself and merely observed the whole thing. She also had no doubt that Holy Talon would soon tell it's master of their arrival soon enough.

The fighting finally ended with the two of them stopping and panting before one another, the audience looked at them as the landscape was turned into a proverbial war zone with shattered trees, holes in the ground, broken boulders, and more. The two faced one another and then....began to laugh in a very amused fashion, surprising the observers and Naruto spoke to Sakura.

"That was one heck of a fight, you've really improved Sakura-chan!"

"I'd say the same for you as well Naruto-kun. You hurt anywhere?"

Naruto nodded and Sakura went to work and began to heal Naruto in the areas where her attacks had connected and that was enough to make Naruto sigh in relief as the pain began to fade away and when she was done treating him, she did the same thing to herself as well. As soon as they were done with their injuries from their sparring, it was then that their audience arrived, much to their surprise as they had been so focused on their sparring match that they were not able to sense them at all.

The others commented on the battle and it was a very interesting discussion for most and when it was over, Naruto and Sakura were soon back in Konoha and were in the mood to take a much needed rest from their sparring and they spent it in the Ichiraku Ramen bar and both Teuchi and Ayame were more than willing to play hosts, it was then that Naruto asked where Sasuke was.

"I haven't seen Sasuke-kun in a while actually, but I heard he was busy training somewhere in his family's old compound."

Naruto hoped that whatever his team mate was doing at this moment in his family's old home, it was not going to take all of his time as he wanted to make sure that Sasuke didn't become a full scale recluse in his own village, though he was still somewhat wary of Sasuke's changes as of late. Naruto knew that watching over his team mate was going to be a serious priority soon enough so he had to be ready for anything.

"You think he'll be all right Sakura-chan?'

Sakura nodded and replied.

"I certainly hope so....though I am rather worried about him....he's becoming more reckless and reclusive, not to mention he seems to be training himself to near exhaustion at times and also he seems to have some sort of....issue with you Naruto-kun, I'm really worried about all that, for both you and Sasuke-kun."

"I understand."

The two ate their food well and as soon as they were done, Naruto decided to escort Sakura back to her family's home and bid both her and her parents good bye as he had things to take care of back in his home, one of which was the making of some new gifts that would be of good use for some people who he needed to give these gifts too.

--------

The first day of the festival...

"Man....this is so cool!"

Naruto spoke out as he saw the festival begin all over the village, it would be seriously nice to finally get a break from all the things he had been dealing with for some time. The areas of the festival that got his attention were the games area, on his back was Holy Talon and the sword spoke to it's master.

(("You seem very pleased Master Naruto."))

(Yeah, usually when I was in a festival in my younger years, I was usually unable to have full fun since I had to be cautious with my money, now however, I can really cut loose and have some fun for a change. Anyway, anything here that you can sense is a threat?)

(("Not at the moment Master Naruto, feel free to have some fun, and speaking of which, there's someone you need to be with."))

(Oh, who's that?)

(("Look over there."))

Naruto did as Holy Talon suggested and there was Ino who was currently chatting with Shikamaru, Chouji and their own companions Meer, and Shandra as the two women were currently wearing civilian garb and were not armed, he saw that Shikamaru and Meer were not trying to hurt one another and that was a good thing in his mind as he recalled just how the two had met according to Asuma, while Chouji and Shandra seemed to be getting along all right for now. He moved over towards them and called out to the group.

"Hey there!"

Ino and the others turned and the blonde Genin smiled warmly at the sight of Naruto while Chouji grinned and Shikamaru merely smirked and when the blonde was with them, Chouji showed to him a large sandwich of roasted beef with all the trimmings.

"Hey Naruto, you have got to try these sandwiches they are really good!"

Naruto shook his head at that with a grin on his face, just like Chouji to always have food in his hand and he replied.

"Maybe later Chouji, I'll got try some of that when I get the chance, where are you guys going?"

Shikamaru replied.

"We were supposed to meet up with Asuma-sensei and Vlana-san since she's planning to be watching the festival as well as grab some food, I got dragged into this since my old man and mom wanted me to get out of the house every now and then. Personally I don't like this sort of thing....it's..."

"Such a drag...stop being such a lazy stick in the mud and enjoy life for once."

Shikamaru looked in annoyance at Meer while the Steel Lancer merely smirked right back at him, making him sigh and that made the others smirk at the way Shikamaru was being kept in some control by the woman though it seemed that there was no malice involved in her words towards him, besides, even if he didn't show it, he did find the woman to be all right in most respects. It was then that Ino spoke to the others as she had thought that this was a good a time as any to have some alone time with Naruto as she had yet to ask the blonde Chuunin and Dragon Champion out on a date with her.

As she got that down she spoke to her team mates.

"Hey guys, I need to chat with Naruto-kun here for a minute about some other matters, do you mind?"

Shikamaru raised an eye brow at that and decided to nod as he and Chouji decided to go ahead, he had no idea what was going on but he had faith in both Ino and Naruto and after seeing Naruto in action already he was more than willing to trust Naruto with Ino's safety. As soon as they were all away, the blonde Genin then spoke to the blonde Chuunin with a very happy tone that was fairly obvious to anyone within earshot.

"It's a great festival here today, I haven't seen this in a while now."

Naruto nodded in agreement to that and it was then that Ino spoke to him.

"Say Naruto-kun, do you mind if I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"You have anything to do today?"

Naruto, having been through this before already had a fairly accurate idea on what was the reason as to why Ino would ask him that and he smiled warmly at that and spoke back.

"Nothing at the moment, but I can bet you want to change that right Ino-chan?"

The blonde Kunoichi grinned at that and replied.

"Of course I do so where to Naruto-kun?"

The two looked about and began to be on their date, Ino wished that she had gotten the chance to get herself dressed up properly but Naruto then told her that she looked fine in whatever she was wearing, making the blonde Genin smile a bit at what he had said to her. They spent the morning enjoying the sights and sounds of the festival as they moved about. Naruto also took the time to be as good a date as possible with Ino and it seemed that his efforts were doing well enough since she was enjoying herself well enough.

They spent a good deal of time trying out the various stands that were there and when it was lunch time, Naruto was quick to order some food that Ino liked and they headed to his home and when they got there, Naruto played host and got some extra food for the day and they ate their food well, all the while, Ino and Naruto were able to relax and as soon as the dishes were done, Naruto helped clean the dishes and as soon as that was done, they moved from the dining area to the living room to rest a bit after all the walking while he placed Holy Talon aside for the time being, it was here that the blonde Chuunin and Dragon Champion decided to surprise Ino with her gift.

"By the way Ino-chan, I have something for you."

"Oh? What would that be Naruto-kun?"

The blonde grinned and then left to get the item while Ino waited to see just what was it that Naruto had for her, she didn't have to wait long and Naruto revealed it to be a specially made belt made from strong yet soft and supple leather, it had a length of braided metal there that was silver and gold as well as having gemstones there as well, there were also clasps there that would hold the belt together when it was worn.

Ino was impressed by that and couldn't help but be awed at the way it was made and accepted the gift with open arms and spoke to Naruto.

"Thank you....it's beautiful Naruto-kun."

"Yeah, but it's not for mere looks Ino-chan, it's got the ability to create a powerful invisible barrier around your body when you use your family's Jutsu to keep you safe and it can create a powerful healing shroud around you to make sure that you will be healed at all times. I saw how you used your Jutsu before so I thought that I could make you something that can be of great help to you."

Ino blushed deeply at the gift, she knew that it must have taken a great deal of time and effort for Naruto to make something like this and it was both a beautiful gift and a useful one as well that would prove useful in battle, she took it into her hands and then gently kissed Naruto on the cheek in thanks, but she naturally had other plans in mind as she was quick to make the kiss a lot deeper and more personal the very second that she sensed that she had an opening with the blonde Chuunin.

Naruto was quick to pick up on the sudden change in the way that Ino was kissing him and he didn't resist in the slightest as he began to kiss Ino right back with equal passion between them, as soon as they parted, the blonde Kunoichi was quick to blush and whisper into Naruto's ear.

"Are you ready for me to thank you for the gift Naruto-kun?"

The blonde grinned and replied by showing a more bold aspect of his personality when he gently reached down to caress Ino's posterior gently, making the blonde Kunoichi moan and blush even more while Naruto watched in a very seductive fashion as he replied.

"Oh yes I am."

--------

Later in the afternoon...

Naruto woke up and stretched himself somewhat as he looked about and spotted Ino sleeping there with a contented smile on her face, he grinned at that and decided to check the time and see what time it was, his clock showed that it was already three o'clock in the afternoon and he could still hear that the festival was underway, he noted that maybe it would be best that he got Ino awake and helped her get home since there was a chance that she was being looked for by the others.

He gently touched Ino's shoulder and whispered into her ear gently.

"Ino-chan, time to wake up."

The woman moaned and opened her eyes and then smiled at him as she reached out and caressed his face as she spoke to Naruto.

"Thanks Naruto-kun, I really should head on home, thanks for the gift by the way, I'll be able to put it to good use soon enough."

"Not a problem Ino-chan."

The two got up and quickly got dressed and Ino was quick to wear the belt and as soon as they grabbed a quick drink and a meal, they headed out and were soon in the village and met up with Ino's team who were eager to go through the rest of the festival's surprises and stands, Ino waved to them and once more thanked Naruto for the gift and she left with her group. Naruto bid them farewell and was enjoying the memories of that after lunch romp as he looked at Ino. It was then however he was suddenly greeted the voice of yet another person.

"You seem to be in a very good mood young Champion."

Naruto turned as he recognized Nyra's voice, the disguised female Fire Dragon was in her usual clothes and she seemed to be in a very good mood as she was looking at the entire festival as well as the food that was there. He couldn't help but notice that despite wearing normal civilian clothes, the disguised female Dragon was attracting a very good deal of attention from the people there, namely those of the male persuasion. Not that he could blame them as Nyra was undeniably attractive though he was relieved that she was able to hide her horns as those would have caught anyone's attention and there was no telling that set of attention was good or not.

"Nice to see you as well Nyra, how do you find the festival?"

"it's nice enough, not like some of the villages I have seen so far but it certainly has it's moments when one knows where to look, anyway, you seem to be rather deep in thought."

"I guess so...."

The disguised female dragon then grinned in a very seductive fashion and then spoke to him.

"O you were thinking of your little party with that blonde earlier?"

"How did you?"

Nyra laughed gently and replied.

"I can tell from the way she smiled and walked, you two have been busy in your home, besides, you two might have been able to clean each other up, the smells of both your activities are still there, though you might have been able to hide it, you can't hide anything like that from a Dragon like myself."

Naruto blushed at the truth of that statement and Nyra was quick to pick up on that and smiled at the young Champion's nature and she was quick to assure him that she didn't mind and that assured Naruto, but she was able to make him blush bright red once more by whispering to his ear.

"By the way, I hope you have plenty of energy since I think now is a very good time for you to give me that chance to have a more social outing with you young Champion since I wish to know more about you."

The blonde nodded and decided to help the disguised female dragon to get to know him more as well as the village that he considered home, Nyra was more than willing to explore the village as well as listen to what the blonde Chuunin was trying to tell her. Normally she would have preferred to be in her Dragon form but decided against it for the time being as that form would have no doubt frightened the people here in the village. The Dragon was also willing to try some of the dishes though her appetite was rather large and Naruto had to admit that having a large income for all the things he had made as well as the missions he had undertaken was very helpful as she was quite eager to try out a very large number of dishes and he was soon burning up a lot of the ryo in his wallet.

However seemed to be very much worth it as he was able to make the disguised female Dragon very happy and when they were trading stories back and forth he was able to learn more about Nyra and the beings that inhabited Dagern where she and her fellow women had come from, she told him of the customs of some of the human, elven, and dwarven lands as well as the other kinds of creatures that called Dagern as home, and she naturally told the blonde of the Dragon Flights and how she had once met none other than Faldren himself.

She also listened to his life story and she couldn't help but feel sympathy for all the things she had to live with growing up being treated the way he was, yet she also noted the strength he had when he was able to live as a ninja, and despite the lingering distrust and hate towards him, he was able to make himself a good man and he already was making good progress in his efforts to be a better ninja as well as also making sure to show to the rest of the village that he was not the Kyuubi itself but his own person, that was something that in her mind was very much respectable to say the very least.

As they finished their time together in the village, they were soon out of the village and that was when Nyra turned into her Dragon form and then the two of them took off into the sky to enjoy the rush of the wind as well as the chance to see the soon to be setting sun and it was a good sight for both of them. Naturally in order not to scare the living daylights out of the people below them, Naruto and Nyra were well above the clouds and when night was coming down, the Dragon quickly landed in the outskirts of Konoha and reverted back to her human form and then the two of them headed off to the restaurants to try and grab some food.

Naruto naturally ordered ramen, steaks, chicken and fish while Nyra also ordered some other food and they soon brought the veritable feast into Naruto's humble home for them to chow down on. Naruto was quick to be impressed with Nyra's cooking skills which were rather impressive and she explained that like Faldren when he visited human villages to join in the feasting and celebrations, she naturally did likewise and enjoyed them as well as pick up some new skills that would be very interesting to use when she was in her human form.

As they ate their food the woman was quick to relax and make her move on the blonde as they sat to look at the stars outside, she was very much eager to try another round with the blonde Chuunin and Dragon Champion as she recalled how much pleasure she had when they were together in that island. She started things off by kissing Naruto gently and then running her tongue on his cheek, extending it a bit like a snake's tongue.

However, unlike his reaction to dealing with Orochimaru, the blonde Chuunin was not the least bit disgusted and gently moaned at her actions, and when she moved her tongue closer to his mouth he then opened his mouth and gently took in her tongue, licking and sucking on it, much to the female dragon's pleasure as she moaned a bit and kissed him deeply once more and when the two of them finally parted from one another, she spoke.

"You certainly are getting to be very good Naruto-kun....now then, I think it's about time that we take this whole thing to a higher level."

Naruto smiled at that and was more than willing to do it with her as he began to gently caress her sides and moved his hands all the way to her breasts, gently massaging them much to the disguised Dragon's delight in his actions, as soon as she groaned in pleasure she moved away and began to remove her clothing while Naruto did likewise as the house was bathed in night.

--------

The next day...

Naruto woke up and moaned a bit as he moved his head from side to side to wake up his muscles somewhat and as soon as he was able to do so, he was able to see none other than Nyra herself who was currently sleeping peacefully and this time her horns were there on the side of her head, showing that she had lowered some of her disguise. He gently touched her horns, making the woman moan out a bit as she opened her eyes and then she smiled at Naruto .

"You seem to have found my sensitive spot Naruto-kun, nice to notice that I guess."

The blonde grinned and gently kissed the female as she got up and kissed him back while he ran his hands on her naked back while she did the same thing to him, making him moan out in appreciation at the very same time. This cuddling carried on for a bit longer until they got dressed and had a light meal and when that meal was over, Nyra bid Naruto a farewell and left.

This allowed Naruto to relax a bit more and decided that he was soon going to need a trip to a hot spring in order to relax later on in the day, but for now he had to check his supplies and the items that he was able to make in his free time and also to see if the gifts he had with him were still there. He also decided to get some training done for the time being and as soon as he was fully assured that everything was there and fully ready for use, he began to get his training fully under way as he had no need to eat as he had a good meal already so he needed to keep himself in good shape.

He began to train long and hard with his Taijutsu and his Kenjutsu to even things up, he was enjoying himself as he was now in a more relaxed and limbered state as he had now spent at least a full hour or so in training but it was then that he noted that someone was watching him and he looked up to see that someone was indeed watching him and it was someone that he recognized and thankfully it was not an enemy of his either....but someone he happened to be very intimate with.

"Temari-chan!"

The blonde sister of Gaara and Kankurou was happy to finally arrive in time to see the festival as well as visit the blonde Chuunin who was her brother Gaara's best friend and the one she happened to be very much in love with, she had very much enjoyed the view of the blonde fighting and training and recalled all the things that they had been able to do together when they met and also the more intimate things, she mentally blushed the memories and decided to greet him as she leaped down off the walls of his home's boundary and landed before the blonde Chuunin.

"Hello Naruto-kun, nice to see that you keep yourself in very good shape."

Naruto grinned happily at that and replied.

"Thanks for that Temari-chan, no sense me losing my edge in battle even in peace time, besides it certainly helps keep me in shape as well as helps me boost up my abilities, anyway, what brings you here to Konoha, I didn't get any messages that said that you were coming....and since when did you decide to change your clothing?"

Naruto was right in that regard, Temari had indeed changed her clothing and it was comprised of a short skirt in black cloth with her upper clothing comprising of a purple long sleeved short Kimono with some sort of thin strapped apron and a deep red sash there on her waist, and Naruto was quick to notice that there was a fish next band on her left thigh, all in all, she looked very attractive as her bust had grown a bit more.

Temari noted that examination coming from her lover and smiled warmly at him as she allowed him to see her fully by turning herself around slowly for him to see her. Once she was done with that particular course of action she asked the blonde Chuunin a question.

"You like what I am wearing Naruto-kun?"

Naruto smiled at that and nodded.

"Yeah I do, it certainly looks good on you Temari-chan."

"Good, I had hoped that a wardrobe change was in order, at any rate I am here just to say hi and also try this festival out, Kankurou was not all that sure but he was all right with it as long as I was in good hands as he put it, Baki-sensei agreed and so did Gaara, I mentioned I would stay with you as my guide and my little brother agreed so here I am, I hope i won't be causing too much trouble for you by being here Naruto-kun."

Naruto shook his head and replied.

"Of course not! I will be more than happy to be your guide here in the village, besides, I think this would be a good chance for use to catch up on some matters, I wanted to see just how Gaara is doing back there in the village and also...I think I should be able to ask you out."

Temari smiled at that with a blush.

"Are you asking me out on a date Naruto-kun?"

"Of course, do you mind?"

The blonde Genin smiled and replied with a deep kiss and when they parted, she gave her answer.

"Not at all, I'll be your date for today."

--------

To be continued...

--------

Author's Notes:

That wraps up the very first part of this new arc of fillers for Naruto Dragon Champion and it seems that Naruto has given a new gift to one the women he happens to be romantically and passionately involved with so you can bet that this arc will have lemons in it in the Lemon section soon enough, at any rate, as you have read, Ino got her chance to be with Naruto on a date and it seemed to have worked out for both parties involved, and now it's Nyra's turn as well to be intimate with the Dragon Champion and while she might not have a gift, it's not because Naruto forgot to give her one, it is because she has no need for such gifts at the moment so Naruto didn't need to make one for her.

You can say that only the women in Naruto's world will be getting gifts from him and that will help him further his situation, and keep in mind that we have another six days of celebration for this festival so expect other scenes with the other women soon in the later parts of the story, and one more thing. On the next arc....we are going to have a few more situations play out before we finally get to the part where Naruto and Sasuke fight one another in battle. Before we get to that, we will have other fillers that will actually play a part in the full formation of the story of Naruto Dragon Champion.

One such situation happens to deal with a trip to a certain land where Sound is rumoured to be, and the next has to deal with an escort mission, another is dealing with missing ships, there will be others as well, and that will be the opening runs, and will play good roles in soon to come story arcs before the fateful showdown between Naruto and Sasuke, and I will have an interesting set of twists in these stories so don't expect them to be the least bit dull!


	45. Festival Spirit Part 2

Naruto: The Twin Swords

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto and everything related to it...I'm not happy about it but what can you do?

Chapter 31

Part 2

( ): Thoughts

(( " ")): Holy Talon's Voice:

...

In Konoha, Naruto was busy getting to show Temari around, and even though Gaara's sister had seen Konoha a number of times, she was still happy to see it in festival time. The young woman was also happy that she was able to get her lover alone for a chance to be with her. She had a feeling that with all he had accomplished thus far, Naruto would have planet of chances to become great in the world and she hoped to see them all the good things that will happen to him. It was not hard to imagine the reaction her brothers would have if they found out that she had not only lost her virginity to Naruto but was sharing him with several other women as well.

She would guess that Gaara would ask to have a chance to talk to Naruto about the whole thing while Kankuro would blow a gasket and demand satisfaction. She smiled at that and would do what he could to prevent them from going overboard on the whole thing.

Naruto was quick to pick up on the smile on Temari's face and spoke to Gaara's sister in a curious but friendly nature.

"Care to share what it is your smiling about Temari-chan?"

The blonde looked at her date and replied.

"Maybe some other time Naruto-kun, for now, let's just enjoy the day."

Naruto nodded as he helped Temari find a good place to play some simple games. He had to remember the last time he had been with Temari as he needed to make sure that the games they were going to play in the festival were to her liking and preferences. It was going to be a very interesting day for the young man and he hoped that his time with Temari was going to be something to remember in it's own unique fashion.

As for Temari she enjoyed being with the man who had helped change her brother and someone she had willingly been in a relationship with. There was something about Naruto that she found even more attractive, and couple that with him being good friends with her brother and also the one who had changed him, made him ideal boyfriend material. She knew of course that when it came out that she had already lost her virginity to the blonde Chuunin, it was going to be causing some concern and even more so when the truth of her relationship with the blonde and his relationship with not just her by the other women who were there as well. For now she was going to enjoy this and there would be time to think about such things later.

As the pair relaxed during the day, and it was also there that Naruto spotted to his amusement, Neji being accompanied by Coryin who was out of her ranger garb and trying out some sort of dress that was the same as a kimono of sorts. Neji was not showing his usual stiffness and seemed to actually enjoy being there with the Ranger, and Coryin seemed to take a liking to the festivities as well. It was somewhat amusing to the blonde Chuunin that Neji was acting this way around the woman who was no doubt older than him in the years but seemed to be in good terms with him as well.

They were not the only ones as Kakashi was there along with Kaelyn, Kakashi normally avoided these occasions but apparently the female War Blade had managed to get him out of his house and getting the chance to socialize. That was a good thing and the fact that Kakashi was carrying that book of his around added fuel to the whole thing since Kakashi never let go of that book for any reason. Along with that was Asuma and Vlana were also out on a date and it seemed that the Silver Star Mage was eager to see the various sights and also the games of the festival and Asuma was more than willing to play the escort for the interested Silver Star Mage.

It was something that the blonde found to be rather interesting and also amusing while he and Temari were currently having their own share of fun and eating some of the new cotton candy that was being given around. Temari was not usually the kind of have a sweet tooth, but it was still something that she liked to have every now and then. After the arrival of lunch, Temari knew that she was going to have to head back to Suna to deal with other matters back with her family, but that could wait for now. She had no doubt that her brothers would be all right so there was little reason for her to rush back Suna that much, besides, this would be something of a more personal date in her mind.

As time came for lunch, the two blonde ninja headed back to Naruto's home and Naruto was able to have some food ready for eating along with some of the food that he had in his refrigerator. The meal was not very powerful but Temari was more than willing to help with the cooking of the food that they are going to eat for lunch.

The two ate their food and Temari was happy that she got the chance to enjoy the day with Naruto and wondered if there was going to be enough time for her to be with Naruto. And naturally this was going to be in a more physically intimate setting, she decided to wait for the right moment while they lounged about in Naruto's large living room. She whispered into his ear gently as they were watching TV.

"Naruto-kun, how are you feeling?"

Naruto smiled at Temari and replied in a very friendly and happy tone to her question.

"I feel pretty good Temari-chan, why do you ask?"

"Just curious on what your plans will be Naruto-kun, you planning on anything after the festival week?"

The Chuunin thought it over and replied.

"Not really, if there are new missions that Tsunade-sama has for me, I'll take them and see just what might happen while I am there, and who knows, I might get stronger to finally be the Hokage I want to be."

Temari smirked a bit and saw that he meant those words, he was going to be quite the leader when he got a few more years worth of experience under his belt. She had been keeping tabs on her lover ever since the day he had freed her little brother and became good friends with her family, and she loved what she heard about the things he had done. She usually told Gaara and Kankurou about those things and it seemed that Gaara was pleased by the news and he worked hard to make sure that he was able to make himself a good man like his friend.

"You certainly aim big Naruto-kun, you deserve no less I suppose."

"Yeah, it's good to see that you are here as well Temari-chan, anyway, I am happy that you came here, I was wondering how things were back there in Suna."

"We're all right, Gaara's planning to take up the Chuunin Exam again, and this time, he plans to finish it to the end, as for Kankuro, he seems to be on much better terms with Gaara, that's good news for me let me tell you. And you might want to know that Matsuri and Gaara are dating."

Naruto looked at Temari with a shocked and yet amused expression on his face and replied.

"Really? That's great to hear Temari-chan, I hope that they are going to be good together."

"You can bet they will, actually, there was one time they dated and Matsuri actually hugged Gaara and kissed him on the cheek in public. Gaara was actually blushing at that, and I swear Kankuro was trying his best not to laugh out loud at seeing Gaara like that."

Naruto was trying not to laugh as well but was nearly failing at the idea of actually seeing Gaara blush at being kissed by a girl. He was happy for that and looked at Temari who was also smiling at the memories of seeing her brother like that. She looked very attractive to him, and after being intimate with her more than once in their meetings, he enjoyed that sight. He then spoke to Temari to find out what her plans were for this day as well as he had a feeling that she was soon going to return back to Suna soon.

"So Temari-chan, you planning to head back to Suna soon?"

The blonde nodded at that and then she spoke to him in a whisper.

"But I can always say good bye in a different fashion if you want Naruto-kun?"

Naruto, having grown up a great deal had a very accurate idea on just what Temari meant by that statement smiled warmly at that. He didn't hesitate to make his own reply to that by kissing Temari right on the lips and making her moan into the kiss as well. The simple and gentle kiss soon became passionate and strong between the two blondes and when they parted, Naruto replied.

"Really now? Well then, how do you plan to say good bye to me Temari-chan?"

Temari gave a grin with a lot of seduction in it as she quickly moved her plan to action and soon she was on top of the blonde Chuunin and replied.

"Like this..."

...

Later...

Naruto and Temari walked out of the house with Temari blushing still along with Naruto, but both of them had very happy faces as the blonde sister of Kankuro and Gaara turned and hugged Naruto while kissing him deeply and Naruto replied in kind as well in his kiss, he noted that Temari seemed to be developing nicely, her body was getting fuller and her breasts were certainly growing as well despite her wearing her clothing again.

(Damn...she's growing well.)

The blonde managed to get some level of control for his hormones as he finally parted his lips from Temari's own lips and the blonde Kunoichi spoke to him in a very happy tone.

"Nice to see that your stamina has not left you yet Naruto-kun, I hope to see you again."

"The same to you Temari-chan."

With that, Temari made her exit and was soon on her way back to Suna and Naruto had no doubt that she was going to be all right. As soon as she was off and Naruto could sense that there was nothing there that could endanger Temari, he relaxed and decided to get a bath and relax before going back to see what else he would be able to do while in the festival that was still very much in full swing back in the village itself. But as he got into the home that he had been able to have built, he was surprised to get a knock on the door.

(Now who could that be?)

He doubted that it was a mission order from Tsunade, the knock didn't sound serious enough to warrant him to get himself ready for a battle, he moved back and was quite surprised and slightly amused as he saw the form and blushing face of Hinata Hyuuga herself. The young heiress looked at Naruto and walked in as Naruto, remembering his manners moved aside to allow Hinata into his home.

"G-G-Good noon Naruto-kun."

"Good noon to you as well Hinata-chan, what brings you here?"

The violet haired and white eyed Kunoichi blushed even more and this served to amuse Naruto as he had already began to know the reason why she was always like this whenever she was around him. He walked over to Hinata and spoke gently to the young woman.

"Hinata-chan, are you all right?"

"I-I'm fine...i was just wondering if I could ask if you could go...out on a date...with me?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow at that and he couldn't help but smile at the way Hinata was acting, even after his time with her in the most intimate of situations, the young woman was still shy around him. He couldn't help but find that very nice as he replied in a gentle fashion.

"Of course I would, what reason would I have to say no to you Hinata-chan? Just give me a chance to take a bath and you can come back later. Is that all right with you Hinata-chan?"

Hinata nodded happily and replied.

"Of course Naruto-kun! I'll go back home and get dressed."

Hinata did just that and she was soon heading back home, while Naruto decided to go and get a bath, but not before cleaning up the mess that he and Temari had made when she was saying her new idea of good bye to him in the living room. He was happy that his stamina and vitality was still as strong as ever since he had a feeling that he was going to need all of it when he had the time.

As soon as he was done cleaning up the room, he went to the bathroom and took a very long shower, washing himself up and then directing himself into the tub and soaked up the hot water to relax more. He was soon in a conversation with Holy Talon as the sword was able to speak to him.

(("You seem to be in a very good mood Master Naruto."))

(I suppose I am, it's like my life's been changed for both better and worse...better in the sense of all that I have going for me, and worse in the sense that I have to deal with Death Fang and more.)

(("I understand, I will admit that being who you are is not easy, even more so with being a Dragon Champion. But it is how you deal with these changes in your life that make it either better or worse. One of my Masters told me that and so did Lord Faldren when I was created for the very first time."))

(I can see that, besides, there are people I care for and I will fight to protect them both as a ninja and as a Dragon Champion. But I do have one concern in my mind.)

(("I take it that concern happens to be about the women you happen to be intimate with?"))

(Yes...not that I'm complaining or anything, but I still have to find out how to deal with the possible fallout of what would happen if the people find out about it. I can't help but feel that this is really going to be a heck of a mess in the long run.)

(("No doubt it would be, but I have a feeling that considering your growth and your new found powers as well as abilities, I have no doubt that you will be able to make a few changes to suit the situation before you. Besides, I have no doubt that they themselves will find their own possible solution to that problem. They do care about you and you have proven yourself to them more times than they can count. And while I am a lot more familiar with your laws, there might be one there that can help."))

(I suppose so, anyway, I should get out and get dressed, Hinata-chan should be coming back soon.)

The blonde Chuunin did just that and was soon drying himself off and getting to his room to change clothes. He took out a simple orange shirt with black lining and black pants with orange flames. This was soon followed by his cleaned pair of sandals as well as taking a vest which was black and had the symbol of Konoha on it as well as spiral there as well. He had these clothes specially made weeks before and they were very comfortable to him so he hardly had any reason to change them at all. As soon as he was dressed, he moved out of his home and decided to wait and see if Hinata was going to arrive to meet him for their date

Naruto turned and saw that Hinata had chosen to wear a new kimono for their time together on the last few days of the festival, and it was certainly a good choice of a dress for this occasion. It had the colour of red with white lining and golden flower petals there in the kimono

...

The two were enjoying themselves though Naruto decided that in order to be fair to Hinata, he would allow her to take him to the places that she liked. That was more than enough to make the Hyuuga heiress rather happy at her date's choice of action. This made her do what she could to make Naruto happy and Naruto was not disappointing her as he was more than willing to let her have control of their time together. They were more than happy to try eating new foods though Naruto was more than willing to make sure that he avoided buying food that was not something that Hinata liked. Hinata was more than happy to pay him back by buying him a good deal of ramen that she knew that Naruto loved eating.

They also tried some games and Naruto took it a step further by actually winning a game that allowed him to buy a pair of stuffed animals. He gave the large one that was a rabbit with a red silk tie to Hinata and the Hyuuga heiress was more than happy to have such a toy in her possession and vowed to give the other stuffed toy, a hamster like toy to Hanabi who despite her calm nature, was actually very eager to have a toy of her own.

They visited a nearby park while watching the many clouds that came by overhead and were given more colour by the sun itself as it moved down to the afternoon. The young heiress then decided to ask Naruto follow her to the training field and that made Naruto rather curious on what was it that Hinata seemed to have in mind for the two of them.

He didn't complain however as he followed the young woman to the field and to his surprise, there was actually a cloth there that was like a blanket and there was some food there as well as a drink. He turned and looked at Hinata with a raised eyebrow.

"May I ask what this is about?"

Hinata blushed deeply and replied as she placed down her toy and the one that she had planned to give to her sister and then sitting down to look at the soon to come night sky.

"I wanted to invite you to an open air...dinner Naruto-kun...is that all right?"

Naruto smiled and replied.

"I'm not complaining am I? It's a wonderful idea Hinata-chan, I'll be happy to join you tonight."

Hinata looked relieved as well as utterly delighted by that as they began to sit down and eat their food. Naruto made Hinata happy by actually serving her food and she gave the same treatment to her lover by offering him food as well. They fed one another and that made them feel a lot more relaxed than before. This was something that Hinata hoped for as they also tried to drink some of the teat that she had personally prepared for this night in advance. And that was a good thing on her mind as Naruto enjoyed the tea that she had made for him and herself.

Once that was done, the two lounged together as night came closing on them and it was here that Hinata decided to become a bit bolder. She blushed hard as she recalled how much she had wanted to make her attempt to have some alone time with Naruto to be good. It was here that Kurenai suggested that she tried to seduce Naruto in an open field out of sight. She blushed bright red and naturally had fainted at such a scandalous suggestion.

Kurenai however pointed out that after all they had done with Naruto, and what she had done with the blonde she loved for a very long time, there was hardly any reason for her to not try something like that. She meekly nodded and stated that she understood just where her Jonin sensei was getting to but she replied that she had never done this before. Kurenai then replied that it was not that hard, and she would help her by giving her advice to do so. Once that was over between them, Kurenai told Hinata to go with the flow and allow Naruto to decide if he wanted it or not.

That was enough to convince her and now here she was with Naruto, all alone in the training field and in the open no less. The sounds of the week long festival were there and thankfully would shield them from being found out. That gave her more confidence as she followed her sensei's advice and spoke to Naruto.

"Naruto-kun...do you enjoy it here?"

"Yeah, as long as it's with you Hinata-chan, though it's a bit odd to be doing here of all places."

"Is it bad?"

"No...just a bit odd. Anyway, it's nice, I've never actually been out on a picnic in night time. I like it, though I am a bit unused to this sort of thing."

"I see..ummm, do you want to..."

Naruto looked at Hinata with some level of confusion on what was it she was trying to say but Hinata beat him to the punch as she decided to be more bold in her thoughts and desires as she moved to gently kiss Naruto on the lips. This surprised Naruto though only briefly as he smiled and replied with a kiss of his own on Hinata, this made the violet haired heiress smile as she began to respond even more with the kiss.

Naruto then gently ran his hand down to Hinata's growing breasts, gently playing with them through the silk of her kimono and that made Hinata gasp out in pleasure and they finally parted from one another. Hinata blushed deeply and Naruto laughed in a husky fashion that was easily picked up by the blushing heiress as he spoke.

"My...really forward of you Hinata-chan..."

"Th-Thank you, do you mind if we do this hear, I...Took all the precautions."

Naruto nodded and quickly made his way to the sash that held Hinata's kimono together.

...

Later...

Naruto escorted Hinata back to her home and the young woman was still blissfully happy as she was walking and being very close to Naruto the whole time and Naruto was more than willing to be close to Hinata by hugging her and allowing her to lean her head to him. As soon as they got back to the estate, Hinata turned around and hugged her stuffed toy while carrying and spoke to Naruto while having the other toy and her other things stored away in a scroll.

"Thank you Naruto-kun...I am so happy."

Naruto gently smiled and both hugged one another deeply and Hinata whispered into her lover's ear.

"I...I...I can do it again in another place if you want."

"Sure...and I have no doubt that it will be wonderful."

The two parted and Naruto gave Hinata good night kiss as the two of them went to their respective homes.

...

The next day...

Naruto yawned as he looked about in his room and got up, managing to free the creaks in his neck and also make sure that he was awake. Once he was done, he got himself out of bed and decided to get something to drink. However, the very second he was up and out of his bedroom, his nose was quick to pick up the smell of cooking food. He wondered just who would be here at this time of the day and when he looked, he was utterly surprised to see none other than Sakura who was wearing her regular clothes though with some alterations and an apron.

The pink haired girl turned to see Naruto wide awake and she smirked at his direction and spoke to him.

"Morning sleepy head."

"Morning Sakura-chan...wow, that smells good!"

"Nice of you to say so Naruto-kun, anyway, you let me worry about the cooking for today and take a seat."

Naruto didn't complain and he knew he had no reason to complain to begin with as this was the first time in his mind at leas t that Sakura actually decided to cook food for him on a day like this. The festival was nearly reaching the day that it would soon finish so he was going to take as much of a chance as he could to enjoy this before going back to his missions as Chuunin and with his team. He didn't have to wait long as cooked ham, eggs, and some tender beef tips were there as well as some hot bread and a glass of tea.

He looked at Sakura who smirked at him lovingly and replied.

"Go ahead, I already had my breakfast and you can ask for seconds if you like."

Naruto was happy and dug into the food, finding it to be really nice, and the fact that Sakura cooked that for him made it taste all the more delicious to the blonde Chuunin as he wolfed down the food before him in his plate. Afterwards, Sakura was cooking more food and she was happy that she had made sure to purchase a lot of food for this day in advance. As soon as he was done eating, Naruto leaned back and gave out a loud sigh of contentment, much to the Kunoichi's amusement.

"Wow...I am full Sakura-chan."

"Good, now then I think I can move on to give you a present for helping me out a lot, and we can enjoy this, plus I get to put my newly learned skills to good use."

"Huh?"

...

Later...

"Aaah, yes..."

"Mmmm...that feels good Sakura-chan."

Sakura laughed gently as she continued to massage Naruto who was currently on the floor of his living room with the mattress on the area as well for him to lie on. The pink haired Kunoichi had picked up a number of ideas on physical therapy in her time learning medical techniques and Jutsu from Tsunade and she found these to be very effective in loosening the tension as well as massaging the muscles he had.

The pink haired Kunoichi had brought some ointment and also a set of candles that would make the room a lot more comfortable for both her and Naruto. As soon as she was able to get the blonde to help get the room ready as well as the mattress, she ordered him to lie down on the bed and remove his shirt and his short pants but keep his boxers on.

He tried to figure out what she had in mind for him, but she remained tight lipped on and told him to wait as she got into her outfit for this moment. She changed and soon was out of her clothes and was wearing only a simple pink white short kimono and she began to wash her hands in herbal soap beforehand and then began to massage Naruto's body, starting with his arms, then his shoulders, neck, and back, as well as his thighs and legs.

The second she began to do this to Naruto and using her chakra to heal him and get his body to relax more, the blonde was utterly in her power. And he didn't resist her as she continued to massage him and he could feel his body beginning to loosen up as well as feel some stiff areas becoming loose as well at the gentle ministrations of the pink haired woman. He kept in mind that if Sakura could use this in battle, she was going to be hard to beat.

But for now, battle was the hardest thing on his mind as Sakura used her hands to massage him even felt his body become a lot better and he couldn't help but make his pleasure known to the woman who was giving him a heck of a present so early in the morning.

"Sakura-chan...this feels so good."

"I knew you'd like it, I learned this from Tsunade-sama as well as learning from the nurses and Shizune-san about how to provide therapy to people. You really should loosen up Naruto-kun, you're full of tension sometimes, it isn't healthy you know."

"Sorry about that...but I am happy you're doing this for me."

Sakura smiled and gently kissed Naruto on the cheek and replied.

"True, and besides we both benefit, you get to unwind and relax, and I get to make you relax as well as learn more on how to do this sort of thing. Though I plan to make sure you have a private session with me to do this."

"Thank you...ahhhh...right there..."

The Kunoichi smiled as she continued to use her hands as well as the ointments on Naruto, she was happy that she could put these techniques to good use and help him relax. After all the missions that they had for a very long time, she figured that getting Naruto to unwind and relax was a good way to pay him back for all he had done.

Plus she loved him enough to do this at her full best and made sure to really work on finding the right spots to ease the tension in his body. The blonde was more than happy to help her along with that aspect of her treatment of him and soon the blonde was already fully relaxed and she could sense that he was no longer tense.

She then decided to get going to the next phase of her plan as she whispered in Naruto's ear while gently removing her outfit and taking a good deal of herbal oil in hand and placing it on herself.

"Don't relax just yet Naruto-kun...we're not done yet."

"What do you..."

Naruto got his answer the second he saw that Sakura was no longer wearing the kimono...but she had her body coated with sweet smelling oil and he smiled and replied.

"Oh I see."

Sakura smiled and moved over Naruto to kiss him as soon as he turned around to his back. She then spoke to him in a very happy way.

"Now it's time for a FULL body massage Naruto-kun."

...

Later...

Naruto escorted Sakura out of his home and was happy to see that she was in good spirits, after that...very interesting massage that she had given him. The two of them were happy to finally be able to talk. He was happy that she had indeed grown stronger, as well as a lot more capable in being a skilled and powerful Kunoichi under the training being given to her by Tsunade as well as Shizune. He had no doubt that Sakura was going to be quite capable in the long run. As she was in her usual clothing, he spoke to Sakura gently and with a good deal of happiness.

"Thanks for doing this for me Sakura-chan."

Sakura smiled back and kissed him gently on the cheek and replied.

"It's all right, besides, you've done a lot for me and everyone here in Konoha. At any rate, I can give you another chance to enjoy the treatment at a later date. Good bye Naruto-kun, I'll be training again with Tsunade-sama if you want to know more."

Naruto nodded with a smile on his face and decided to get some time to dress up in more regular clothing. His body was still as limber and relaxed as ever, testament to the skill that Sakura had when she had been giving him the first ever massage that had really given him a chance to loosen up in more ways than one. He then decided to see if he could go out and get some time for himself and meet some of the other people.

After a few hours walking in Konoha and knowing that the festival was soon going to draw to a close, he decided to grab some food in his favourite ramen stand. The second he got there, he was surprised to find Teuchi and Ayame were busy working for a line of customers and he was going to have to wait a while.

However the very second they spotted their favourite customer, Teuchi smiled and so did Ayame and the owner of the stand called out to the blonde Chuunin.

"Naruto! Come by and grab a seat!"

Naruto smiled and it seemed that the customers were willing to let him in as they allowed him to take a spare seat. Teuchi surprised the blonde even more as he presented a large number of ramen meals for the blonde to eat and that made the blonde smile even more in happiness for getting this much on the day.

"Thanks Teuchi-san!"

"No worries, I figured that for all that you've done for me and for the village, giving you a good set of meals is child's play. But I do have to ask a favour."

"Sure, what do you need?"

I need Ayame to deliver a number of our ramen orders to the village, but with this many customers, we might have a hard time filling out all the orders, so if you don't mind delivering them, I would really appreciate it."

Naruto smiled and replied with a thumbs-up gesture to show that he was all right with.

"Sure thing!"

Teuchi smiled and replied.

"Good to hear, anyway, once you're done eating your meal, then we can get down to the deliveries."

...

The rest of the day for the blonde Chuunin was spent delivering ramen, it was not as exciting as the rest of his missions in the past, but it was certainly a step in the right direction and this gave him a chance to put his Kage Bushin to more difficult uses. He had the Kage Bushin carry many of the ramen orders and to make sure that the ramen orders were not only delivered on time, but to also make sure that they were delivered intact and still good to eat.

The people that made those same orders were happy that their orders were coming in and they were more than happy to pay extra for the deliveries. This was the money that he was more than willing to give to Teuchi and Ayame who were happy that the blonde was giving them the extra money which they would need to buy more supplies and ingredients to make up for the supplies that they were burning through in the festivals.

As soon as the day came to an end, he was happy that he had done a service for the owners of his favourite ramen shop. Teuchi was happy as the festival and truly given him and Ayame a great deal of business here in the village. He was so happy that he decided to give Naruto a free meal and allowed Ayame to accompany Naruto and cook dinner for him for the night as the festival was already coming to an end.

Ayame was more than happy with the idea of making Naruto several delicious meals, and Naruto was more than happy to have Ayame to come to his home make something delicious for him on this time of the day, or rather the night. The blonde carried a number of Ayame's choice ingredients as well as some of her tools to do the job of making the kinds of ramen that she knew that the blonde loved to eat when he was ordering from their stand.

As soon as they got to Naruto's home, Ayame was soon cooking in the kitchen while Naruto began to tidy up the place. He knew that he needed to make sure that his place was very much presentable to the woman. After all, he had developed the habit of cleaning up the place so at least it was going to look good for people to be in. It was not long before Naruto was done with his cleaning work and Ayame now had a large amount of ramen that was more than enough to make Naruto very happy.

The two dug into the food before them and Ayame was happy to see that Naruto enjoyed her cooking. She always liked it when he showed up in their stand and with him being a lot better in terms of respect from the others in the village, she was happy for him. She also checked her supplies and found that she had plenty of food ingredients left over. This gave her a very interesting idea that would no doubt be a good ending for the blonde Chuunin for his time in the festival.

"Naruto-kun, do you mind waiting for me?"

"What do you mean by that Ayame-chan?"

Ayame grinned and replied.

"I think you deserve to have a nice present for the night, but I need to use the bath-room first and then I will go to your room with some stuff and call you when I am fully prepared for me to give you your present for the night, is that all right with you Naruto-kun?"

Naruto nodded and as Ayame left, he wondered just what was going on here. It was a while so he decided to tidy up on the dishes and place them away for another time. Once he was done however, he got the call he had been told to expect from the young woman who was in his room at this very moment.

"Naruto-kun, can you come in here?"

Naruto did just that and when he saw what was before him, he couldn't help himself but blush and give a very wolfish whistle.

Ayame had taken off her clothing and had placed a special cloth covering on his bed and she was now naked in every sense of the word as she had not a single stitch of clothing on her body. That however was remedied by the fact that actions had a number of ramen ingredients that were now covering her body in the most strategic areas of her body. The sight of that was more than enough to get Naruto aroused and Ayame was naturally quick to notice and spoke to her lover in a very seductive tone as she can manage.

"What are you waiting for Naruto-kun, you don't want to make me get too cold right?"

Naruto smiled and nodded as he decided that asking question on what was she doing was rather redundant anyway so why bother. After all, she had gone through the effort to make herself presentable to him so why should he not show his appreciation to the woman before him?

...

In the Hokage's Tower two days later...

'There have been attacks on convoy ships in the Land of the Sea?"

Tsunade nodded in answer to Naruto's question as he was there in the Tower with Anko Mitarashi. The festival was over two days ago and it was back to dealing with several more missions that had to be dealt with. This attack had been troubling since there had been reports of a monstrous form being present in the attacks. Added to that was the fact this location happened to have some serious history there and some of that history had to do with Anko and Orochimaru.

Tsunade was well aware of Anko's history concerning Orochimaru and this might be key in solving some of those hidden questions. Not only that, that was the place Orochimaru had gone to before so there was a chance that some of his previous experiments were there. She wanted those secrets found, analyzed, and destroyed to make sure that nothing of her former comrade was left that could be used to terrorize the world.

"Yes, these attacks happen on major shipments that ranged from food, medical items, and gold as well. This has been happening for a while now and many people there are frightened and more and more people are begging for help."

Naruto listened carefully at this, his now more mature mind set gathering every detail he could and also plan to take some gear with him. Holy Talon was obvious choice, but he also planned on trying out some of his other gear, namely some of the new light weight armor and his new two handed sword made from Arcane Silver as well as some new explosives and a set of spells as well as his new wind based Jutsus. He noted however that he was not with his usual team and neither was Kakashi around.

"Tsunade-sama, is my team coming on this operations?"

Tsunade shook her head a bit and replied.

"I have Kakashi on another assignment so he's not available, as for Sakura, she is busy working on her Medical Jutsu so is not going to be on this mission, only Sasuke will be going with you on this operation, along with several other Genin."

Naruto nodded and soon enough, the others arrived there was Sasuke, Ino, Shino, and Haku as well. Tsunade smiled a bit to see the Genin though she was wary of Sasuke, she was well aware of his antagonistic attitude towards Naruto and she wanted to make sure that this did not serve to make the mission harder than it had to be, but she knew that the best way to see if the Uchiha had finally cooled his head and focused on more serious matters, was to send him on a mission.

Naruto looked at Sasuke and hoped that his team-mate would keep his focus on the missions and instead of doing something that was only going to make the whole situation worse. But he kept himself from revealing his thoughts on the matter and waited for Tsunade to give her orders.

And the blonde Hokage was more than willing to do just that.

"You're mission is to go to the Land of the Sea and find out any information pertaining to this monstrous being that has been terrorizing the area. Normally this would have been seen as an attempt to scare the people, but the fact that this has been increasing in frequency and mounting losses tell us that there is more going on here. If you find the source of this...monster, you are deal with it as quickly as possible and prevent any more attacks."

Anko nodded at that and replied.

"We'll do our best Hokage-sama!"

Naruto nodded and so did Haku, Ino, and Shino, but Sasuke said nothing as Tsunade spoke once more.

"Anko will be the leading commander of this mission while Naruto shall be her second in command. If Anko is not present for any reason, Naruto is to have overall command of the mission until Anko is able to resume her role as head ninja, is that understood?"

"HAI!"

As the group moved out of the room, Tsunade sighed a bit and looked to Shizune who had remained silent in the room and she took that as her cue to speak to the Hokage.

"Tsunade-sama...are you sure that this is the best way for Anko to finally remember what she needs to remember?"

"I do, it's best that we find out what happened to her and to help her make sure to have some measure of closure concerning Orochimaru. Besides, Naruto-kun being around should help her if she needs it. We have to trust them all Shizune to make sure that this mission will be complete."

"I understand, I'll make sure to keep you up to speed on anything else."

Tsunade nodded as she looked once more at the records pertaining to Anko, she hoped that this was going to be the one that finally gives Anko peace.

As the group moved out to get their gear ready, Naruto was busy talking to the others and getting some plans in order with Anko listening. However, Sasuke was merely a distance away from the group and glared darkly at Naruto who was currently giving Shino, Ino, and Haku some information on what they needed to prepare for while Anko was more than willing to help out in the planning phase.

It was hard enough for him to know that Naruto was a lot stronger than him now, namely with his new skills. But to know that he was back to taking orders from the blonde was adding more fuel into the fire that Sasuke had towards Naruto. He however managed to keep himself from revealing anything as he had been busy learning some new tricks of his own.

Once he was given the chance, he was going to finally fight Naruto and see just how much his dead last companion had indeed improved.

...

Hours later...

As the group headed to the gate, they spotted Naruto now wearing an orange and black jacket and pants ensemble, this was completed by his sandals and the vest of a Chuunin in the green colour. On his back was Holy Talon and a large broad bladed sword, along with the blonde's shuriken and kunai pouch as well as his pack for scrolls. That was his full ensemble though they had a feeling that underneath Naruto's choice of clothes was a special chainmail ensemble of Orchaelium and his vest had several sections of the metal in the clothing of his vest as well for added defence.

Naruto turned and smiled as Anko soon appeared beside the blonde Chuunin and they were soon on the move to the Land of the Sea. Naruto had a feeling that there was something in the mission that he was not able to fully understand yet, however he trusted Tsunade's judgment and his training had improved enough to allow him to adapt to deal with any possible situation that might decide to rear it's ugly head in front of his face.

But he placed that aside for now, he had a mission to complete and he was going to accomplish it to the best of his abilities, it was here that he decided to summon out a spell and chanted. This got the attention of the rest of his group but this time Naruto did not draw out Holy Talon but focused his Dragon Fire Magic into his hands. After a moment or two, he unleashed the spell and in front of him came out a falcon that was actually made of silver Flame and it flew next to Naruto and spoke to the blonde.

"What do you wish of me Master?"

"Scout ahead and warn us of any threats that may try to surprise us."

"At once Master."

With that, the falcon took to the skies and was now ahead of the rest of the group as Naruto still was behind Anko, allowing the Jonin to take the lead of the operation while he remained the back to support the entire team. Anko liked that as she began to move to the Land of the Sea, but as she did so, she began to feel something happening in her min, it was not something that was disturbing, it was more in the lines of feeling...something in her mind that told her that she had done this before. But the question in her mind was where in the past did she actually come here of all places.

(Why do I feel like I've been here before?)

The Jonin placed that aside right now and decided to get herself focused on the mission for now. This mission was going to be a bit different since she felt that there was more going on at the moment, but she was not going to worry too much about it. For now her task was to lead her team through the mission and get back to Konoha alive with all in tow. And with Naruto in the lead, this was going to be a bit easier in more ways than one.

But she did wonder just how she was going to get some alone time...or even have Ino join the party as well. The question was how to do it without getting the attention of the others in the group and anyone else for that matter.

...

To be continued...

...

Author's Notes:

It's been a while since I did some work on this story so I hope that this will do well enough for all the readers here right now. I am sorry for the long delay, but with new story ideas popping in my head and other matters, both in real life and my writing life here in the site, I don't have a lot of focus at times.

Anyway, we have done the festival things and while you might wonder why was it that I did not include the other Dagern natives, namely the female Elves who happen to be in the same situation as Anko, Kurenai, Shizune, Tsunade, Koyuki, Kin, Sakura, Ino, Hinata, Tenten, Ayame, Temari, and Nyra in the festivities, let's just say that they will get their turn. Also I will have the other ladies from the other world have their turn with their respective Konoha partners.

You really didn't think that it was just going to be Rock Lee, Kakashi, and Asuma who are going to have their own turn with their female partners did you?

Though I can bet that if it is Shino's turn, things are going to get a bit...icky. But hey, there's a challenge in that and I live to do workable challenges.

In this chapter we are going to deal with Isaribi and that nut who used to work with Orochimaru, so you all can guess how this might play out. But this time around, this story is going to happen with a few key differences, with Haku and Sasuke coming along. Haku's past and non lethal means of fighting should make things interesting, but having Sasuke along is really going to heat things up as you can bet that he will not exactly be in the best of mind sets after all the things he had to deal with.

And you can bet that with Naruto the way he is, things might get interesting indeed and yes, Gamabunta will be around though in a different plan of combat than before. We might even see a new Dragon Summon suited for sea water combat, we might have had Kail for the sky and soon we will have a new Dragon Summon for water borne battles.

And before you all ask me about Isaribi being in the group...that will have to be fleshed out if that is what you want. Keep in mind that I will need to make sure that if I do include her, it has to be a believable result and situation instead of them hitting it off right off the bat. And if there will be a cure for Isaribi's condition, then there will be one and she will join the ranks of Naruto's group soon enough though she will have to undergo training as well like the others.

I might even make another chapter that will deal with a certain youth who is the sibling of a Jonin in Konoha. And we can also add another character who will be soon joining the ranks of the Konoha ninja group though this character will have to climb the ladders at first in the Academy, though this character's unique skills will be very useful in the long run for the group that will take this person in.

We're getting closer to the battles between Naruto and Sasuke so hold on to your hats and get ready since I will not have Naruto show just how much he has grown. And yes, for all those guys who want to see Naruto beat Sasuke silly, I will do my best not to disappoint all right?

...

Also I plan to resurrect the Dragon Champion Lemon Section soon and that means we're going back to the three day party in the island resort. That means we're going to have ourselves some serious smut again. Though this time, I plan to have the Kage Bushin take a more...proactive role as it were. You can wager a guess what plan is cooking in my head if you want, but let's just say that those images will have to wait.

Also I'll get to work on the other lemons and also make sure to include some other ideas that will be present so see you all there all right?

...

Anyway, just so everyone is aware, I will have to be moving out of my home to have it rebuild at the end of the year in a few months since this house needs to be rebuilt. Most of it is fine, but is has to be done since this house of mine has been here for at least sixty years so it is kind of old in some places.

This means I might not be able to update for a while after that, I'll inform you however if the plan to renovate and rebuild my house is given the green light so you all know in advance.

But until then, I'll do my best to update whenever I can so don't think I'm going dark on you all just yet.

See you all soon!


	46. Malcontent

Naruto Dragon Champion

Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Naruto or any media connected to it...

Chapter 32

Malcontent...

( ): Thoughts

(( )): Kyuubi's voice

((" ")): Holy Talon

...

In the Hokage Tower...

Tsunade looked at the mission reports made by Anko and couldn't help but shake her head at the news pertaining to the mission at the Land of the Sea. The discovery of one of Orochimaru's old bases where he had been working on his sick and twisted projects in the area was bad enough, but the finding of one of his old associates continuing the projects on his own initiative was disturbing to say the very least.

The mission to find out the truth behind the rumours of a monster attacking the convoys in the area had turned into a battle to fight another of the former Sannin's allies and the twisted experiments he had concocted, as well as the discovery of Anko's memories being restored. And now they had another case to deal with.

She placed down the report and looked at the bandaged form of the young woman named Isaribi who Naruto had brought back with the team. Isaribi in question was wearing bandages as well as several other clothes and she looked at the blonde Hokage with a great deal of hope, in fact, the young woman was giving her the very same hopeful look given to her by both Rock Lee and Gai when she had come there to try and heal the young Genin from his injuries when she had been brought back by Naruto and Jiraiya so many months ago.

She shook her head a bit more and looked at the blonde Chunin who remained ramrod straight while she and Shizune were in the office.

"You seem to have developed a habit for finding unexpected people Naruto-san, so Isaribi-san is the one who had been attacking the ships in the Land of Sea?"

"Yes Hokage-sama, she was being forced into doing so by Amachi, an old ally of Orochimaru to be cured of what had happened to her."

"So I have read, she also knows about your condition?"

Naruto nodded and Isaribi then spoke though she remembered who she was facing, as like all people, she was aware of who Tsunade was.

"I saw Naruto-san fight with Amachi and his summoned beast Tsunade-sama, and I saw him use that power of his."

"You know of the Kyuubi?"

"Yes I have, I had not...well, I had thought that Naruto-san knew nothing about suffering when he tried to convince me to stop doing this, but after seeing him use that power, I realized he was right...and that is why I chose to leave Amachi...even more so now that I knew that he neither had a cure nor the intention to cure me. I was only a test subject to him..."

Tsunade mentally growled at that, she had read the full report from Anko about Isaribi before the young woman even arrived into Konoha. And what she read was less than pleasing, and this was enough for her to decide that while it would take time, she would find a cure. Most of Amachi's notes were destroyed, something that Naruto personally apologized for though the situation was unavoidable. But thankfully Shino had allowed his bugs to find the notes and 'read' them as it were and they then relayed the information to him.

This made it easier for her in many respects and she then gave her decision regarding Isaribi.

"Very well, I will do what I can to find a cure, thankfully even with the notes gone and Amachi in prison and not being the least bit cooperative, we have enough to begin the work. Isaribi will be allowed to reside in Konoha for the duration until a proper cure for her condition is found."

Isaribi smiled for the first time at this without hiding her emotions, the chance to finally live as a normal human being was something desired so much, and now she was going to get it. She knew in her heart that it would take months or even years, but to know that she had a chance and with someone willing to work for real to cure her, she felt that she finally had something to hope and pray for that was not fake in the least. Naruto smiled warmly at this and in his mind, this was all worth it.

...

Later...

As the meeting came to an end, Tsunade ordered Naruto to escort Isaribi to his old home, which had undergone a good deal of restructuring and was soon considered good to live in. Naturally his own place had not been touched and he had moved most if not all of his things to his new home so it was bare. However, Isaribi did not seem top be troubled by this as she and Naruto walked to the apartment in question.

This allowed Naruto to recall just how the whole situation had happened in the first place. Once they had arrived into the Land of Sea, Anko had been distracted the very second she had seen the place and she reacted in pain a bit. Most of the others did not notice it but Holy Talon did and naturally informed Naruto of it's findings.

He had privately talked to Anko about it, but so far the Jonin admitted truthfully that she was having some problems recalling why she seemed to know of this place. The only thing she did tell Naruto was that when she was younger, and had been...abandoned as it were by Orochimaru, she was found here by the borders by Konoha ANBU.

This had concerned Naruto a bit but decided not to press any further, he knew that despite her past with Orochimaru, Anko had no love for the man and had tried to kill herself, and end her own life back there in the Forest of Death nearly a year and a half before. He replied that he was going to respect her privacy and therefore he was going to let her discover her past involving this place on her own terms.

That made the Jonin smirk as they got back to work, they naturally had decided to get into one of the moving convoys to guard it and possibly prevent another attack by what or who had been plaguing the convoys for weeks now. It was here that he had spotted two men accosting a young woman with bandages who carried food. He stopped it though he was briefly confused why the two men seemed to act differently when they saw him but he ignored that as he helped her get her supplies and it was after a few minutes of discussion that he learned that the woman was named Isaribi.

He placed the meeting aside as he knew that he had to take care of being with the team as he was the second in command due to his Chunin rank and as such, he had to meet up with the others. It was there that they were now guarding the convoy, Holy Talon sensed that there was more going on and they had to be wary.

They did not have to wait for very long when the attacks happened, and to his surprise, it was there that he encountered two familiar faces, not just him, but Sasuke, and the others as well.

...

It had been none other than the same guys he had dealt with before and who he now recognized as Kabuto's other team mates who were now recognized as Sound spies. He had not recognized them due to their change in uniform and the fact that they had concealed their faces considerably well. And it seemed that the one who had nearly drained Sasuke dry of his own chakra had decided to attack his former team mate once more. Sasuke however had been improving well enough to be able to fight with Yoroi without allowing his foe to take him out. Yoroi had attempted to take out the Uchiha once again and apparently had developed a number of new moves that caught the man off guard.

However the man's partner with the highly flexible body and joints, the one named Tsurugi was more than willing to attack in a more unique fashion, he still retained his ability to move his limbs and body without breaking anything in him. The two worked in unison and proved to be a serious pair, more than enough to have proven a challenge to the team, But they seemed to be focusing on Sasuke in particular. They continued to taunt him and while they knew that they were facing a more powerful force of Konoha ninja, and Naruto being a Chunin, they were still confident in themselves and Yoroi had indeed picked up a few Fire Techniques that surprised even Sasuke.

Naruto and the others were able to eventually fight them off though he had been separated from them due to the presence of the same team that of Rain Ninja from the Chunin Exams. This time around however, they were better trained than they had been before which was why they were able to have him taken out of the fight leaving the others to deal with them and the two Sound Ninja spies. This was where he encountered Isaribi and while he was not badly injured, he had not been able to recover as fast as he had hoped.

This allowed him to spend time with Isaribi, and it was here that Holy Talon told him that there was something about this woman in bandages, something tragic and painful. The sword also mentioned to him that she had the blood of innocent people on her hands...but was not evil at heart.

This confused Naruto considerably as he was not quite sure yet what Holy Talon was saying. He however got an idea when he had spotted some of the children from the village he and the others had been to before. He spotted how they vandalized her home and even willingly threw rocks at her even with him in plain view of them. He was angry them but noted that Isaribi had kept calm about the whole thing and that was something that made him all the more wary of her, though he kept that to himself.

...

Flashback...

(Something is not right here, she is taking those attacks too calmly, no doubt this is not new...why would they do that to her?)

(("Perhaps Isaribi is a representation of something that the villagers hate and fear, remember the rumours we heard about before Master Naruto?"))

Naruto recalled that, there were a number of people who had vanished from the village as well as some smaller towns. None had ever returned, but he had a feeling that maybe Isaribi was one of them. He however did not make a move yet as he needed to see just what else he could learn from the woman herself. It was when he returned to the village and met the others that he put two and to together.

The Kyuubi was more than willing to speak as well.

((Less talking and more action, I am itching for some action and it's boring me out of my mind being here and having no fun at all. Are you trying to kill me through boredom or something?))

((There's a thought.))

(("Shut up...let me have SOME action here, it's been ages already, what am I supposed to do here in your brain for entertainment? I'll admit seeing all of the collected memories of your sexual escapades with those ladies have been VERY nice, but I need to feel the rush of battle for a change here! Let me have some action before I really lose myself in here!"))

(All right...just wait all right fur face!)

(("Fur face? You ungrateful brat!"))

(Do you want me to let you loose so you can fight or not?)

(("Grrrr! All right then! But don't expect me to forget that insult brat...I might have a loathing respect for you, but that only goes so far."))

...

End of Flashback...

It was when he and Holy Talon met with the others that he found out that Anko had apparently been knocked out and he had tried to reason with Isaribi to stop her actions as doing this would truly make her a monster. That had not worked as she was determined to be cured from her condition and therefore she had escaped as the Rain Genin team appeared as well to thwart him and the others. Eventually they were able to get to Anko and as she recovered, she told them what she recalled.

Apparently Orochimaru had established some sort of base in the Land of the Sea to research on how to create through medical surgery, which was naturally the forbidden kind to give ninja the ability to move and fight underwater. She knew this since as a child she had been here before and here was where she got her own Curse mark. This shocked the others though Naruto noted that Sasuke was not as moved and seemed to have something else occupying his mind.

They managed to get a boat and head to the place where Anko knew the lab would be. They moved secure the location but it seemed that Amachi had been expecting them and they knew this when traps were being activated. It also seemed that apart from stealing ryo and gold before, Amachi had been hiring mercenaries to secure the island, and they were the fanatical onces with Yoroi and Tsurugi serving as captains for different groups as well as the Rain Genin team from before who apparently had somehow gotten some new equipment. Anko felt well enough to fight and ordered him and Sasuke to intercept Amachi who apparently had fled the area along with Isaribi while she and the others dealt with the rest. Yoroi and Tsurugi allowed them to leave as they had scores to settle and this allowed Ino, Shino, Haku, and the others to deal with them as well.

It was when he fought with Amachi, the man turned into a hybrid like Isaribi who was also in her supposed demon form but his was lacking any defining trait that was human. Naruto then allowed Holy Talon to unleash some of the chakra of the Kyuubi to give him something of an edge and allow the Kyuubi to fight since it had been eager to finally get into the action. The sentient sword relented and the Kyuubi and him were now fighting side by side.

Though Amachi had attempted to use his powers to kill the blonde, Naruto was not going to back down, and it was here that the others arrived. It was Anko who had arrived on site as she had used her Snake Summoning abilities to Summon a Snake that helped her evacuate from the place, but not after learning the truth of what happened to her. Ino, and Shino had succeeded to defeat their foes while Haku had managed to take down the Rain Genin team and Sasuke defeated a number of the creatures and mercenaries that came at him, though the collapse of the base had prevented them from taking the Rain Genin team alive.

After most of the battles were over, Naruto and Isaribi discovered that Amachi did not have a cure for Isaribi's condition nor did he even have the intention of curing her. All he wanted was to get as much money by using her abilities and when that was done, he would have her taken care of and examine her corpse. Isaribi always suspected that Amachi was lying to her but she held onto that hope of being free, and to know that she was not going to be cured by him made her angry, but she vowed never to take life to avoid being the monster she was called to be. Naruto was about to strike down Amachi himself but he was stopped by Anko who slugged Amachi herself and replied that his time had come to an end.

As soon as that trip down memory lane was over, he and Isaribi arrived at his old place and this was where he spoke to her.

"I hope this place is going to be all right, when I left this place there was not much left in there for most people."

Isaribi shook her head and replied to that.

"I can manage."

"Okay, but tell you what, I have a lot of money saved over, so if you need some appliances to help make life here a lot more helpful, just mention what you need and I'll get down to buying it for you okay Isaribi?"

The young woman nodded and smiled at the sincere way that Naruto had said it which told her that he meant every word that he had said to her.

"Thank you, this means a lot to me."

Naruto smiled warmly at that and soon helped Isaribi settle in to her new home. There were some left over pieces of furniture that he had left behind and thankfully the place was cleaned up every now and then. Most of the rooms were also cleaned up and were repaired to make the place better. It was not long before several Chunin came to the apartment and they showed that they were then ones who were going to help Isaribi in settling into her new home. With that out of the way, Naruto decided to head back home to make some of his own dinner and hope to see what was going to be the results when Isaribi got the treatment that she needs deeply.

...

Three days later...

Naruto was currently working sharpening the Dragon Steel Sword that he had been working on months before in his home, most people would have thought that it was finished and ready for use, but Naruto knew better than that. The sword was Holy Talon's only physical equal and therefore would be able to match it in blade combat, but not too much as Holy Talon had been heavily enchanted to make it a deadly weapon by Faldren and his Flight as well as the other Dragon Flights.

As soon as the weapon was done, he placed it aside and decided to head out from his home and go to see how things were for his friends. For now things had quieted down but he knew that sooner or later, there was going to be another assignment for him and the others. So far Isaribi was doing her part and going to the Hospital's lab ring to allow Tsunade to help find a cure in the notes recovered along with the aid of Sakura and Shizune as well as the other highly qualified Medic Nin who were not on duty.

As he passed the nearby park a fair distance from his current location, he spotted Sasuke training intensely with the Chidori. The Uchiha seemed not to care for the fact that he was in a public place and as such was not ideal for training in any stretch of the imagination.

He sensed something in Sasuke and the way his friend acted told Naruto that there was something brooding in his fellow team member. Holy Talon sensed that as well and spoke to his master.

(("You're friend Sasuke is seething with dark emotions, and I can sense that the seal on his form becoming a lot more active. I have a feeling that sooner or later, things will come to a head."))

(I know...I don't like this at all myself, I can only hope that Sasuke does not go any further.)

((" I can sense that, but I must be frank with you Master...ever since that battle with his brother, and the subsequent battles he has been in alongside you...he has changed. His aura is becoming darker and I can sense that despite the seal placed on him by your respective sensei, he is drawing on more of it's power. I fear that the darkness in him is becoming more pronounced."))

(I wish that you were wrong, but I feel it to. I will be ready for this and while I hope for the best, I have learned that I also have to prepare for the worst.)

That private conversation between Naruto and Holy Talon was cut short when Kurenai and Anko arrived. No doubt, judging from the bags that they had with them that they had been shopping for supplies and they smiled somewhat as they spotted Naruto. Naruto himself smiled right back at the two of them and decided to help them out.

Anko grinned warmly at this and soon they were off with Naruto willingly helping the two Jonin with their respective items. He dropped off Kurenai first with her supplies in her apartment and there he blushed a bit, recalling the night he had spent there with the red eyed Jonin. Kurenai and Anko noticed that and both smirked as Anko had been told by her friend what exactly happened between her and Naruto after their date together.

It was not long before Anko and Naruto arrived in her own home and there the blonde dropped off her groceries. However, he was still concerned about something that happened to Anko and he made that obvious.

"Are you feeling all right Anko-chan?"

The Jonin smiled a bit and replied.

"I am fine, it's good to know that I finally learned that I was not discarded but I left on my own and I had good reason to do just that."

"That's nice to know Anko-chan, but if you need anything, then I will do what I can to help."

The Jonin smirked at that and replied.

"Oh, you're being very thoughtful Naruto-kun, you want to join me in my house then? I can make something nice for you and we can enjoy some...quality time."

Naruto blushed at that while scratching his head. He recalled the last time he had been in Anko's house and what he had seen there. Truth be told, due to her past association with Orochimaru and her own actions in battle coupled with her flirty nature, looks and her form, Anko had been rumoured to be a dominatrix and a bit of a sadist when it came to sex and there were rumours that her house was like a torturer's store house filled with Kami only knew what. There was SOME truth to that but Naruto knew already that Anko's house was not like that. She did HAVE some toys and the like since he had been in her home but when it came to sex, Anko was not that extreme though she was not adverse to doing some things that would be surprising.

"Ah...maybe some other time Anko-chan, I have to check in and see if I have any missions for me to take up."

Anko pouted a bit but smiled and got closer to Naruto plastering her form on his own and moved to whisper into his ear.

"All right, I'll let you go free for now Naruto-kun, but I am not going to forget your offer, so I hope that you do keep in mind to come and visit me once in a while."

"I understand Anko-chan, I'll make sure to visit every now and then."

As he left, it was not long before he was greeted by Kakashi and Kaelyn with the War Blade being rather close to his Jonin sensei. He smiled at the two of them as Kakashi spoke to him.

"Good to see you up and about Naruto, we have a new mission being given out to us."

"Great! Same team setup as before Kakashi-Sensei?"

"Not today I'm afraid, Sakura is busy with her Medic Nin training while Sasuke is going to be here for a while undergoing some training of his own. So we're going to be working with others from the other teams who are available for deployment."

Naruto nodded warmly at that and the three of them headed out to see what they were going to be ordered to do by Tsunade.

...

Two months later...

Naruto smiled as he moved through Konoha, wearing his regular clothes and his Chunin vest on him. He had left his weapons and Holy Talon back in his home and decided to take a break, there were no missions and he was not currently on rotation duty, as well as not having any new techniques yet to test out. Thus he had gotten some free time for himself.

He had already dropped by the Ichiraku Ramen Bar to have break fast and had some time to chat with Ayame and Teuchi to see how they were doing and once that was done, he headed off to get some time to relax. He headed off to the Hokage Monument and as soon as he arrived there, he wasted no time and climbed up the rock face. He then sat down on the face of the Third Hokage and smiled down to it, recalling the man who had bee more of a grandfather figure to him and spoke.

"Hey there old man...it's been a while since I came over huh?"

Naruto knew that if anyone saw him right now, they would think he had lost his mind, but since no one was around to make comments about him being there and talking, he placed that thought aside.

"I sure wished you were still around...oh the stories I could tell you about what you've missed."

Naruto felt some level of sadness well up in him as he knew that Hiruzen was dead and gone, he missed him and how many times he had brought the man to the ground with that jutsu of his. He would give anything to see the elderly Hokage go flying away like a rocket due to a nose bleed. But that was going to be for another time as he began to regale the statue about what had happened ever since his last time here during the invasion of Konoha a year and a half before.

Naruto had no doubts in his mind that Hiruzen would have been utterly shocked at his...current status with women, along with one of his own students Tsunade. He could have loved to have seen that expression, and also he would have wanted to see the Third's reaction to seeing how much he had grown since he had been alive. He told him of his rise to being Chunin and how his fortunes had changed.

He also told him of his most recent accomplishments as well after the mission in the Land of the Sea. The next mission he had was in the Land of Vegetables where he, Chouji, Kaelyn, Kakashi and Hinata had to escort the Princess named Haruna who had been disguised as a member of a convoy of vegetable peddlers and suppliers. She was not alone as she had her bodyguards as well and learning that a band of ninja had come after all.

Holy Talon had warned him that there was more to what was going on, and he got the answers out of the man who was chief of Haruna's body guards, just as the three sibling Ninjas came after them. Through it all, he had been able to learn about Haruna's life and while he was not the least bit pleased by her way of seeing the lives of her guards as worthless compared to her own, he had to admit that she was not entirely at fault as she had been given that mindset by the way she had been treated as a child.

There had been some battles and in one of them he and Holy Talon were facing a foe who had proved to be a bit hard to defeat though he knew that he had to hurry and help Haruna. Hinata had challenged the ninja to his surprise at her decision to face this ninja herself, and that very same surprise grew even more when she had been able to defeat the ninja despite the fact that he was a lot stronger and more experienced that she was at that time. Her tactic in doing so was very ingenious and risky but it had rendered her foe utterly unable to fight back, and he was utterly pleased which was why he praised her deeply while healing her. She blushed deeply at this and stated that she would go and help Chouji while he saved Haruna.

It was there that he was able to catch up with Haruna who was about to be attacked by the leader of the two, who he later learned had slain his own siblings, much to his disgust and even that of Haruna as well as Holy Talon. It was here that Haruna learned the truth of her father's wishes and last moments before he was slain. That revelation had changed Haruna and after defeating the man, Naruto stopped her from slaying him, but in her place, he personally dealt with the man...he was taken away and was scheduled to be executed after a time in prison for the death of Haruna's father.

Haruna asked him to serve as her bodyguard after spending some time apologizing to her slain bodyguards, he replied that he would take that mission and help her rebuild her nation but only for a time as his own village needed him. Shizune who had arrived in time to help Hinata in taking care of Chouji with reinforcements gave her agreement and promised to inform Tsunade of the request by the new leader of the Land of Vegetables.

Naruto got that permission two days later while under the service of Haruna, and the two of them had been very busy. They had to remove those who were enemies of her father and those who had selfish ambitions for the throne had she not come. Their time together was good and it was not surprising for him to learn that Haruna had developed an affection for him...though with the short time together, he was not sure what to make of it.

As he left the land after the time of his stay came to an end, Haruna vowed that as soon as the Land of Vegetables had recovered and was on it's two feet, she would work hard to establish ties with Konoha as a show of her support and as a form of thanks for all he had done for her and also in helping her finally become a better person.

Naruto grinned at the memories of that and replied.

"That was one heck of an adventure, Hinata-chan was great and so was Chouji though I did not know how his battle turned out. Haruan-hime is going to be a great leader to her people now that she has changed her ways Old man, and I am going to be happy that she is going to side with Konoha if we can ask for a favour it it's in her power to grant it."

"Anyway...that's not the only mission I was on with the others...here's another one that got me into another interesting situation old man."

...

Naruto then told Hiruzen's face in the Hokage Monument about yet another assignment that had him working with Neji, Tenten as well as Kakashi which had the four of them go to the Land of Birds and where he had met yet another Princess who reminded him in some ways to Koyuki and Haruna as she had disguised herself as her brother the current Feudal Lord of the Land of Birds. The news they got in Konoha about a Cursed Warrior made him wary though Holy Talon assured him that it had not sensed anything of Death Fang at play here, and the sword had been the one to inform him of the Princess's deception but advised that it would be better that he did not reveal that he was aware of the deception just yet.

The situation had been rather odd to him as he had a feeling that there was a reason for the Princess taking the place of her brother but knew that now was not the time to reveal his knowledge on the matter.

Naruto already suspected something was bothering the princess when he found out the truth after a lot of searching, and from his previous experiences with Haruna and Koyuki, he had no doubt that it was anything good. .

Ever since his inheriting Holy Talon and facing a number of Death Fang's servants which were more like ghosts and undead than living beings, Naruto had gotten used to it. And after seeing the being itself later on the course of the mission, Holy Talon told him that while it DID sense something supernatural about the being they fought with, the one they had seen a number of times afterwards was hardly a spirit. He had a feeling that the Princess had something to hide and it was related to what was going on in the land her family was ruling.

And it was not long before he and eventually the others had found out just what that was. This came about when he came back to investigate the place, trying to find out who was really pulling the strings and not agreeing with Moso, the priest who hired them that the situation was dealt with now that the man Komei was arrested. He warned Tenten, Kakashi and Neji not to leave just yet, revealing what Holy Talon had told him and Kakashi agreed with him as he too suspected something was up so they would pretend to leave and come back later. It was here that he met the princess Toki in disguise as the Cursed Warrior and revealed he knew of her deception when she tried to kill him herself. That was enough to make Toki reveal what was going on.

It seemed that she was aware that the priest who hired them, Mosu was actually a ninja who had taken a disguise and had assassinated her brother and father. She found out about it and ion an effort to avenge her family, disguised herself as her brother and took on the Cursed Warrior identity to kill Moso.

Naruto decided to save Komei and it was here that the one who had supported them, a young man loyal to Toki named Chishima revealed that Moso was working with the Watari Ninja to finally take over the Land of Birds once Toki/Sagi was killed. The others fought with the ninja serving Moso who was now revealed to be Nagare, a ninja that tried to be similar to Kakashi though Holy Talon stated that his powers were not in the same league as his master's Jonin sensei.

However, his concern was to aid Toki by helping her steer away from being stuck in the past and in the desire for revenge, and to keep her alive. That had been tough for him but with the ghost of her brother to assist him, he took out Nagare and saved Toki's life and Chishima was alive as well despite being hit hard. Toki finally let go of her past as the watch she had was now moving, something that she said had not happened when her brother was killed. That was a sign to Naruto that she had moved on since Holy Talon said so due to what he had sensed from before.

Toki was allowed to continue her rulership after apologizing to her people, with Nagare and his followers now placed in prison for the rest of their lives.

She thanked them and him in particular for what he had done and like Haruna stated that she would be willing to support Konoha if they asked for the aid of herself and her people. That was something that he found to be very nice indeed.

"That was one heck of an adventure old man, meeting a real ghost what was not part of Death Fang's minions was a good break. Normally I would have been scared out of my wits, but at least I now know that not all ghosts are that bad."

"The next mission I took allowed me to recover and old Konoha heirloom, something you might know about had you been alive...and met two old faces, one I wished was here, and the other...I terminated."

...

His next mission had him, and his old team minus Kakashi who was assisting his fellow ANBU on another assignment leaving him as the commander of the team itself. This mission took him to the Land of Tea and it was here that he learned that there were two houses that were currently competing in a race. But not just any race, it was a race to determine who would be the leading house who would be aiding in the rule of the Land of Tea alongside the Feudal Lord. It was here that he and his team met none other than Idate who was Ibiki's brother though it took them a while before they were able to learn that fact.

The guy looked absolutely nothing like his Jonin brother and Naruto himself stated that fact, the young man was not too keen about talking about the reason why he was not in Konoha and that was something of a concern for him. But he kept that out of his mind for now as he focused on the mission he and the others were sent to do though Idate did not quite endear himself to Naruto due to his flirting with Sakura though the pink haired Kunoichi was not rising to the bait and pointed out that she had already someone she cared deeply for, and while saying that, she was looking at Naruto. That action made by Sakura was enough to make Idate raise his eyebrows a bit while Sasuke didn't seem to mind or care at all.

It did not take long to learn that Idate was going to be the one who was the runner for one of the families and would be competing with the runner of the other family. This was due to him having them pay the bill at a tea house and escaping, they caught him when he tried to escape from them but when he took off the weights, he took off like a rocket, however Naruto was able to catch up with him, and pointed out that he was using the same training methods of Gai and Rock Lee. This made Idate a bit cockier but also a lot more cautious with Naruto as he had not met anyone who was able to catch him when he took off the weights.

They were hired due to the fact that Idate's new boss who also happened to be a very close friend of Tsunade, had suspected that the other family and it's members would do anything to win the race. That naturally meant the use of force and it meant either wounding or hindering Idate from winning. That became a lot more obvious when he and the others faced none other than the other runner's body guards, one of them was a Jonin from the Hidden Rain by the name of Aoi and with him were the same team of Genin from the mission with Anko, who had apparently survived the battle.

It was during the race that Naruto and the others learned that Idate knew Aoi and explained that he long ago had failed the Entrance Exams in the Academy, and in his saddened state after being told by his brother that he was not cut out for a ninja's life and was a coward for not being serious about his commitment, he was approached by Aoi who had been a Jonin instructor before in Konoha. Aoi had told him that if he acquired a secret scroll and the weapon owned by the Second Hokage, Tsunade's grand uncle Tobirama Senju and brother of the First Hokage. He had done so and only realized that Aoi had used him.

He would have left but with his actions he was now a traitor to Konoha despite being unwilling to begin with. It was his brother and two ANBU who chased him along with Aoi, Aoi however had help and the ANBU were killed and Ibiki was tortured to read the scroll for Aoi. Ibiki however managed to escape and so did he when Ibiki advised him to leave. He left and eventually landed in the Land of Tea and had been taken in by the head of the Wasabi family, Jirocho Wasabi despite the fact that he had tried to rob the man and had shown great faith in him despite knowing of his shame. This was why he became their runner to allow them to lead the land of Tea alongside the Feudal Lord for another four years, not to mention the fact that he had seen first hand the corrupt Prime Minister of the Land working with the Wagarashi Family to rob the land underneath the nose of the Feudal Lord.

Aoi attacked them at some point in the race and while the man was being arrogant, stating that as a Jonin, no matter how many Genin or Chunin were sent, the odds of a Jonin like him winning would not change, he was skilled enough to attack them with Senbon from his umbrella weapons that were poisoned as well. Both he and Sasuke attacked in tandem with one another and though he had been hit along with Sasuke, they survived alongside Sakura, who was more than able to counter the poison.

Aoi remained arrogant as he insulted Sasuke, stating that it was pathetic that out of the once vaunted Uchiha Clan, Itachi had only allowed a weakling to remain alive. This infuriated Sasuke a great deal and that allowed Aoi to undermine him as he spoke that it was sad that as the last of the Uchiha, Sasuke was nothing more than a weakling and he asked why Itachi spared him. Naruto had enough of his mouth and attacked the former Jonin and called him a traitor who was going to get what was coming to him.

The three of them finally forced Aoi to retreat and that allowed them to recover and protect Idate who had been injured from the fight. Naruto managed to remind Idate that he had the faith of Jirocho and he had to prove that the faith in him was well placed. They moved on and eventually fought with Aoi again. But this time the stress on Sasuke's psyche made him attack Aoi intent on killing the man despite the fact that he had warned his team mate to wait up for him.

Sasuke was badly hurt by the sword used by Aoi but he had managed to hit the sword's flat edge with the Chidori which weakened the weapon as Naruto saw it as Sakura managed to save both Idate and Sasuke using her own advanced skills and training, allowing him to make his own attack. He moved quickly and used his Wind Chakra to create a sword of pure Wind chakra that was able to block the sword and he quickly countered by smashing a Rasengan into Aoi's attack.

Naruto then told Hiruzen that he personally killed Aoi as the man and him flew into the air and over the river.

...

Flashback...

Aoi flew over the river and was shocked by what he had been hit with and made that obvious to Naruto as he spoke in pain.

"How...?"

Naruto snorted in disdain and replied, unmindful of where they were.

"You're arrogance doomed you, I learned from the best and that includes Jiraiya-sama, and Tsunade-hime themselves. You think that just because you are a Jonin that you are destined to win? You are blind and now you are dead."

"N-Never! I will not lose to a brat like you...even if you have such a technique..."

Aoi attempted to strike but Naruto was ready as he quickly used Holy Talon to knock the Sword of the Thunder God aside without breaking it and sliced off Aoi's arm without any resistance.

The former Konoha Jonin howled in pain as Naruto caught the weapon while tossing away his severed arm and the blonde replied as he readied both swords in hand.

"For your actions and cruelty Aoi, your punishment is death, and I will be returning the Sword to the village so you are no longer it's master."

With that, Naruto sliced off Aoi's head with Holy Talon and cut the man in half with the Sword of the Thunder God.

...

.End of Flashback...

"You should have seen the reaction of that head of that corrupt family and that of the Prime Minister when they got broken up and the man got turned into a Buddhist for his misdeeds, I guess the Feudal Lord was aware of the man's corruption and had waited for the right time to spring the trap."

Naruto smiled as he finished his tale with the wining of Idate in the race despite the Wagarashi Family's attempts at having Idate disqualified, the reconciliation of Idate and Ibiki who came back to bring them home, and the pleased reactions of the two brothers for the death of the traitor as well as the return of the Sword of the Thunder God.

"Tsunade-chan was pleased to get the Sword back, she had it repaired and made sure to have it re-secured in the vault and have better protection seals on it. I can bet that she will be wanting to use it at some point and I think that she deserves it. That sword is hers by right and I am happy that something from this village was brought back safely."

"Anyway, that was not the last mission, I had yet another one and we have a new addition as well to the team of Zabuza and Haku apart from Kin-chan old man."

...

Naruto then told Hiruzen's statue of his most recent mission, which also served to bring a new ally into the ranks of the Konoha ninja. He had been looking for bamboo for his ramen a few weeks before when he found a young man who was barely alive and seemed to be suffering from amnesia. Holy Talon however sensed that the amnesia was some sort of memory blocking technique that was used on the man. And this had been something of a concern for Naruto but he decided to keep it to himself until the man was fully recovered.

The young man had gotten from him the name of Menma and when he had saved several people from a fire in the hospital, Holy Talon told him that the memory block was gone. When Menma revealed his ability to enhance chakra in people with music from his Ocarina, many suspected he was a spy from Orochimaru's village. Naruto however discounted it as he worked with menma in doing odd jobs and sensed that he had no malice of deception in him, but genuine compassion and a desire to do good. That was reinforced by Holy Talon sensing no evil intent in Menma and Kin stating that before she had defected, there was no mention of anyone in the Oto village that had Menma's abilities.

He also brought this concern to Tsunade and she agreed that they would have to watch out and see what was going on.

When a bandit attacked and was captured, Holy Talon sensed that Menma did know the man despite his denials when the man claimed him to be a traitor to their clan. He, Tenten, and Neji moved out to the village that was spoken of by the captive alongside Menma on the belief that it would jog his memories despite Naruto and Holy Talon already aware of Menma's returned memories. The village was in the Land of Rice Fields and it turned out that Menma did indeed belong to the bandit clan though only he and Holy Talon were aware of it due to the villagers recognizing Menma and one young mute girl did so as well.

It was here that due to Orochimaru's actions, there was a war going on and the village was in a demilitarized zone and was off limits to armies, but not bandits. The reason they came there was due to the fact that a fairly lucrative gold mine was in the area. Menma wanted to atone for what his clan had done and set to building a wall and readying to fight the bandits despite many of the villagers not being trusting of him. Neji and Tenten themselves were doubtful but Naruto was not as he and Holy Talon sensed his sincerity. Eventually the two of them were aided by his team and the villagers.

The battle that came afterwards was hard and it was with Menma's help with his chakra boosting music that they defeated the bandit clan leader Shiin. The man however planned to destroy the dam to drown the village and leave the mine intact. Naruto then told Tenten and Neji to handle the evacuation as he took Menma with wason their way to stop Menma's former leader that Naruto revealed his knowledge of Menma's memories but explained that he did not doubt his good nature but asked why he would do this.

Menma then told him of the attack and why after witnessing one of the bandits kill a father before his daughter, the same mute girl he met in the village that he turned on them. He saved the girl but was wounded and used the Jutsu to forget. But now he wanted to make amends and stop Shiin, or die trying.

Naruto however convinced him that he had done more than enough and that he could better help people by being alive and he himself would stand by his side. This convinced Menma to change his plans and the two of them worked as one to stop Shiin and destroy the dam. They succeeded but also collapsed the mine to make sure that no one would ever come to this village again. Once that was over and the villagers forgave Menma, with the young girl being the first, Menma decided to stay in Konoha, feeling that he could do some good there and put his skills to more noble use.

Naruto was in full agreement with that and so were Neji and Tenten, much to Menma's happiness.

...

"And now he is with Zabuza, Haku, and Kin-chan, and I have to say old man, they make a hell of a team."

Menma, Haku, and Kin were now part of what many called Team Zabuza as the former Mist Seven Swordsman was now head of his own team. From time to time, he had gone to locate the old sword he used to carry and make sure that it was secured and kept safe while wielding his new sword made for him by the blonde Shinobi. And his team was fairly unique, Haku served to take down opponents alive in most cases and his Kekkai Genkai proved very effective as he had time to train considerably ever since becoming a ninja of Konoha. This was coupled with his very considerable skills in Medical Jutsu so he served as an improvised Medic Nin to them though he made sure to attend seminars on Medical Jutsu just to be safe.

Menma served to support the team by using his chakra to enhance the team's own reserve via his ocarina. This made him team support when they needed an extra boost and he had also taken the time to train on how to properly defend himself in battle. His ability to boost chakra reserves was a welcome addition in the team's eyes and it would also help alleviate their spirits as in some ways, Menma served as a version of Naruto's summoned Song Maidens who could boost courage and inspire in battle as well as out of battle.

Kin was obviously the skilled user of auditory illusions due to her specially made Senbon, though she had begun to use other means in order to fight back. This included learning how to use special whistling kunai that could allow her to have a greater level of range with her auditory illusion skills, along with her improving Taijutsu skills to make sure that she was not going to be suddenly caught off guard by their foes.

As for Zabuza, he was more than able to hold his own in a fight and that was something that was helpful as the team was going to be helpful due to Zabuza's knowledge and his own memories. Once that was over, Naruto got up and spoke once more to the statue.

"That's what's been happening since you've gone old man, the village is a lot stronger now and soon, I will make sure that everything will be all right. I'll see you soon and maybe have more to talk about."

...

In the area near the Forest of Death...

Naruto had gone there to look the place over, no doubt taking a trip down memory lane to recall the old days and how much had changed since then.

He was about to leave when his danger senses kicked in and he was attacked by someone who shouted to him.

"Fight me dobe!"

Naruto recognized that voice and blocked the attack and turned to see that it was indeed Sasuke. He was shocked by this and spoke out to him as he moved away.

"Sasuke? What the hell are you doing?"

"What's it look like? I am going to fight you!"

Naruto managed to block the attacks that followed and tried once more to reason with Sasuke.

"Sasuke, stop this right now! What the heck are you going to get out of attacking me anyway?"

Sasuke spat at Naruto as he continued to strike, forcing Naruto on the defensive for the moment.

"Shut your trap! You think you are better than me? You think that after all you've done, you can be better than I am? I have had enough! That power should be mine!"

"Stop this right now Sasuke! Or Kami help me I'll..."

Sasuke managed to get close to Naruto and sneered at him in disdain as he replied.

"You'll what? Beat me? Then come on dead last! You know you want to, no one is going to know, and I am going to enjoy showing to you that I am not going to let you defeat me!"

"Damn it all Sasuke, listen to reason!"

"Shut up! Fight me or I will KILL you right here and now! You're nothing but an idiot who got lucky, nothing more! All of the praise you've been getting, the affection from so many...it's all because of luck, you have nothing of your own, and I am going to beat you to prove it, fight me!"

Sasuke unleashed another attack with killer intent, but his punch was blocked by Naruto who responded with a resounding punch to the side. That attack was more than enough to stop Sasuke and force him back, allowing Naruto some breathing room.

Sasuke glared furiously at Naruto while clutching his side, the blonde Chunin had managed to blind side him with a powerful attack that made him wince in pain. And that infuriated him considerably as he had his Sharingan on full power and had even began to take some of the power of the Cursed Seal.

Naruto looked calmly at Sasuke, now fully aware that his team mate and the one he considered a friend had attacked him with killer intent even more so with the Cursed Seal now active despite the pain it was causing him due to the seal Kakashi placed on him. No doubt Sasuke was truly willing to endure the pain and let it fuel him into facing him right here and right now. The blonde Chunin had long suspected that sooner or later, there was going to be a point where they would be fighting, but he had hoped that Sasuke would be able to finally change his direction. Now it seemed that his hopes had been misplaced as Sasuke was being dead serious in taking him out in the fight that was now between them.

He knew that words were not going to do it, he had matured well enough to know that much as he looked at the face of the irate Uchiha survivor. There was only one way to possibly make his friend see reason, and that was to defeat him.

"Fine...if words won't work, then fists will, come on then Sasuke! Show me what you can do!"

Sasuke glared even more and quickly charged at Naruto, the blonde replied in kind as they smashed into one another into another furious Taijutsu battle. Sasuke launched a powerful kick and Naruto, aiming for his head, Naruto ducked and lashed out with a sweep kick. Sasuke spotted that and quickly flipped himself over Naruto while using his other leg in a bent angle, using the leap to launch a knee strike aimed at the blonde's head.

Naruto however quickly moved his head back while moving his own leg to block the attack, sending Sasuke aside as he landed, Naruto turned and blocked several kicks Sasuke used at him, with said attack is aiming for his chest and head. Naruto quickly blocked a spinning side heel kick with his fist and quickly grabs Sasuke by the foot and tosses him aside, but he follows up with a quick leap and lands a solid kick to Sasuke's stomach as well.

This was followed up by a dropping elbow strike to the chest that sends Sasuke down, Naruto lands and quickly goes on the defensive as Sasuke got up and attacked him once more. The two began to trade blow after blow with one another, the Uchiha then attacked with a combination of punches and kicks that Naruto was able to counter as well. They were once more in a stalemate when Sasuke decided to use the same style as Rock Lee, which he had copied and used in a few of the battles he had been in.

Naruto was quick to pick up on what Sasuke had in mind due to the fact that he had trained alongside Rock Lee and Gai. And so he decided to counter on his own as well as he began to rely on what he had learned from Neji and Hinata as well as Hiashi.

...

Kin was busy working on getting her new Senbon supply ready and planned to head out to meet with her team when she suddenly had a feeling run up her spine...something that she did not like. She turned in the direction of what she knew was the outskirts of the Forest of Death training area of Konoha. She recalled that place well enough and had avoided the place like the plague. But she now felt that something was telling her to go to the place, something significant was going to happen there and she had to be there to find out what it was.

She did so despite her own confusion as to why she would be doing that in the first place and she hoped that what she was feeling was not going to be bad.

...

But she was not the only one either as several other people began to converge there...among them were a trio of ANBU, and one of them was Uzuki Yuugao. When they all arrive, they were about to see something that was going to be with them for a very long time.

...

Back in the fight...

Naruto was able to block the attacks as he then unleashed a few finger strikes with his fingers covered with his own chakra that Sasuke was not aware of. The attacks hit him in several parts of his body and to the young man's surprise, the attacks seemed to affect the flow of chakra on his body. It was here that it became apparent that Naruto was using the gentle Fist in battle with Sasuke as he used the same attack points after blocking two kicks in rapid succession that was launched towards him by Sasuke. The attacks were however not as effective as Neji or Hinata, or that Hiashi for two reasons.

The first was that Naruto had no clear memory of where the chakra paths in the body were located or how much force with chakra was needed and so he had no idea just how deep the attack points were on the body. He only had a general idea on where to strike and hoped that he was going to hit the target. Even if he had used it before, it was still trial and error for the blonde Chunin as there were some things that even Hinata and Neji were not allowed to teach him.

The second was the fact that Naruto did not have the Byakugan and as such, had no way to see just where he was hitting his foe with. That meant that not only was it a style that had to be used carefully, but it was hard to determine if it was an effective style or not in the heat of the battle since he had no idea if he was hitting the chakra pathways or not.

However, it seemed to be working as Sasuke winced in pain somewhat from the attacks and that allowed Naruto to take the fight more effectively. He charged in and slammed a shoulder charge into Sasuke, then unleashed a head butt right into Sasuke's chin, spilling some blood and followed that up with an elbow strike to the chest that forced Sasuke back, and followed it with a powerful straight kick.

Sasuke managed to catch that and flip over Naruto while righting himself in mid flip to launch a spinning kick to the blonde's head, Naruto quickly counters the attack with a block but follows that with another as Sasuke unleashes a secondary kick aimed at Naruto's neck, and that attack was with the intent on snapping Naruto's neck.

Naruto followed up by grabbing Sasuke's leg and tossing him away...the dark haired Uchiha however was far from finished as he quickly landed and the two once more traded blows with one another. Sasuke attacked with a powerful descending heel kick which was blocked by Naruto and Sasuke followed up with a side kick that Naruto also blocks while lashing out with a kick of his own. Sasuke blocks that and both moved once Sasuke was on the ground moments later. Naruto then made his move as he closed the gap and so did Sasuke as they began to trade attacks once more, but this time Naruto began to use the Boundless State style of fighting as he attacked with a sweep kick that Sasuke leaped over, but was unable to block a straight rising kick the stomach, forcing him back. Naruto quickly leaped up from his starting position and grabbed Sasuke by the shirt shoulders and flipped back while tossing Sasuke away.

The Uchiha youth landed a distance from Naruto and attacked again, with his face already showing the seething heat of his rage towards his team mate. Naruto sees that and block's Sasuke's next kick as he began to use only his feet in a same fashion as the Boundless State, but Naruto was better prepared as flipped over Sasuke who had aimed a high kick to the side, he then unleashed a sweep kick that sent Sasuke into the air and followed up with a leap into the air and did a reverse flip that allowed him to drop a spinning back heel kick right into Sasuke's chest.

That slammed Sasuke hard into the ground and made him cough out more blood, this further infuriated him as he tried to get up and when he did he unleashed a trio of punches that Naruto blocked with his hands as well as two kicks and a sweep kick of his own. Naruto evaded those attacks, then used another style he learned from another Dragon Champion who turned out to be a Fire Dancer named Razell...this style was known as the Whirlwind of the Dragon as Naruto began to unleash several punches and kicks with rapid succession and followed up with deadly body throws that caught Sasuke off guard.

The irate youth barely had time to react to the new style Naruto was now using as he was kicked twice on the side, then hit by a back hand to the face a punch and elbow combination to the chest and the stomach before Naruto got him up and leaped into the air. He kept Sasuke in that grip and drove Sasuke down to the ground using his own weight, Sasuke's own body, and pure force to slam Sasuke into the ground hard.

As he got up, Naruto could tell that his attacks had been deadly as he spoke once more to Sasuke, hoping that this would be the key to stopping his team mate before he did something that was going to force his hand.

"It's over Sasuke...you know what happened already, so stop this..."

...

Sasuke however lashed out with a kunai that forced Naruto to back away and he caught the Kunai with his hand. This however allowed Sasuke some room and he began to use the hand seals and soon the sound of chirping birds was heard in the field.

Naruto was surprised at this and he saw Sasuke now using the Chidori itself and that told him that this fight had just gone into a whole new level. He knew why Kakashi had taught Sasuke the technique and that was to defend his friends, but Sasuke had been using the technique beyond what it was intended and now it seemed that Sasuke was willing to use that in conjunction with the Cursed Seal to attack.

Sasuke saw this and sneered as he charged at Naruto with the Chidori at the ready.

"Now let's see you dodge this!"

Naruto knew already from what he had learned from Kakashi the weaknesses and requirements of Chidori and why it was not for him to use. But that did not mean that he could not develop something similar to it, but totally different as he knew that Lightning Chakra based Jutsu could be countered by Wind Chakra based Jutsu, and he had been developing his own as well. He quickly made the hand seals to summon Kage Bunshin to mask his move as four of them leaped to slow Sasuke down.

The Uchiha growled as he charged with killer intent in his eyes as well as his movements as he shouted.

"You're Kage Bunshin are not going to work here dead last!"

Naruto did not reply as he worked on his technique, it was not the Rasengan, but it was going to be just as effective if he was able to use it right. Sasuke managed to cut down the Kage Bunshin and he was moving even faster to finally take down the blonde as soon as the Kage Bunshin were sent away. However, as he closed the gap, Naruto had an ace up his sleeve as his last Kage Bunshin had managed to slow down Sasuke a bit more, allowing him to place his newest technique into practice. As soon as the last Kage Bunshin was taken down, the Uchiha charged in and aimed his Chidori at Naruto.

That however was a mistake as Naruto began to summon his chakra and to Sasuke's surprise, Naruto spun himself around with arms outstretched and he was covered in his chakra which was soon creating a sphere of wind around him. This sphere was not going to remain a sphere for very long as blades of chakra appeared on the outer perimeter as Naruto was surrounded by a sphere of Wind mixed with his chakra

"FUUTON! BOUSHI KAZE TAMA KEN!"

This was a technique he had developed as a by-product of his training with Neji, Hiashi, and Hinata. Not to mention it was similar to the same technique Neji had used in the Chunin Exams nearly a year or so ago. Naturally, like his new fighting style that incorporated the same attack style and targets of the Gentle Fist, it was not a very accurate copy of the move. However, this was different as it was able to serve as a form of defence to block incoming weapon strikes and the blades of wind chakra served both as a weapon and a barrier.

Naruto however, knew that this was not an effective tactic when facing someone who used Fire Based Jutsu and had Fire chakra. That was due to what he had learned back in school and what he had learned after training the technique with both Neji and Asuma who had helped in forming the basis for the wind blades that made the outer shell of the sphere. But it was still effective in battle if used in the right moment, and with Sasuke not using any fire based Jutsu, Naruto took the chance.

The attack had the desired effect as it blocked Sasuke's Chidori and allowed Naruto to knock out the charge by Sasuke, relieved that his Wind Chakra jutsu had been enough to counter the Chidori. The blades of Wind chakra were also able to wound Sasuke as the blades sliced through the clothes he had on as well as wound him. Naruto then followed that by launching his next attack Sasuke was forced back, with several bleeding cuts but not deep enough to seriously wound him or slice off any limbs. This next attack was not the same however as it was a wave of pure chakra energy with wind in it. It was similar to some of the techniques he had developed, but instead of using his chakra like a blade as before; he focused it into a hammer.

"FUUTON! KANADZUCHI DAGEKI!"

Naruto's next attack struck hard at Sasuke and sent him back as the wind this time around was not cutting like a blade, but like a hammer. Naruto managed to pull it off due to hard work and training though he knew that it was not how Wind chakra was used so it was purely experimental from his point of view.

The attack however was effective enough as Naruto charged at Sasuke, using his increased speed to his advantage and slammed the attack into Sasuke's stomach. The attack was in effect, similar to the Rasengan since it did not cut like a regular Wind Jutsu but smashed. Sasuke was sent back and hit the ground once hard, but as he flew back, he grabbed the ground with a chakra covered hand and landed on his feet though in great pain as the attack had apparently cracked a rib somewhere in his chest, and it ached with a cuts he got from Naruto's previous Jutsu using his newly utilized chakra with Wind Affinity.

Sasuke was angered by this and quickly got to his feet, his first Chidori had failed as the blonde had managed to counter it along with attacking with a new Jutsu that was totally unexpected from his point of view. And the Uchiha understood just how he was able to do it, Wind did trump Lightning after all and so the Chidori was useless to face Naruto with if he was able to use Wind Chakra in the defensive which was rather surprising given that Wind Chakra was not normally used for defensive Jutsu. He however was not going to give up just like that as he knew that his clan's fire jutsu was going to be the key to evening up the odds. If Taijutsu was out of the question, then Jutsu would have to do for now.

With that in mind, he switched to his Jutsu and took out his clan's specially marked Jutsu, made the gestures and unleashed a massive fireball at Naruto.

"KAITON! GOKAKYU NO JUTSU!"

Naruto was aware that he had no jutsu that could counter Fire yet and so he was forced to dodge the attack. But that was what Sasuke was hoping for as he began to unleash more of the attacks to keep Naruto on the move and allow him to find a viable opening for him to attack.

"KAITON! HOSENKA NO JUTSU!"

The attacks which were smaller but faster and more numerous fire balls had their desired effect as Naruto was now on the defensive and Sasuke kept on the move in order to avoid getting himself caught in a corner. It was here that Naruto was in a corner and had to leap back that Sasuke managed to charge in and kick Naruto back.

He wasted no time and quickly got to his feet and engaged Naruto in battle once more, but this time, he had some of his kunai with him along with some wire. He had a plan to finally end the blonde idiot once and for all. He fired three of the kunai at Naruto at first, Naruto focused his Wind chakra into his hand and created a covering of razor sharp Wind around his hand as he then cut the kunai into pieces, but that allowed Sasuke to close in and wrap the blonde in the wire.

'NOW YOU'RE DEAD!"

Naruto however replied to that.

"Want to bet?"

Sasuke had no time to react as Naruto quickly moved down and spoke a spell using Dragon Fire.

"EARTH PILLAR!"

The energy allowed the young Dragon Champion to go up into the air, dragging Sasuke with him, Naruto then leaped off the ground and moved into the air as he then used his wind chakra once more to cut the wire. Sasuke cursed mentally to himself as his next move had been cut short as Naruto quickly used his wind chakra to focus into his feet. The blonde then unleashed the wind chakra and the results was that the sudden blast of wind allowed Naruto to rocket towards Sasuke who quickly tried to ready his Chidori once more.

Naruto saw that easily and countered with another band of Kage Bunshin as before, but this time one of them stayed with him while the rest charged. Sasuke growled in anger as he attacked the Kage Bunshin aside and used his Chidori.

"CHIDORI!"

The attack drilled through the Kage Bunshin and they poofed away as before, and Sasuke finally struck Naruto with his attack right in the chest. Sasuke smirked as he looked at the attack as he finally hit Naruto. The blond was in deep pain and it showed, much to the Uchiha's satisfaction, but his satisfaction...was misplaced as Naruto grinned at him, confusing and infuriating Sasuke that the very same time. He got his answer as Naruto turned into a mass of writhing steel wires that quickly wrapped around him as the real Naruto was tossed by his Kage Bunshin with his Rasengan extended, though in this case, Naruto learned enough from his time with Jiraiya, Shizune, and Tsunade on how to control the amount of destructive power in his attack.

Naruto rocketed towards Sasuke who barely had time to react as the sphere of chakra slammed into his stomach.

"RASENGAN!"

The impact of the attack was enough to send both of them to the ground and to the pillar, the two smashed hard into it, though Sasuke was the one who took the deeper blows due to him being there in front of the pillar. The formation of earth fell down as Naruto leaped off and Sasuke hit the ground hard and coughing out some blood at the same time.

Naruto saw this and moved to be with his team mate, hoping that he had not fatally harmed him, as soon as he got there, he spoke to Sasuke, hoping that he finally saw reason.

"That is enough Sasuke, it's over..."

That however served to infuriate the downed Uchiha, he had been humiliated when Naruto proved to surpass him in fighting in Taijutsu despite his use of Lee's speed and technique when he had seen it before. And now he had just been beaten when it came to Jutsu, he had used the Chidori twice and yet Naruto was able to counter him and wound him with that new attack of his. The blonde had surpassed him...and that drove him deeper into rage and remembered that Itachi had more interest in Naruto than him when they met again after so many years when he had vowed revenge.

He was not strong enough, and Naruto was now his...better...

(NO! I REFUSE TO LOSE TO THIS IDIOT! I HAVE HAD ENOUGH!)

"NEVER!"

Sasuke shouted as he tried to land a strike at Naruto with a kunai in hand, the blonde moved back and quickly got into a defensive position as Sasuke got up though with great difficulty as he was injured and tangled in the wire that he had been restrained with by Naruto himself in the battle. The blonde got ready as the dark haired youth was about to attack.

But it was here that they were stopped by Kakashi who appeared between the two of them and stopped Naruto and Sasuke.

"ENOUGH!"

The two stopped though Naruto was the first and soon they became aware that they were not alone at all. Behind Kakashi was Sakura, Kin, Iruka, Ebisu, and several ANBU, including none other than Uzuki. It was the ANBU on routine patrol that spotted the two fighting and Uzuki had gone ahead to inform Kakashi of what had transpired.

It was merely luck that the others were seemingly able to sense that something was amiss and had arrived there to see Naruto defeat Sasuke in a Taijutsu...and just in time to see Sasuke use the Chidori on Naruto with killer intent just as Kakashi and Uzuki had arrived to witness the end of the battle and Sasuke's attempt to still fight Naruto despite it already obvious that he had been defeated as Naruto had grown a great deal than what he was before.

Needless to say the others could not help but be shocked by what they had just witnessed, they had arrived earlier and saw that both Sasuke and Naruto were fighting one another. And while they had wondered what had happened, they were ill prepared to see Sasuke actually using the Chidori with killer intent on Naruto, not once, but twice. Kakashi was shocked and dismayed by this and quickly got between the two of them.

Naruto turned to Kakashi and spoke.

"Kakashi-sensei...I'm sorry about what happened."

Kakashi could see that Naruto was sincere with the apology and he had seen that Naruto's Rasengan had been smaller and less powerful than what one normally expected from the technique. That and the fact that he had noted the level of chakra Naruto used in his Rasengan told him that Naruto had no intention of killing Sasuke to win. Sasuke on the other hand had gone all out lethal, he had every intention of killing Naruto with the Chidori and that was not something he liked.

"I understand that Naruto."

The Jonin turned and glared at Sasuke who was still aching from the attack but glaring defiantly back at him. He had long suspected that Sasuke had developed a deep level of hostility to Naruto, and he had suspected that it had stemmed from the encounter with Itachi from before. But now this attack could not be ignored, using a technique meant to save your comrades in a fashion to kill them went against everything he had developed the Chidori and the Raikiri respectively for. He could not excuse this as he looked at the two other Jonin with him as well as Uzuki who had been the one to warn him of the fight earlier and spoke to them.

"Take him to a holding cell for now and keep an eye on him and also get a Medic Nin to assess his injuries, I will talk to him at a later date."

"Hai Kakashi-san!"

With that, the ANBU went to take Sasuke away who still glared defiantly at Kakashi and glared hatefully at Naruto who looked back calmly at his friend. What happened was no doubt going to have some very negative effects to Konoha in the future, and as the others crowded around in trying to get some answers from Naruto on what had just happened, he had other thoughts on his mind.

He had a feeling that before the day was over...something bad was going to happen, and as much as he hoped that the situation would be resolved soon, he felt that Sasuke was going to be in the center of it all.

...

A fair distance from the scene...

Several smiles came from the battle between Naruto and Sasuke, one of them was a fairly well sized person who would have passed as a replica for Chouji. He was not alone as the others who all wore the same symbol of the village that Orochimaru had command of.

It seemed that they now had the opening that they needed in order to make the grab for Sasuke, and soon their Master would finally have the price that he desires.

And soon, they will show that young Uchiha that his use of the Cursed Seal was not in the same league as the rest of them, for unlike him, they had the Cursed Seals for far longer and therefore, their skills were more than sufficient to use it to full strength.

Things were about to get interesting from here on out.

...

To be continued...

...

Author's Notes:

Well, here we are, a new chapter after so long with this story in isolation and in the proverbial freezer, thank God I did not forget too much what I had planned for this story, because if I did, I would have really been annoyed and disappointed in myself.

Anyway, I have decided for the sake of time constraints and for the problem I have of choppy internet due to the instability in the signal lately to compress the arcs involving Ibiki's brother Idate, the Land of Sea, the arc involving Menma, the Land of Vegetables, and the Land of Birds. This way i can focus on what I feel is the part all of you have been asking of me...

And that is Sasuke's defection from Konoha and his siding with Orochimaru, I know a lot of people had been asking for this for a very long time, and I hope that I am doing the right thing in writing this version of mine.

Now as many have suggested, I have allowed Naruto to defeat Sasuke in battle, unlike the canon version where they are stopped by Kakashi, or in other stories where Naruto holds himself back. This was done to show that Naruto is no longer the person Sasuke thought he was, and that if push comes to shove, he is more than willing to make the choices needed, though he will not change himself too much.

You can bet that Sasuke will not take this lying down and he will not hesitate to find ways to defeat Naruto, to prove to himself that he was not weak. You can bet that after the compressed arcs, Sasuke's now more than hostile due to the insults directed to him by Amachi and the rogue Konoha Jonin who had been the former teacher of Idate himself, and his defeat by Naruto, and thus he will not hesitate to change sides, but unlike the things that happened in the canon story in both the anime and the manga, Sakura will not be there to try and stop him by declaring her love and we all know why.

There will be a change in that for the next chapter that deals with the aftermath of the battle between Naruto and Sasuke. And in the next chapter, there will be some changes as Naruto knows that he has to stop Sasuke and try to keep his promise not to Sakura as it was never made, but to Itachi...remember that Itachi asked Naruto to prevent Sasuke from seeking out Death Fang, and if Sasuke leaves Konoha, he might do just that.

The team that will be deployed to get him back is the same, though in this case, both Shikamaru and Naruto are in command of the mission, and their will be better prepared in more ways than one for what is to come and who they will face.

...

Anyway, I hope that this will show to those fans of this story that it is now going to come alive, and I should point out that this story will soon be considered complete. So after I am done with the chapters I have in mind, this story is now officially over.

And before you start bemoaning that fact, I will be making a sequel to this and it will be very new and I will be making the prologue of the new story a bit of a surprise. I will not reveal what I have in mind so don't ask me what the prologue will be.

I hope that you all will be happy with the chapters that are to come, but it has been a while since I wrote in this story so I shall be a bit rusty, much to my shame.

The battle between Sasuke and Naruto is the first I have made for this story ever since I unofficially put it on ice, so I have no doubt that it's very rusty. I have been doing mostly gun battles for a while now and never martial arts battle scenes so I hope that you all are all right with it.

Now on to the next chapter...and you can bet that when the people of Konoha find out about the battle between Sasuke and Naruto, there will be results. And when Sasuke defects willingly to Orochimaru, you can bet that it will shock them even more. But before Sasuke leaves...he will do something that will anger Naruto and while he will not give up completely on saving Sasuke from damning himself...what his former team mate will do will leave a scar on Naruto's view of him for a while.

I will not reveal it for now, but it should be very interesting for all of the readers of this story.

See you all on the next chapter!


	47. Old Feuds Part 1

Naruto: The Twin Swords

Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Naruto so let's leave it at that okay?

Chapter 33

Part 1

Old Feuds...

( ): Thoughts

(( )): Kyuubi speaking

((" ")): Holy Talon

...

In the village of Konoha...

The village was somewhat abuzz by the news of the battle that had taken place between Sasuke Uchiha, and Naruto Uzumaki as the idea of two team mates fighting each other in a battle to the death was appalling to many of them. Some who were not too happy with Naruto were nevertheless shocked that Sasuke had been willing to attack Naruto with lethal intent as despite their dislike for the blonde, they found the idea of team mates killing one another outright disgusting.

The women who were intimate with Naruto for quite a while now were less than pleased, even the normally gentle and kind Hinata was outraged by this and she was showing that same outrage by asking what was to be done with Sasuke and how Naruto was handling the situation that he was. Hinata took her love for Naruto very seriously and while she had not revealed completely the extent of the relationship to her family, they all saw that their relationship made her stronger and pushed her to better heights, something that both her father and Neji approved of. And the thought of her lover being attacked by the man who he called a friend filled her with shock and anger.

She was not the only one either as the others were not pleased by this as the news of what happened moved over the village. And all of them were more than willing to be vocal about their disgust over the situation.

Sakura was utterly shocked and dismayed at this, even though she had suspected that something was happening to Sasuke, she had never expected to see him willing to attack and possibly kill Naruto. The sight of the battle was more than enough to convince her that Sasuke had completely lost it and she could not help but feel that he had crossed the line, she still saw him as a friend, but this attack had strained her views close to breaking point. That and the fact that she had fallen deeply for her blonde team mate made her unease grow on the matter of how she would react when she would face him again.

Ino herself was utterly dismayed by Sasuke's actions and was not the least bit pleased to boot. She had cared about Sasuke and did find him to be a good looking guy, which was one of the reasons why she and Sakura put aside their friendship to properly compete with one another over him. But now after being very intimate with Naruto and seeing a very different side of him which was quite different and real, she began to feel more for him than Sasuke, that coupled with how he was with her made her happy to be with him. She too had noticed the animosity between the two and she hoped that at least they could work things out. But this attack by Sasuke had changed the whole field and she was not in the mood to let this slide. She wanted to know why Sasuke did this and how this could be solved before things got really bad between them all.

Tenten herself was very annoyed by the news as she wanted to find out just why Sasuke had willingly committed the ultimate taboo in her mind which was attacking with killer intent one's own team mate. Before Neji changed and became a better person, even he did not go as far as to kill Lee when Lee challenged him, and while he had nearly killed Hinata when he still carried his hatred and bitterness towards the Main Family of the Hyuuga Clan, he had long since discarded that feeling of hatred and bitterness. Sasuke's actions had been troubling to many as of late and even though she did not keep track of current events, she was aware of the brewing animosity between the two. Though she was pleased that her Naruto-kun was a lot more mature and controlled compared to the Uchiha, and that made her all the more annoyed as she wanted to know just why the guy had tried to kill his own team mate, and the man she happened to be in a very passionate relationship with. If not for the fact that he was beaten and imprisoned, she herself would have gone after him.

Kin herself was less than happy and it was taking a good deal of her self control not to go to the prison and get some answers from Sasuke, and NOT in a gentle way. She had seen the killer intent in Sasuke's eyes and she knew that there was no denying the fact that he had every intention on harming and killing her saviour, friend, and lover. She had no doubt that Naruto was more than capable in defending himself and seeing him outmatch Sasuke proved that yet again, but that hardly meant she was happy with of the whole thing.

They were not the only ones as the older women who were intimate with Naruto and who were in the village at them were LESS than happy with he news.

Ayame was busy cooking some new ramen with her father when the news came about the battle between Naruto and Sasuke. The very second she heard just what was the level of Sasuke's intent in that fight made her feel very angry and shocked. She cared a lot for Naruto and considered him someone she cherished long before her level of affection switched to that of physical and emotional attraction. She loved the fact that he did not become prideful and still the same young man she liked and cared for. She also did not know what she would do if she met Sasuke again, but it was going to be abundantly clear that her actions were going to be less than friendly towards the young Uchiha.

Kurenai had just come back from a mission when the news reached her and she was outraged by the news. The red eyed Jonin wanted to know just what had possessed Sasuke to willingly attack his very own team mate and try to attack him with killer intent. The woman was already feeling a very strong connection with the young man and after all he had done for her, she did not mind the idea of being this involved with him and she loved him deeply. So it was not the least bit pleasing to her to find out that her lover and trusted one was attacked by the man who he was supposed to be working alongside with in battle. It was such that it had taken some of her fellow Jonin, along with Asuma to convince her not to do anything rash until the matter was dealt with by Tsunade and the others in the Council.

One thing was certain though, Yuhi Kurenai was furious and if there was one thing that everyone knew fully well. A woman who was enraged was someone who was not to be underestimated by anyone.

Anko herself was also very angry with the news and it had taken Ibiki to keep the irate Special Jonin from going to Sasuke's cell and getting some answers from him. And her ways of getting answers were utterly dependent on her mood and right now, the news of her lover being attacked with killer intent by the young man she distrusted due to the Curse Mark, her mood was VERY dark. Naruto had done a lot to help her and cared for her regardless of the circumstances of their previous meeting, and his actions when she recovered her past made her all the more pleased to be with the young man. If she was given the chance to interrogate Sasuke, she had every intention to make every action she took in getting said answers to be VERY painful for Sasuke.

They were not the only elder women in Konoha who were not the least bit happy with the news of the attack made by Sasuke on Naruto.

Tyra was furious and it was taking a good deal of her self control not to go into the prison and beat some answers out of the man. She had felt something was wrong with the young man when she had met him, and while she said nothing about it to others, she felt that there was going to be a serious matter between Naruto and Sasuke. She had not been aware of the past history between Naruto and Sasuke but she was aware that despite the animosity, the blonde Dragon Champion maintained a friendship with the young man. But to know that her lover's friendship was repaid by intent to kill by his supposed friend, she was not in the best of moods.

Nyra herself was less than pleased and she was tempted to go to the prison and use her Dragon Fire to get some answers out of the man. She had been raised to respect life and defend other from the grasp of the Chaos Dragons and those who followed them, but that did not mean that she was not immune to anger over something of importance. She had grown very fond of the young blonde human despite his dark secret and she could see that he had great potential as a Dragon Champion. He was a man who also was quite skilled not just in battle but outside of it and he would one day become a good leader of not just others in the teams he would be with, and also one day the leader of his village. The news of Naruto's own friend Sasuke being his attacker was not the least bit good to her. She had sensed a great deal of not just animosity and jealousy in the dark haired youth, but something evil, not in the league of the Chaos Dragon Flights by any means

Kaelis was also angered by the news and she too was in the mood to demand answers from the Uchiha youth on why he had willingly attacked Naruto. The elven woman was aware that there was some level of animosity directed by the dark haired youth to the young Dragon Champion, and she did not like it. They were supposed to be working side by side and now the young dark haired man had committed something to Naruto that she did not enjoy or tolerate and the only thing that prevented her from attacking him was that he was in custody of the people Naruto trusted.

Arlynn was also rather troubled by the news and it was obvious that she was doing her best not to go into the prison and demand answers from the Uchiha youth. The elven woman was not too happy with Naruto's supposed friend since despite his animosity towards Naruto, the blonde Dragon Champion had stayed true to their ties as team members and allies in battle. But instead of honouring that bond, he repaid Naruto with arrogance, hostility, and more, this attack only served to convince her that he was no longer worthy of being called a friend by Naruto and she hoped that he was recovering from the betrayal. She felt her heart ache for him and hoped that he would recover and this could be resolved

Reina herself was angry and it also took a good deal of her mental and emotional discipline to keep her from going and doing something painful to the man for his actions on Naruto. She loved Naruto very much and it amazed her that he was willing to work with Sasuke. She had no knowledge of the man ion question but it was obvious to her that Sasuke had grown envious and angry towards the blonde Chuunin and Dragon Champion. And it was now proven that he had taken that aggression too far and not he was a danger to those around him. Only the fact that she had developed an understanding that this was a matter to be dealt with by the leaders of Konoha did she not go after the young man and demand answers.

Sasuke was currently being held in a heavily locked down medical center not in the Konoha General Hospital, but in the prison, and in the maximum security wing to boot. At that place there were even a pair of Naruto's made Golems watching over the place alongside a number of ANBU who were assigned to watch him. The guards might have seemed a bit much for one young man, but they were not taking any chances.

It was not going to be long before the news of the attack was going to be circulated to other places and it was going to be interesting to see how it would all play out.  
...

In the Hokage Tower...

In the office of the Hokage , things were not too peaceful either, to say that Tsunade, current Hokage of Konoha and one of the women who Naruto had been intimate with was angry would have been comparable to calling a hungry wolf a puppy. She was downright furious and made that abundantly clear as she slammed her hands on the table, not hard enough to shatter it, but enough send the papers flying as she looked at Uzuki Yuugao who delivered the report.

"Sasuke Uchiha did WHAT?"

Uzuki had known about Tsunade's legendary temper, but she was surprised by the fury she was showing, and recalled that the blonde Sannin had a soft spot for Naruto, unaware of the very passionate an physical nature of Naruto and Tsunade's relationship. Not everyone in the village was yet aware of the extent of Naruto's relationships with not just a number of the Kunoichi in the village and out of it, but with others as well, something that all of them were keen on keeping in the dark until they were able to find a solution.

"He attacked Naruto with killer intent, using the Chidori Jutsu taught to him by Kakashi near the Forest of Death Hokage-sama, Naruto however soundly defeated him and he is currently being held in the prison's medical wing."

Tsunade was NOT pleased and neither was Shizune who was in the room, normally she would be trying to calm Tsunade, but she too was furious at the wanton and disgusting attack made by Sasuke. Both women were trying to remain objective on the news but that was proving to be a tough matter, they were well aware that Naruto was more than able to defend himself but that did not make them feel any better that he had been attacked and by someone he trusted no less. Tsunade sat down and rubbed her hands on her temples to try and figure out just what was going to be her response to the news once the truth came out and replied.

"Where is Naruto now?"

"Naruto-san is currently in his house and seems to be deep in thought Hokage-sama. He was not hurt at all and seemed to be in excellent health. He also seems to be focusing not on attacking or venting his frustrations, but is calmly focusing on other matters. No doubt he wishes not to become overtly carried away by the events of today."

Tsunade briefly smiled a bit to herself at that as she knew that she had a hand in training Naruto to make him become a better ninja.

"And Kakashi?"

"Kakashi-sempai is already there in the medical wing at the prison to find out just what was Sasuke's reason for the attack...he has not taken the actions of his other student lightly."

Tsunade nodded and knew that if this was going on, and Orochimaru found out, then he would be making his move. She had recently gotten a message from the Land of Water and it was a mission that was high reward and high risk as well, she had been planning to send Kakashi's team on this mission with support from Zabuza's team sine Zabuza and Haku knew the Land of water better than the others did with the exception of Kakashi. But then this happened and now she had to deal with this situation.

"I see...as of today, Sasuke is not to be allowed to participate in any missions until we get to the bottom of this attack. I want him under twenty four hour surveillance and guard until he can come up with a damn good explanation for this! Dismissed!"

"Hai!"

Tsunade said nothing as Uzuki left the office and already she was deep in thought on how to solve this mess, and also this mission that had arrived only hours after the attack. The reports of the people disappearing in the Land of Water should have been an internal problem that Kiri handled, due to the fierceness of their ninja forces, but the fact that the disappearing people were rumoured to be those who had Kekkai Genkai was of some concern.

Even more so since the one who sent the request was someone who she knew of in the past when she was still a Kunoichi in Konoha. The man had been a member of the Feudal Lord's court and had been on of the people who was on good terms with a number of Kekkai Genkai Clans in the Land though that part of his alliance was kept hidden. She had met the man on a mission when a number of renegade ninja tried to kill him and as such, they were friends of a sort.

She then knew that this was going to be an interesting mission for some and decided to ask Shizune a favour.

"Shizune, I need you to go to Naruto-kun's house and check on him, if he is feeling all right, I need him to go here to the Tower. There's a mission that came in just as this whole mess just decided to rear out it's ugly head. I need him to get with the others and go on this mission once he feels ready. Make sure to also check him if there are other injuries that he has on him."

"Hai Tsunade-sama!"

...

In the Uzumaki residence...

Uzuki was right on the money at this time as Naruto was busy trying to calm himself and also make sure not to do anything rash. So far the blonde Chuunin and Dragon Champion had taken the time to cool his own temper and hoped that maybe the issue between him and Sasuke was finally settled. But he had his doubts on that since he knew that Sasuke was not the kind of person to leave something like this alone for too long.

He was in his living room when Holy Talon spoke to him.

(("You are still in doubt Master Naruto, I am sorry that I was not able to anticipate Sasuke's attack earlier."))

(It's all right, it was bound to happen sooner or later, I can bet that Itachi is going to slightly happy that he finally got Sasuke back to being what he wanted. And that Orochimaru bastard is no doubt licking his teeth and lips right now at the idea of getting Sasuke and the Sharingan .)

(("Perhaps, but I still feel that we have a chance to redeem him before he loses himself."))

That was when the Kyuubi spoke.

((Bah! Let that brat rot all he wants, all of this just goes to prove that you can't every trust the Uchiha for long...or humans for that matter. I am going to be delighted to get the chance to beat down on that runt for all his clan have done.))

(("I know that you do not speak of these matter Kyuubi, but why are you so hostile towards the Uchiha?"))

((They lie, manipulate, the deceive, and they think because they are who they are, they can control anyone and anything they like! I hate them more than most, even you brat.))

(I can see that, but I doubt you'll say anything about it right?)

((Hmph! Maybe when you finally grow up brat, I'll tell you, but mark my words, I WANT to beat that brat to a pulp.))

Naruto ignored that for now as he heard someone come into his home, he reached for a Kunai but relaxed when he saw that it was none other than Hinata who was happy to see him safe. The white eyed Hyuuga heiress did not waste a moment as she crossed the distance and hugged her lover tightly and spoke to him.

"Are you all right Naruto-kun? Are you hurt?"

Naruto had no problem seeing the worry in Hinata's face and hearing the tone of her voice so he decided to placate her.

"I am fine Hinata-chan, I wasn't wounded too bad or hurt for that matter."

Hinata could see that Naruto was correct in that regard and she relaxed, but it did not mean that she was going to let the matter pass so easily.

"Why would Sasuke-san try to kill you?-! You and him were team mates! What he did was unforgivable!"

"I know, I always thought he could come around, but I think I was mistaken, but I think that I should give him another chance. Hopefully that beating finally drove some sense into his thick skull and maybe he can be a lot more open minded about these matters."

Hinata was not so sure about that and made her sentiment known to the man she loved.

"I hope you are right, but I fear that he might have gone too far this time Naruto-kun."

"I hope you are wrong Hinata-chan but whatever happens, I am giving him a chance, but if it comes to the point that I have to wound him to stop him...I'll do it."

This went on for a bit as Hinata decided to get some tea for Naruto and let him drink while fussing a bit over him, that made Naruto smile at her and comment that she was really enjoying the chance to be alone with him. And Hinata did not refute that and it could have gone on for a bit more had it not been for the arrival of Shizune herself.

The Jonin was relieved to see that Naruto was still in good health and was not too badly hurt. And she did not mind working alongside Hinata when she told him that he had to be checked. He half heartedly protested the impromptu examination but did not stop and so that was not too much of an issue. Hinata was none too pleased by the fact that Tsunade had called on Naruto to go to the Tower for a mission, but she decided not to make an issue out of it.

Hinata bid Naruto and Shizune a farewell as she was still going to go to the Hyuuga estate to brush up on her training when it happened. And she naturally wished Naruto good luck in whatever mission the Hokage was going to send him on. Once it was over, Shizune told Naruto of Tsunade's decision regarding Sasuke and while he was not too sure that it was a good idea, he agreed with it. He knew that with things as they were, Sasuke's actions were not going to be easily forgiven and he asked if Kakashi was leading the mission.

Shizune knew that this was something Naruto would ask and replied.

"He will be heading the mission Naruto-kun...but with what happened, you're team will have to undergo some changes before you go. Tsunade-sama is very much angry with Sasuke-san right now and she s not the only one either."

Naruto had no problem seeing Shizune's angry look at the mention of Sasuke and he could not blame her for the reaction either.

"I know, so I should get going now to see just what sort of mission Tsunade-sama has for me this time."

Shizune nodded as they left the house and soon met up with Sakura, who was relieved to see that Naruto was not only unharmed but had his spirit back for the time being. She hoped that it was going to last for as long as needed by the mission that Tsunade was going to give to him and the teams before all of this happened.

...

In the Medical Wing...

Kakashi was not the least bit pleased as he glared at Sasuke, he had hoped that Sasuke would not walk the dark path, but his recent actions, and this attack on Naruto had placed the Jonin on edge. Not only that, he had committed something that screamed taboo in Kakashi's mind, using the Chidori to kill someone who was his team mate. It made him angry as he had made the technique to defend his comrades in the past, and now Sasuke used it to kill his own team mate.

He then spoke to Sasuke who did not even bother to look at him at this moment.

"You care to explain to me what just happened between you and Naruto?"

Sasuke replied.

"No."

Kakashi was not pleased and spoke seriously as he was not in the mood for the Uchiha's attitude towards him or anyone else for that matter.

"You are not going to get away with the silent act Sasuke, what possessed you to use the Chidori on Naruto?"

Sasuke then replied as he glared defiantly at Kakashi.

"That is none of your damn business, you taught me the Chidori and I can use it how I feel I need to use it."

Kakashi was not the least bit amused as he recalled the signs, he could tell now that the events that occurred with Sasuke after seeing Itachi again, being subjected to the memories of the Uchiha Massacre, and the Cursed Seal was turning Sasuke to the darkness. And the attack made it all the more apparent to him that Sasuke was soon thinking only of power and revenge and he spoke seriously and with his anger starting to filter out.

"It is my business Sasuke and you know it regardless whether you admit it or not. I taught you the Chidori to defend your team, your friends, and then I find out you tried to use it to kill one of them! The Chidori was to defend allies from death Sasuke, and you used it to nearly kill one of your allies! Now I ask you again, why did you use it on Naruto?"

Sasuke spoke once again, but this time spitting out Naruto's name with venom.

"Friend? That blonde buffoon, the one who always tried to be something and someone he was not, my friend and ally? I never saw him as a friend to begin with! He was nothing but a dead last idiot who never did anything right back in the Academy. He was always a fool, and now he becomes this powerful because of that sword, he thinks that he is stronger now, more than me. I wanted to show him how wrong he was, no mater how powerful he is now, he is always dead last in my eyes!"

That angered Kakashi and he made that evident as he spoke to Sasuke.

"You forget the fact that he saved your life more than once, I was there when that Alpha Werewolf nearly turned you into one of it's own Sasuke. You did not heed his advice when facing one of them and look what happened to you when you decided to take on their leader yourself. He saved you and kept you alive. Not to mention that I know of the battle with that traitor Aoi, you are allowing your superiority complex to get the better of you Sasuke and that is to be avoided at all costs."

"You know nothing! I have only one mission in my life! And that is to kill Itachi! I don't care about friends or anything else!"

"You think that by taking revenge over friends you become stronger? Revenge is an empty road into damnation Sasuke. I placed that seal on your Cursed Seal to give you a chance to find a path that does not involve being consumed by darkness, and I taught you the Chidori to defend others so they in turn will stand with you."

Kakashi then replied.

"When I gained this Sharingan from my team mate Obito years ago, I did not take it from him to gain power. He gave it to me help me and protect me as well as our team even when he was dead, I carry this to make sure that some part of him lives in this world so he can see the future that he and I fought for and continue to fight for and to one day give to those who succeed us. I too like you saw Obito as dead last when we were your age and Naruto's as well, but in the end he became the friend who showed me the truth of life. You recall that saying I gave back in the training field? That came from Obito and he was right, without us fighting as one, none of us would have lived through the war, and we fight as one still. That is how much my friendships mean to me and what it means to have allies and friends in your corner."

Sasuke sneered at that and replied.

"That Obito...he was a washout among the Uchiha last I heard, he was always tardy and came late, carefree, and never took things seriously. He was a fool to have squandered his talents like that and was an embarrassment to the Uchiha."

Kakashi glared darkly at that comment and he replied.

"Better to be a fool who saw the truth and cared for others than an arrogant ass who hides in the trappings of revenge and treats others like pawns. Just how you judge others, you yourself shall be judged the same way. You call Naruto dead last, and even called Obito a washout Sasuke? Then you are very much the fool here, Naruto has found a greater reason to be stronger than revenge, and Obito's sacrifice ensured that he would be remembered by the right people. From where I stand and see things, you know that Naruto is stronger now and you could not handle it."

That got the reaction from Sasuke as he glared at his Jonin sensei.

"What did you say?"

"I told you the truth, Naruto has indeed grown stronger than you, and despite you claiming that he is dead last, his growth angers you. That is why you attacked him didn't you? If he really was the dead last as you said before, then why attack him? Answer me that Sasuke, why did you attack Naruto with the Chidori, along with what you have been doing lately? Your arrogance is your weakness Sasuke and your actions are more than enough to reveal it."

"I AM NOT WEAK!"

"So says you! Instead of growing stronger on your own, you've been using that corrupted seal more and more now. Don't think that I did not notice what you were doing, you really think that man Orochimaru cares about your growth or your plans for revenge against Itachi? He only cares about power and that includes the Sharingan. You're playing right into his hands and your brother's who wants you to become just like him, and that is a mistake. You want to know why Naruto is stronger now than you?"

"He found a purpose greater than simple revenge, he found friends, people he cares more for than himself, and in turn they stand with him. It's for them he grew stronger, not for himself alone and also to defend those who are innocent and worth saving. That is the source of his strength, his bonds with people and those he cares about, and that is something that is stronger than revenge. And that is why he is no longer dead last."

That enraged Sasuke as the way Kakashi said it made him feel even more angered at the fact that Naruto had not only defeated him, but surpassed him.

"THAT's nothing but lies! He is weak and soft-hearted! He thinks he is better because of his bonds? Then let's see what happens when I kill those bonds of his, and for that matter, how would you like it if I did the same to you?"

The Jonin said nothing and replied a moment later.

"Then you are foolish, I have lost all my friends and loved ones long ago, but I never grew weak either, I grew stronger for them and their memories. And if I do find someone I wish to be close to, then that bond gives me an even greater reason to be stronger. That is the power of friendship and trust Sasuke, the people who you have bonds with give you an even greater reason to become stronger, not just for your own sake, but theirs. And if you lose them, but never forget them, live well, and forge new bonds with others, then you become even stronger. Think about that for now...I'll let you cool your head...but make no mistake of this, your words will one day come back to haunt you. And in the end, when you fall into darkness and find no way out, you have no one to blame but yourself."

With that, Kakashi left the room to let Sasuke brood away at his words and stew it over. The Jonin needed to get some space as he needed to clear his head and focus on what was needed by the village. The village was under heavy guard and so was Sasuke, had he not kept himself cool, he would have done worse to Sasuke than merely speak to him. And that would have demeaned him and what he had learned ever since becoming Jonin.

For now, he had work to do, and so did Naruto as he decided to head for Naruto's home and inform him that they were to go to the Hokage Tower and see just what was the new mission Tsunade had for them as before this had happened, she had informed him of it and it was something that was very urgent.

...

In the Hokage Tower...

Tsunade looked at the mission request and shook her head at the contents, the request came from the Land of Water of all places, and that was already presenting a delicate situation. While they were not in any sense hostile to the Village of Kiri, they did not have very cordial relations between them and Konoha. And of course there was the fact that the Kekkai Genkai Purges were still nominally going on in the land and the last thing she wanted was to get the village dragged into the mess with Kiri.

But this mission was urgent and the situation itself was very peculiar as she looked it over again, hoping that what she was reading was not actually being truthful. If this was the case, even without their interference, something was going on in the Land of Water that was confusing as it was disturbing. The problem was that in order for this mission to successful, it would have to be led by a team of Jonin who were very familiar with the land...and only two in her mind would qualify.

And she had to call them in even with the current situation in her hands, it was not going to be long for her to wait as Naruto and Kakashi arrived with Sakura in tow as well as Shizune, and obviously Sasuke was still going to be on lockdown in the prison medical wing until he was cleared and then sent into the most secured prison she could get. They were naturally not alone as the other team came in and for good reason as Zabuza and Haku were needed. The second team members were already there, with Menma and Kin there as well.

Tsunade looked at the assembled team and spoke.

"I know that recent events have been on everyone's mind and I will state that this matter will be dealt with soon enough. But for now we have a mission that has to be dealt with, a very big one at that. This is why this will be a joint mission with both Zabuza and Kakashi in command of this mission."

That made Kakashi raise his eyebrow, it was not uncommon for Jonin of two different teams to be co-leaders in a mission where more than one team was needed. Still, such missions were usually high priority and very risky, and the fact that this was the team composition, something was definitely up. The same could be said for Zabuza as he had a feeling that this was not going to be a very simple mission. The fact that he and Kakashi were both the leaders meant that this was a mission where the stakes were going to be very high. That was enough to prompt Kakashi to speak first on the behalf of the team.

"What's the mission Hokage-sama?"

"This mission was sent to us by a high ranking member of the Feudal Lord of the Land of Water, and before we get reactions here, the man in question is someone I know well enough to know that this is high priority. Due to the location of this mission and the risks involved, this will be an A Ranked mission and as such will be very dangerous and therefore not to be undertaken lightly, and also due to the covert nature of the mission, no one outside of this room must know of it."

Zabuza was confused a bit and wary, the mission was taking place in the land he had been part of and he did not need to look at Haku to tell that his adopted son was also very much affected. He decided to speak first and get some more details from the blonde Hokage.

"What exactly is the mission about Hokage-sama?"

Tsunade spoke then to them.

"As you are aware, the purge of those with Kekkai Genkai in the Land of Water has been ongoing for a number of years now, and is in abating. But recently there have been reports of covert forces in the Land of Water who are NOT killing those with Kekkai Genkai, but are kidnapping them."

THAT got the attention of everyone, especially Haku as he spoke in his calm tone though it was obvious that the mission was of considerable concern to him.

"Kidnapping of those with Kekkai Genkai Hokage-sama?"

"Yes, the very fact that these are kidnappings suggest that the forces behind it are NOT part of Kiri's ninja forces, nor are they part of the Feudal Lord's own forces, as well as those of the people who are leading the purges. That is in itself a serious concern as this means that outside forces are interfering with the affairs of both Kiri and the Land of Water. The client knows that with the current stance towards those with Kekkai Genkai in the Land of Water, there is no way that there will be aid from Kiri, thus the client sent this request to us. This is why this mission is very high risk and must be done without attracting the attention of Kiri, since we are not at war with Kiri and we gain nothing by involving ourselves in one."

The seriousness of this was not lost to everyone as they knew that getting into a war with Kiri would gain Konoha nothing. The village was now fully recovered and as such was functioning normally, thus the last thing they desired was for that to go completely to ruin in another conflict. Naruto then spoke next as he was a Chuunin and would no doubt serve as sub commander for the mission.

"When are we supposed to take this mission Tsunade-sama?"

Tsunade looked at the mission request and replied.

"We have at least three to fours before we can begin the mission, we are to meet wit the client at one of the villages bordering the Land of Fire and the Land of Water. This meeting is under the strictest urgency and secrecy so do not mention this to anyone unless I give my permission. I plan to have Neji take Sasuke's place in this mission until we determine what is to be his fate for this unwarranted attack. Get whatever it is you need for this mission and make sure that you are read for this, once you are done, Shizune will give you the details on where the village is that will serve as the meeting place. Dismissed!"

As the ninja left, Naruto was about to leave when Tsunade spoke again.

"I need to have word with you Naruto so stay here."

Naruto nodded and once the tower office was clear, he moved over to Tsunade and spoke to the Hokage .

"I know what you might ask Tsunade-chan and I assure you that I am fine."

Tsunade nodded at that and replied.

"I know you are...but don't think that I am not worried about this incident with you and Sasuke. I have been hearing about these incidents between him and you lately, and this latest attack is already making things worse. You know that by law, what he has done is close to making him be marked as a criminal."

"I do, and while I know that in some ways this is risky, I don't want him to be marked as one yet. I still feel that I can convince him to stop this nonsense before it consumes him."

Tsunade nodded as she knew her lover all too well, he was a man who backed up his words with action and that endeared him to her greatly. She only hoped that what he wanted concerning his team mate was going to come to fruition and not disappoint him. But she had to be realistic as well, being the Hokage meant doing some things that were hard, she knew that to be true in the sense of her grandfather, granduncle, and her sensei, as well as the Fourth.

"I hope you're faith in redeeming him is vindicated Naruto-kun, but if it does not happen, then I have to mark him. I will make sure to give him a chance to redeem himself, but if he proves that he has fallen too far down the line, then I have to do what I have to. You know that as a Hokage, I have to place the survival and well being of the village's residents first as they are like family, just like what my grandfather said in the past. It's at times not easy, but it has to be done."

Naruto nodded.

"I know, and I think he would be proud that you're holding that ideal close to you Tsunade-chan."

Tsunade smiled as she moved to kiss him on the lips and Naruto kissed her back, it was a brief but passionate kiss between the two blondes and when they parted, Tsunade spoke once again.

"Another concern I need to bring up with you is the danger of Death Fang being involved, that...thing has been silent for now, but if it's got it's grip somewhere in this whole plot in the Land on Water, be careful Naruto-kun."

:"I will."

Naruto left the tower and made his way back home to make preparations for the mission that he was soon going to be part of with Kakashi, Neji, Sakura, Zabuza, Kin, Menma, and Haku.. That meant that he was going to have to gather supplies and check his gear as well as carry any extra weapons that he might need on this mission. He made his way first to the Green house to check in and gather the herbs he might need for salves and potions. Once he would be done with that, he would go and purchase any food and supplies before going home.

As he looked into the village, he made his way to a nearby high building and looked at the direction to where the Land of Water was. He wondered just what was going on in that land and hoped that whatever it was, he and the others were going to be able to resolve this without incident.

But if there was one thing he knew as a certainty, there was always going to something that will crop up. And if there was a chance that Death Fang was involved, he was going to be ready for that battle. He had trained long and hard, he was not going to go into battle with that sword and it's minions unprepared for any reason when the time came.

...

Deep in the Land of Water...

"Are you all right?"

The young woman nodded as she gingerly took the hot bowl of soup into her hands despite the bandage wrappings, she smiled and drank the soup. She was not alone in the place as there were several others as well. The one who handed the young woman the bowl was a woman herself and she was a very beautiful woman. She had her hair which was brown with crimson highlights, in a top knot and a long wave to her back, with one of her eyes which had an emerald colour covered and the other exposed. Her face was well formed and looked very lovely with deep red lips and she carried herself with pride and grace, tempered with strength and power.

She wore a uniform that had a portion of her upper form, namely her bust exposed, but not too much and had the colour of deep blue with her nails using blue nail polish.

Her name was Mei, Mei Terumi and she was a Kekkai Genkai user and was trying her best to keep the survivors in her people's former safe house alive. Mei was trying her best to save as many people as she could and also try to save some of her own people alive. It had been quite a challenge as the war against those with Kekkai Genkai was still happening all over the Land of Water, her clan had been severely weakened as many of them had been killed when the war started. She had been a young girl when it happened and was actually one of the chosen successors of her clan before the war decimated them.

Unlike the others of her clan, Mei harboured no ill will towards the people who feared those with Kekkai Genkai, she understood that with the actions of the other clans who sought power, many of the normal people in the Land of Water would hate and fear them and see all Kekkai Genkai as a source of misery and pain for them all.

This was why instead of allowing her anger to get the better of her, she had her clan work on not only avoiding the hunter teams but to work hard in proving to the people that not all Kekkai Genkai users were evil and also to save those who had Kekkai Genkai. That struggle had been something her family had started and she took up but had taken a much heavier beating due to the actions of the now deceased Kaguya Clan. Mei and her clan never had much love for the Kaguya due to their blood lust and thirst for battle and their actions only made their struggle all the more perilous for them all.

Her newest and most powerful concern was due to a sudden increase of activity in the ranks of people seeking out those with Kekkai Genkai. But instead of killing them, the people who were hunting those with Kekkai Genkai were taking them both alive and dead. This was something that troubled her, even more so since she learned that the bodies were not decapitated so it was not the work of Hunter Nin.

She and those of her clan had tried their best to find out who was responsible and they had found out something that was utterly startling, this was not the work of any of the ninja in the village is Kiri. This meant that there was another force that was involving themselves in the conflict, this was something that worried her greatly, even more so that this was not being dealt with by the Mizukage.

As she looked out into the mists, she closed her eye and sighed mentally, there was something going on here that she did not like. Even with the internal conflicts going on, Kiri would never let foreign forces make their moves uncontested in their lands. The Water Daimyo himself would not allow it, and that is something that truly bothered her. She looked out and decided to see to the others.

The people in the compound which belonged to her clan that had managed to remain secret were also victims as well, even if they had no Kekkai Genkai. That was yet another element to this mystery that confused her. Their stories were not the least bit helpful either, rumours of strange happenings in and around villages, strange songs that seemed to drive people into bouts of depression then sudden rage...

(There is something terrible going on here...I have to find out what it is and stop it before things become even worse. I know that this is wrong, but we might need help from the outside.)

As she moved away, she hoped that her contacts at the outside could find allies to help find out just who is attacking those with Kekkai Genkai and were not part of the village. It was here that she got a messenger bird appear and she got the message, she looked it over and headed out but not before meeting some of her subordinates and giving them orders before she left. It was going to be a difficult trip as the island was a fair distance.

...

In a village on one of the island that in the Land of Water's border with the Land of Fire...

Takeo Shimaru was busy waiting in the hotel while the rest of the village was still going through the daily grind of life itself.

"Mei...it's good to see you made it."

Mei Terumi nodded as she sat down and looked at the one man in the Feudal Lord's court that she trusted enough to call friend.

"Why did you call me Takeo? You know full well the risks to you if they find you with me."

"I know that Mei, but with the kidnappings growing as much as it has now, I had to act, I already made the request to get help from outside of the Land of Water."

Mei was wide eyed at that as she spoke seriously.

"You can't be serious about this Takeo, if the Feudal Lord finds out about it, or the Mizukage for that matter, they will hunt you down and do who knows what to you!"

"I am not unaware of the risks, but I know that what I am doing is the right thing, yes there have been a lot of reasons behind the purges. But you and I know that just because you are a Kekkai Genkai user, it does not mean that you are going to be an agent of disaster. And your clan helped protect my family for years before all this happened. My family owe yours a debt Mei, even if I might be the only one left now to remember that debt."

Mei sighed at that and it was something that did not escape the notice of Takeo as he spoke.

"Listen, I know that you don't like me doing this, risking my neck and the like, but I am willing to risk it. And I also know the aid I am calling for will be worth it."

"Are you really so sure?"

"Yes, I will be meeting them here in the future and the court members of the Feudal Lord as well as the Feudal Lord believe that I am here for a slight vacation that the Feudal Lord had approved of it so no one is aware of this yet. They will be here in a week or so and I assure you, that they will be more than able to get to the bottom of the kidnappings that have been happening as of late."

Mei nodded and hoped that her Clan's long time friend was right on this matter, she did not want him to be killed for what he was doing for them.

"I hope that you are correct in what you have stated Takeo, I will need to go back to the hideout and I will wish you well."

"I know, be careful Mei."

Mei nodded at that and she moved out quickly, leaving Takeo to hold the fort as it were as he waited for the allies that he felt that Mei would need to deal with the new threat. There was something in these kidnappings that filled him with dread and worry, unlike the rest of the court and the members of the Hidden village.

As she went back to her hideout, Mei began to think on just how Takeo had called on from outside the Land of Water to aid them in what was going on here. She hoped that her friend's contact was going to hire very talented individuals and that they could avoid getting on the sight of the Kiri ninja forces.

...

The border of the Land of Water and the Land of Fire...

Naruto was currently moving alongside the two Jonin in the lead and as the only Chuunin in the unit, he was the sub commander of the whole team. He was wearing his Chuunin vest and wore his black and orange clothing as before. But underneath the clothes was a set of Orchaelium chain-mail armour with a thin but comfortable fishnet body suit. And on the outside was a set of uniquely hardened and chemically treated leather armour also in the same black and orange scheme.

On his back was Holy Talon along with one of his newly made katana swords that was made with the same metal that made Asuma's Trench Knives which would help with his use of his Wind Chakra in any Kebnjutsu techniques he had been working on in his off hours. And he also made sure to carry a specially made staff that was made from enchanted wood that was given to him by Arlynn which would expand and retract if he needed it.

He also had the usual set of kunai and shuriken but had his Compound Bow stored away in a scroll along with a set of quivers loaded with specially made arrows that Naruto could call on if he had to. He also made sure to ready some extra weapon scrolls filled with spare Kunai, shuriken, and a set of Fuuma Shuriken as well on the off chance he needed something a bit larger.

Kakashi was still the same but he made sure to carry his old ANBU sword and the new sword Naruto had given him as a present. There was no telling if he was going to need a weapon and besides he was going to see if the new techniques that he had been working on were going to come in handy in what was to come.

He was not the only one as Zabuza was carrying his new sword, it was an exact copy of his old sword and was given a special seal of protection to make sure that it was not going to be easily destroyed even though it was made from high quality steel mixed with some Orchaelium alloy for added weight reduction and strength. His previous sword was currently locked away in the place where he and Haku had chosen to side with Konoha. Naruto had locked the sword away in a cave and made sure to place a barrier of boulders to make sure that it was not going to be easy to enter the place.

And behind them were the rest of the team, but apart from Naruto, the Jonin were accompanied by none other than Haku himself. The young man was worried about coming back to the Land of his birth since while he had some good memories in the land, the rest of it was less than pleasant and he was in no mood to relive it if he had to. But he knew just why he and Zabuza were going back to the land as they were aware of how to go into the land without being easily detected.

As residents of the land in the past, both he and Zabuza knew of the land well, even more so with Zabuza as he was a Jonin ranked ninja and one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. This meant that before his defection after his failed coup, he knew the land well and while there was a chance that the security had been tightened, he knew enough routes to avoid most of the dangers.

And with his training on how to use his Kekkai Genkai, he could scout ahead and do some vital recon work if they need it once they were in the lands itself.

As for Zabuza, he was not very cool with the idea of going back to the land comprised of many islands, but he did have his reasons for the coup. And while it had failed, he was not the kind of person to leave behind his plans half done. Despite this, he had no intention of doing it again as he was focused on living his own life, and taking care of Haku. He knew that Haku had found a measure of peace in Konoha, and despite himself, he did not mind being there as he had gotten used to the peace and there was good excitement there.

He was also curious about who was the one responsible for the kidnapping of those with Kekkai Genkai, this kind of action was something that was different from what he had seen in the past. And the fact that the forces responsible for this were not from Kiri but outside made this all the more dangerous as despite the height of the purges, there were a number of powerful Kekkai Genkai that had managed to remain hidden from view.

As for the others, this was going to be a very serious mission for all of them since they knew that if they were caught, then it was going to be a very serious incident. Sakura being the most studious apart from Neji knew that the Land of Water and the Land of Fire had fought against one another in the past in all of the wars, and while it was a long time, there would still be grudges. And she also knew that with Kiri's notorious military on hand, this was going to be dangerous as her encounters with the Demon Brothers, Zabuza, and Haku had told her.

The same was in the mind of Neji as he knew that some of the Clan's own members were killed here in previous wars and he was in no mood to have his Byakugan taken. Even if there was no official declaration of war between Konoha and Kiri all it needed was something to happen to spark a serious debate and possibly conflict, just like what had happened to his father.

They had left at least day and a half earlier from Konoha and now they were here to deal with a potential threat of war if they were caught.

Crossing to the next island was going to be a bit of a problem since the border island was only reachable by boat and they had to be wary of attacks..

...

In the village...

Naruto and the others were currently moving through the village and thankfully it seemed that their arrival was not too noticeable. They were able to get to the area where the hotel was but they decided not to go into the place yet and were actually staying at another hotel to get a vantage point as well as some cover on the off chance that they were going to be in trouble. It had been a good few days before they arrived and thankfully the supplies of food they had as well as water were enough to get them there to the village in question. He turned to Neji and spoke to his team mate for this mission as they were currently looking at the hotel where the client was supposed to be..

"Neji, do you think we might be walking into an ambush?"

Neji nodded a bit and replied.

"That's a possibility, let me take a look around a bit."

Neji looked at the hotel and the surrounding buildings and then activated his Byakugan. Naruto said nothing and neither did the others as the Hyuuga Branch family ninja scanned the building as well as the others and spoke to them.

"I don't seen anyone in the area that has a high level of chakra to show that they are ninjas, and I cannot see anything that can be considered dangerous so far. I feel we might be in the clear for the moment."

As Neji deactivated the Byakugan, Kakashi decided to speak next on the plan.

"All right, we need to do this with few members, since there are at least eight of us, moving en masse is not going to be a good idea. This many people can be risky since we could be in real danger in an ambush, even more so here in a village where civilians can get caught in the crossfire. Zabuza, Naruto and I will go ahead to the hotel first and speak to the client, Neji, you will use your Byakugan to scan the surrounding area for any possible ambush. Menma, you use your chakra enhancing Jutsu to support Neji while Kin will keep an eye on the rest of the building. Haku, it's best you don't use your Kekkai Genkai and recon the village on foot, make sure to avoid being detected and you will be accompanied by Sakura. Make sure to avoid arousing attention for now, we might be in the Land of Fire still, but that does not mean that we can be careless."

"Right."

The combined squads made their move and soon the two Jonin and Chuunin went to the hotel, Neji provided the long range recon and support with Menma supporting with music and Kin at the ready for defence. Haku and Sakura followed the three but then broke off together to look around the town to act normal. The three moved through the hotel with Naruto using Holy Talon to enhance his senses through a Body Spell known as Hardened Vigil to increase for a short time his sense of sight, smell, taste, and hearing. As they moved from floor to floor, they looked for the room and also on the look out for attack.

Kakashi then would speak into the two way radio to Neji for updates.

"Anyone following us Neji?"

"Negative Kakashi-sensei, I don't see any other traps in your area thus far."

"Sakura, Haku, how are things on your end?"

Haku responded to that as he and Sakura looked at some masks on display.

"None so far, no one here looks too normal to be of concern Kakashi-sensei."

"Same here Kakashi-sensei, I don't see anyone yet."

"Hmmm...that is good for now, keep your eyes open."

"Roger!"

Zabuza was pretty silent for now scanning the area with his own senses and then directed his attention to the next floor as they moved up. They then spot the door and Zabuza spoke next as he decided to try a bit of a poly to find out who their employer was..

"There's the door, I'll go in first, if this client is from the Land of Water, then I think i will recognize him soon enough."

"You sure about that decision Zabuza?"

"Positive Kakashi, besides, Naruto and you are here so I don't think that we're in that much trouble yet."

The three moved with Zabuza in the front and soon they entered the room and there was the man who was wearing simple clothing, but there was the badge that showed that he was a High official. And sure enough, it was something that Zabuza recognized, and it became just as apparent that the man recognized Zabuza as well as his eyes widened.

"Momochi Zabuza?"

"Takeo Shimaru, now this is a surprise."

The former Mist Swordsman moved aside to let Kakashi and Naruto enter, much to Takeo's relief though he was still reeling a bit from the sight of the former Kiri Missing Nin. This was not lost to Kakashi or Naruto but for now they placed that aside as they were still doing a mission and this man was apparently the client. They sat down and began to talk about the kidnappings with Takeo providing some of the details.

"It started small at first, surviving members being picked off one by one, people were killed by the attackers, but they usually took the ones with Kekkai Genkai alive, they always seemed more interested in acquiring them alive than killing them. My retinue and I were on an inspection tour of one of the villagers when we stumbled on a dying Kekkai Genkai user, before my men could react to kill him, he spoke to me about these forces attacking others like him, taking them alive. That surprised me a great deal though I kept it hidden from the others when he died as I knew that this was something that no one expected."

Naruto raised an eyebrow and spoke.

"No offense Takeo-san, but why would a member of the court of the Land of Water care about Kekkai Genkai users when the purges are going on?"

Takeo looked at Naruto and replied to the question as he knew that it was very valid one.

"While many in the Land of Water feel that Kekkai Genkai users are the reasons for the many wars it was dragged into, I do not since I know that despite there being some truth to the statement, they are human. They are not inhuman monsters with the marked exception of the Kaguya Clan. And my family has some covert ties with one clan known as the Terumi Clan which is why I do not have any animosity to them."

"The fact that the Kekkai Genkai were being kidnapped means that the forces behind this are not part of it and regardless of my personal views, I have no doubt that this is not good for the Feudal Lord and the Mizukage. You no doubt know that the ramifications of forces acting with impunity here, but with the victims being Kekkai Genkai users, there is no doubt that none of the Kiri Ninja will help. I knew of Tsunade-hime due to the time she had been here in the Land of Water as Kunoichi and I respect her abilities as a Kunoichi. Along with the fact that both of us had worked side by side to defend the Feudal Lord when a band of renegade Kiri ninja tried to kill the Lord, that is the reason why when she became Hokage, I knew that I can ask for her help."

The three ninja were fairly silent for a minute or two until Kakashi spoke.

"So what exactly do we know of the kidnappers?"

"We know very little sadly, they are no amateurs and the way some of the victims were killed tells us that they are skilled fighters and quite possibly ninja. Another bit of information we found out after some extensive testing is that the ninjas do not wear any forehead protectors. This means that they are mercenaries, but they appear to be in large numbers and thus are not Akatsuki. The one who can tell you more would have to be none other than Mei Terumi, she is the current head of the Clan and has managed to gather more data on the field than most. She can help you and truth be told, as she is a Kekkai Genkai user herself, she too no doubt had been targeted by these attackers."

Takeo then took out a special seal that he then gave to Kakashi.

"This is my clan's symbol, show this to Mei when you see her in one of her clan's lookout posts at a cave system nearby on this map. Due to my family's ties with Mei's Clan which we kept secret for years, I am the only holder of the map in question."

Takeo took out the map of the Land of Water and pointed to a far area near the mountains on one of the islands and Zabuza commented.

"It makes sense that Terumi Clan would select that site as a base network, I've never been there myself but the caves there are very much a maze in themselves. Getting lost in them is the last thing anyone wants."

"Now I cannot be sure if Mei will be around, she might be there or one of her clan mates may be present so you can show them the seal. And I feel that it would be best that you hurry as well to the islands as soon as this discussion between us is over as well. The rotation of ninja patrols on the various islands have been changed a bit so I cannot say if it will be the same as before."

...

Later...

Zabuza and Haku moved ahead of the group as they were taking a shot at locating an open area through the borders of their former home. It seemed that hey were going to do well since they had not been intercepted by the Kiri forces or that of the Feudal Lord's own forces. Haku and Zabuza were the ones who took the lead though in this case, Naruto was also in the lead. He used one of his new creations a crystal that glowed in a series of shades which could serve to have different meanings. Blue would mean that it was clear, red for danger, yellow for potential lead, and purple for confirmed location and asset found. The crystal glowed deeply when they would get closer to one another as well so it served as a way to gauge direction.

Before they set out, he made sure to distribute the crystals to Kakashi, Haku and Zabuza as he went ahead. It was decided that they were going to move to where the caves were that served as the base of the Terumi Clan. The trip was going to be long since they had to avoid alerting anyone who called the islands home. Normally allowing Naruto out on his own would have worried Kakashi in the past, but he had grown so much and had matured that the Jonin had no worries on letting him go ahead. He was able to handle himself and would call in if he needed help from the others when he had to.

The teams took different approaches to the island where the hidden base of Mei's clan was located and moved in a leap frog style with the scouts moving ahead and then waiting for the others to follow behind them. Since the Land of Water had large amounts of mists per the name, the ninja teams were on high alert, even more so since there was a chance they would be followed. Zabuza and Haku had the advantage since they were Mist users themselves so they would routinely shadow Kakashi's team to counter any ambushes while Neji and Naruto would do the same with the former's Byakugan, and the latter's array of sight spells.

Once they got to there the caves were, they decided to split the teams since the island was massive and it was better to cover all corners of the island bit by bit.

...

Naruto moved ahead of the others in his team as he stretched out his senses to locate the caves that dotted the island. There was no telling which of the caves housed the hideout of this Mei Terumi but he was going to keep looking and hope for the best. But as he moved from cave to cave, he had a feeling that he was not alone. He quickly got to cover and used his Ranger training to try and blend into the background.

Holy Talon then spoke to him.

(("Master, it appears we're being followed, and by a lone person as well."))

Naruto nodded in agreement.

(I can sense it as well...give me a moment.)

Naruto gently whispered the command to summon his Dragon Fire reserve and the spell was ready.

"Piercing Sight!"

He looked through the fog and was surprised to see that his pursuer was a woman...and a very good looking one at that. Naruto had never seen her before but there was no denying that the woman was definitely attractive. However, he noted that she had no forehead protector on her and that was quick to send alarm bells ringing in his head.

(She's wearing no headband...could she be one of those mercenary ninja?)

(("Possibly Master, but we should be cautious either way, the fact that she was able to follow you speaks highly of her skills, even more so if she had not alerted the others."))

The Kyuubi was quick to join it at this point.

((Hello...this is interesting, not a bad looking female, but I can tell that she's no doubt a lot more than just a beauty,. Keep your guard up brat, this woman is going to be a challenge.))

Naruto nodded as he decided to reach out for a kunai, just to be on the safe side, but then noted the woman stopping and moving to another direction. He decided to follow her and soon saw that she was heading towards one of the larger cave systems. His spell soon wore off and he managed to enter a field before the cave which seemed to have a clearing of the mist, but to his surprise, the woman was gone. That got him on edge quickly as he guarded himself. That was enough to make him block several shuriken thrown at him from the cave.

He blocked those attacks and quickly tossed his kunai a the next one and drew Holy Talon from his back, just as the woman reappeared before him and she looked very serious towards him.

...

Naruto could not help himself as he looked at the woman who was before him, something about her was a bit off and he could not help but feel that this was either a Genjutsu or something else. Holy Talon soon spoke to him in their link with one another.

(("That woman is no threat master...nor is that person living, I sense only a very faint amount of life force in her."))

Naruto could not help but wonder just what was going on but before he could say anything, the woman came right at him with hostile intent as he blocked the incoming attack and he was forced to fight back with him drawing out his kunai and blocking her own weapon which was a Wakizashi, he then lashed out a knee strike to force the enemy back, but in doing so he felt the clothing have the wetness of water...too much for the moisture to have come from the mist and he then recalled something that Zabuza had done before in a battle with his team and Kakashi.

(This woman is a Mizu-Bushin!)

Naruto charged in and quickly blocked an incoming stab with the armour on his forearm and quickly lashed out with the kunai in his hand and stabbed the woman right on the chest...doing that made the woman explode into a large amount of water. Naruto quickly turned around as more mist came all over the place. He knew well enough what Zabuza had done in the past and focused all of his senses to determine where the next figure was going to come from. To his surprise he moved quickly out of the way when a massive blast of flame came out from the mist.

Naruto rolled to the side and quickly fired a few shuriken at the direction of the flame that came right at him. He did so again but flipped backward when a fireball came at him and he knew there and then that there was someone who was using Fire chakra.

Naruto strained his senses and then he was given yet another surprise when the woman appeared once more and she was smirking right at him. The smirk was seductive but filled with a serious look to boot and he spoke once more.

"Who are you?"

The woman spoke in reply.

"Who am I is not important, what is important is my question to you, what is a ninja from Konoha doing here in the Land of Water?"

Naruto did not say anything at first as he was still trying to figure out just who this woman was, he could sense that she was not a regular ninja.

(Possibly Jonin-level like Kakashi-sensei...possibly ex Kiri ANBU as well..)

The woman decided to try something else and to Naruto's surprise, she moved fast and struck at him with a kunai of her own. But this time he slashed with Holy Talon, cutting the kunai into nothing and before she could recover, he charged at her and then slashed at her as she moved back. The attack connected, and cut the cloth and the fishnet clothing but to Naruto's surprise, there was no blood, and seeing that Holy Talon was not covered in blood told him to stop. This meant that this woman had no evil intent in her at all and as such was not someone Holy Talon could harm and as such, she was not his enemy. But if that was the case, then who was she and why was it she was not wearing a forehead protector?

It did not help matters that the attack he did had revealed a bit of the woman's more than ample bust. The blonde Chuunin blushed a bit at that and hoped that he had not done something to further enrage the woman, but he had a feeling that she was going to react even if she did not notice it. And react she did as she finally saw that damage to her clothing, and she retaliated by unleashing something else at him at him. A LARGE amount of super heated liquid stone!

(What the?-! That's Lava!)

Naruto quickly moved out of the way as the entire mass turned the trees behind him into nothing but burning match sticks and before he could react, another attack came at him in the shape of large spears of water. He dodged those but was quickly shocked as a mass of mist came at from the woman's mouth.

(("Master Naruto! Move!"))

Naruto wasted no time and got out of the way as he watched in surprise as the nearby stones and grass where he had been were suddenly being melted by the mist. That and the heat he felt from the mist told him that it was superheated liquid, only possible with the combination of Fire and water Chakra.

Naruto was quick to realize the implications of what he had just witnessed.

(This woman's got three elemental chakra types! Fire, Water, and Earth! And she can fuse Water with Fire for the mist with the high acid quality, and Fire with Earth for Lava! Only one who can do that it someone who's got a Kekkai Genkai!)

The woman was not pleased by the fact that her foe was proving to be QUITE agile, and while she had to admit that with the silver highlights on his blonde hair and blue eyes, he looked exotic and handsome along with the whisker marks on his face, that did not mean she was going to let him off easy. But before she could retaliate with another attack, the young man placed his sword aside, back into the sheath and spoke to her.

"Hold it! I'm not here as you're enemy!"

"Really, that slash you gave me seems to say otherwise! Now who are you?"

Naruto quickly moved towards her and thankfully the training he got from so many teachers allowed him to close the gap until he was only five feet from the woman, who did not seem bothered too much about his speed, only arching an eyebrow as he spoke.

"My name is Naruto, Naruto Uzumaki, I'm a Chuunin and we were asked to come here to the Land of Water by a client named Takeo."

The woman looked slightly confused by that as well as wary. He knew to expect that and he decided to reveal the seal left behind by the man who had hired them. He then noted that the woman was surprised by the seal she saw and seemed to be calming down a bit so he took a shot at trying to even things out.

He knew that he had to be careful here, he had already fought Neji and Haku as well as Sasuke who had Kekkai Genkai, but Neji and Sasuke's Kekkai Genkai were reliant on their eyes, and Haku only used two elements. This woman used three different elements and was able to fuse them so she was an advanced user of Kekkai Genkai and he had no knowledge on how to fight someone like that.

So that meant diplomacy was now the path open to him, and he was going to take it

"He said that I was to find someone here who can tell me and my team who is responsible for the kidnappings of the people here who have Kekkai Genkai. Someone named Mei Terumi who I can guess is a woman and possibly a Kunoichi, you know her?"

The red haired woman looked at him and spoke calmly which was enough to tell him that she was accepting his story a lot more now much to his relief.

"Takeo sent for aid and you and your team are it huh? I guess I can tell you where to find this Mei Terumi, that person is right in front of you."

Naruto was surprised and felt a bit annoyed with himself as he realized he had actually been attacking the person he was supposed to be aiding.

"You're Mei Terumi...oh Kami, I am so sorry for the attacks earlier, I had no idea what you looked like, Takeo only said your name but did not give a good enough idea on what you looked like at all."

Mei decided to try a bit of humour to defuse the situation; she could see that the young man was indeed very uneasy and contrite about discovering the fact that he had attacked the one asking for help from his village. So assuring him that she was willing to let it go was a good idea, it did not hurt even more since when looked at this distance, he was very good looking.

"You were expecting an old hag by any chance?"

"No! I...uh...I knew you were a female Kunoichi, I just had no idea what you looked like."

Mei could tell he was telling the truth and decided to ease up on the situation a bit more, if he and his team were hired by Takeo and were to her allies, the least she could do was play nice with them, but not before having some fn with him first.

"So, do I look nice to you Naruto-san?"

"Yes you do, Mei-san, you look very attractive as well."

Naruto knew that his words were not exactly the right choices in this situation since at this very moment, he was technically on a mission and they were out in the open, but he had to be honest. Mei was very attractive and he knew that saying otherwise might not be a good idea, since women took offense to someone who lied about their looks. And after her use of Kekkai Genkai, the last thing he wanted was to offend her.

Since honestly, who in their right minds would offend a woman who could unleash three different elements, and combine them to unleash Lava or Steam?

Mei laughed a bit to herself and decided that for now, the game was over as she relaxed, though she frowned a bit at the damage to her outfit. Oh well, she could always change clothes back in the hideout. But then she decided to ask who else was on this little group that Naruto was part of. As much as it would be fun to be alone with a nice looking young man, she had other priorities to deal with.

"Where are the rest of your team then?"

"On their way now, I am going to call them now."

Mei watched with a slightly raised eyebrow as Naruto took out a crystal and it glowed deep purple. And when it did just that, Naruto placed the crystal away and spoke.

"They should be arriving now."

And sure enough, in came Kakashi Hatake, Sakura Haruno, Neji Hyuuga, Kin Tsuchi, Momoichi Zabuza, Haku, and Menma. The Konoha ninja squads stopped and Mei raised an eyebrow in surprise as she recognized some of the new arrivals.

(Kakashi Hatake, the Copy Cat Nin of Konoha, Momochi Zabuza, the Demon of the Mist...and Haku Yuki, the last of the Yuki Clan...who knew they would be here?)

Haku and the others stopped as he spotted Mei Terumi as he seemed to feel that she was familiar, Zabuza on the other hand stopped and stared intently at Mei, trying to recognize her and see if he had ran into her before. And it was a moment later that he recognized her and he was able to speak.

"You're Mei Terumi of the Terumi Clan then. When I heard the name I was surprised your people were still around, I thought that your clan had fled the Land of Water during the attacks when the Kekkai Genkai purges."

Mei nodded a bit and replied though she had a bit of a smile on her face.

"I am and I am the leader of the Terumi Clan or what is left of it, and I know who you are Momochi Zabuza , it's hard to believe that you would return here after that incident with the Mizukage. But I have to admit that you were either brave or crazy to attempt a coup by yourself knowing who you were planning to kill. Even more so for coming back here since you are still ranked as a Missing Nin in the village even if you are now a Jonin of Konoha."

"I did it for my own reasons, but even you have to admit that the coup was needed, Yagura was not himself after all. We all knew that, I was the only one who was willing to actually do something about it."

Mei nodded and that was more than enough to tell the Konoha ninja that something was going on here that only these two and Haku knew about. Naruto was the one who spoke out however since he had a feeling that knowing this was important in the future.

"What are you both talking about Zabuza-sensei, Mei-san? Who is that Yagura person and why did you say that he was not himself?"

Zabuza looked at Naruto and he was not alone as Mei herself also looked at Naruto intently, the former Mist Seven Swordsman looked at the Kunoichi and nodded to her. Mei raised her eyebrow at the silent consent and she replied,

"Although our village was known for it's harshness and brutal training methods, it was for a purpose to make our ninja ready for anything in battle. But for the past number of years Yagura's reign as the Fourth Mizukage, things have taken a more serious turn. The practices have become even more violent and he is even willing to have our forces turn on each other on his own orders. More than one person has tried to find out why since we know that Yagura is a kind and capable leader and these actions were not like him. And some of us who tried to find out the truth have some evidence; enough to make us suspect that there is someone manipulating Yagura in the shadows."

Back in his younger days, Naruto would have scoffed at the idea of someone being able to control a Kage. And for good reason as a Kage was the strongest person in the world and in his mindset at the time, could not be easily controlled. But he now knew that all people regardless of civilian status or ninja could be influenced. He saw that with the Kazekage who he knew was Gaara's father since he had been slain by Orochimaru and had been replaced. The idea of someone being able to manipulate a Kage was something he was now taking seriously as he spoke.

"So you started your coup because of this Zabuza-sensei?"

Zabuza nodded somewhat.

"Part of it was the reason, I know fully well what was going on and I know for a fact that something was going on. I may not have met Yagura personally, but I did want to stop him directly before things got way out of hand. But you already know how that plan of mine turned out so no sense asking about it."

Kakashi thought it over and the fact that there was someone that was actually controlling the Mizukage was of concern. But for now however, their mission was not to find out who the person was, but that kind of information might be useful in the long run once they were back in safer territory. He however also thought that the person in question might also be the one who was allowing the people of the Land of Water to hunt down and kill the people who were with Kekkai Genkai and might be also playing a role in their mission.

"Was he the one who convinced the Mizukage to not stop the killing of those with Kekkai Genkai?"

Both Mei and Zabuza shook their heads as the woman spoke seriously to them.

"No, the purges have been going on in a while now so he was not there to start it. But no doubt he was the one who began to intensify it, and corrupt the rule of Yagura. How he had done so, and if he was alone in these action we're still trying to find out. This is important to us since the person who did it must have been very powerful. You see...Yagura was not a normal person by any stretch of the imagination."

Kakashi was not sure what to say at the moment, bit he was willing to wager a guess that he already knew just what was going on . But for now that had to wait as they were still in the middle of a mission, but he made sure that he would need to speak to Naruto afterwards when they were alone.

"We can leave that alone for now, we need to get out of sight before we encounter any of the ninja from Kiri."

The group nodded and it was here that Haku decided to use his Kekkai Genkai a bit and made some Ice mirrors and used those to look about. That lasted for a minute or so and when he came back, he spoke to the team.

"There's no one following us at the moment but we should move.."

Mei nodded and soon all of them were off to the hideout of her clan, she looked at the team and smiled as maybe these Konoha ninja can really help them out. Besides, she kind of liked the blonde and silver haired one, as he had a very...exotic look in him. She also noted that for some reason, he looked rather familiar to her, and that was not a bad thing since she would enjoy it a great deal if she recalled a handsome man.

Her attention towards Naruto was not lost on the blonde Chuunin and he shook his head, hoping that he was just imagining things. Sure Mei Terumi was drop dead gorgeous, but they were on a mission and now was not the time for his libido to be acting up. And besides, with Sakura and Kin nearby, there was no doubt that they had seen it and were not going to be all too happy with the sight of Mei being interested in him.

And he was right as both Kunoichi were glaring at Mei, they were all right with having Temari, Koyuki and the elven women thus far, but they were not all too sure about this Kunoichi from the Land of Water. But they placed that aside for now as they decided to let time run it's course and not make any assumptions. The mission was their priority and thus they could not let their emotions get the better of them.

As for Zabuza and Haku, it felt...odd to be back in the Land of Water after so many years on the run from the Hunter Nin sent to kill them. But now they were wearing Konoha headbands, and Zabuza had long since given up on trying to start a coup as he had to take care of Haku and also make a life for himself. As for Haku, to be back at the land of his birth but knowing how close it came to be his grave made him less than pleased.

Still if the mission orders were true and someone was invading this land, kidnapping Kekkai Genkai users, and doing who knew what to them, he had to do something.

...

In a hidden part of the Land of Water...

"NOOOOOO!"

"AAAAAAAAUUUUUUGGGGGGHHHHHHH!"

The screams of people filled what was a massive complex in the mountains, and the guards who were there did nothing as they seemed almost impervious to screams of terror that filled the place. In fact, they seemed to actually revel in the terror. And they were not ordinary people either...they were not dressed as Ninja would be and wore no indication of their allegiance to any authority, in essence, they wore no forehead protectors and had no symbols.

The woman smiled as she walked next to the tall figure wearing dark armour on him as he seemed to watch the gruesome process happening before him with satisfaction...inhuman satisfaction. The woman sat next to him and spoke in a dark yet melodious voice.

"How goes your experiments?"

"They are doing well...the master will be pleased with his...native recruits. And with many of them being hunted by the people of this land, I doubt that anyone would miss them at all. And considering this land's...hatred for those with Kekkai Genkai, nor will they care until it is too late."

"So what of the 'normal ones'?"

"They are cannon fodder, nothing more though I have my plans on what they will be used for, I have always wondered what it would be like to have those with Kekkai Genkai as part of my experiments. The idea of fusing beings with Kekkai Genkai had been a fantasy of mine and now it seems that I can now get that chance."

"You realize that you serve a higher purpose and a better master now?"

"I do, and I feel that these will be my...contributions to my new master's war efforts, and this place will be more than adequate for the experiments. No one will notice the disappearances and they also will not be missed. Why should they be missed anyway? After all, they are hated just as much as the worst criminals."

The figures left but not before the woman summoned a trio of the agents and spoke to them.

"We have reports that some of the...still unaccounted for subjects have called allies outside of the Land of Water. We do not know who they are, but they are a concern that we cannot place aside for long. You're orders are simple, find them and kill them. Gather your fellows and get to work immediately, you will all be paid...handsomely if you get the job done."

The trio smiled warmly at that and soon left, unaware that the woman removed her hood...to reveal horns on the side of her head and a very seductively gleam in her eyes. Which were now revealed to be anything but human.

"Humans...always so easily to corrupt when they are promised something good. But at least I will let them be richly rewarded. It's been some time since I got to partake in varied company. And despite being mercenaries...they seem to be quite...fit. And even if they lose, it's no big loss, I can still have my fun with them when they come back."

...

To be continued...

...

Author's Notes:

Sorry for the delays but getting my PC back and updating all of the fics I planned on updating before my PC got on the fritz ate away on my time. Plus the fact that I am still reeling from a week long world famous festival here in my home town, and a lot of social as well as academic issues made this hard to finish, therefore I am very sorry for it.

As you can see from this chapter this is going to be a two or possibly three part special before we finally get to the parts where Sasuke will finally defect from Konoha and will be pursued by Naruto and the others. But as you can bet, Sakura will not be there to convince him to stay, and you can bet that in his state of mind, Sasuke will do something very dangerous and will get on Naruto's bad side.

I will not reveal just what happens, but I can tell you that it will be something that will black list Sasuke to many in the village. And naturally while Naruto has intentions to not let Sasuke use Death Fang, he will not let Sasuke's actions go unpunished.

And as you can see here, Naruto has met none other than Mei Terumi herself, but before you ask, keep in mind that at this moment, the beautiful woman is not yet Mizukage. Now I know that I am going to get a lot of complaints that Mei Terumi was not part of a clan, keep in mind that since the Kekkai Genkai purges began those who were gifted with Kekkai Genkai were in clans and as such, it would not surprise me that in her youth, Mei was possibly part of a clan that was being hunted by the people of the Land of Water. After all, when she was introduced in the Shippuuden series, she already was a grown woman and so it would be natural that before she became Mizukage, she had a very interesting life. I am also going to use this meeting to expand the relationships that Naruto will be having in he future since in a matter of possibly months, we will reach the end of this story.

Naruto in this case will be helpful in getting Mei into the position of Mizukage and she will be very happy to see Naruto again when she can. He will also be the one who gives her the support in her hope and plans of working hard to change the way those with Kekkai Genkai will be seen in her home.

...

No doubt some of you will be asking me if Mei and Naruto will get intimate and she will possibly get to be part of the group of women who are already Naruto's loved ones. The answer to that lingering question is still unknown. Now don't get me wrong, I LIKE what I see in Mei and I have already worked on adding her to the Deserted Island series, but I am still going to work on how the whole story will go. And when I do, then I will move to the stage of deciding if I should make Naruto and Mei attracted to one another.

Though one can say that having them become intimate to the point that they get married, can help in making an alliance between the villages of Konoha and Kiri a lot more effective and possible. That is an idea that I personally am not against and I will try it if I feel that it can indeed work out.

And before you ask, if I do get to the point that I allow Mei to join the group, I am going to make sure that her alone time with Naruto is more than worth it.

...

And before I forget...I plan to have Haku finally find a girl of his own...who is that?

Here's a hint I can share.

Her name has two meanings, one is nose, and the other is flower.

...

And who is the new foe that Naruto is dealing with?

All I can say about this guy is that before I get to the part where Sasuke leaves the village, you might recall him from Way back in the story. Only this time, you can bet that this character in question had changed a good deal and make no mistake, the guy is not going to be a weakling but a dangerous enemy to Naruto.

And no doubt you can guess just who and what his female companion is.

See you all on the next chapter!


	48. Old Feuds Part 2

Naruto the Twin Swords

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto which is a major disappointment to me since that would been cool…

Chapter 33

Part 2

Old Feuds…

( ): Thoughts

((" ")): Holy Talon

((( ))): Kyuubi's voice

…

In the Terumi Clan base…

Mei escorted the teams from Konoha and she was rather silent for now as she had some things to think about. She was rather surprised to know that Takeo had hired Konoha ninja and two of them being former citizens of the Land of Water as well, but the skills of the teams convinced her that they can be of great help to their current situation. That and the fact that they had some very well known ninja in their ranks added to her relief, though seeing Zabuza was a surprise as well for her.

As they arrived near to her base of operations, she quickly sent a signal ahead to those of her clan there that she was coming. That signal also included a message that she was coming with others who were not hostile. The last thing she wanted was her guests being caught in the crossfire of her people's jumpy tempers. With the still ongoing purges and the new kidnappings, her people were less than welcoming to those they did not know. And there was no doubt in her mind that having people who were ninja from another Hidden Village was going to make them a lot less welcoming to boot.

One of the Terumi ninja glared at the group and replied as he pointed his katana at none other than Zabuza himself

"What the hell is the Demon of the Mist doing here?"

Mei knew that this was going to happen and walked to her clansmen and spoke sternly to him while placing her hand on his own which held his sword.

"It is all right Sanzo, Zabuza is not our enemy here and he is no longer a member of Kiri."

"I know that Mei-sama, but I still cannot fathom he would show his face here after that attempt on the Mizukage's life."

Zabuza said nothing as he knew that his actions had reason and no matter how others might see it, he still felt that what he did was the right thing. He looked to see Mei speak to her clansman and it seemed that the man was now calming down and Mei turned to face them all and spoke to them in a friendly manner.

"It's all right, you can come in now since we have a lot to discuss."

The group moved down into the heart of the cave complex and they saw torches being placed there in intervals of the cave complex, all placed in a particular distance from the other to ensure that there was ample lighting for the rest of the compound. There was also fresh air coming in and out of the complex so the place was well ventilated. The Clan's people were there as they saw a number of ninja there who al bowed to Mei Terumi.

The attractive Kunoichi then turned to face them while moving and spoke.

"You all must be tired from your trip, have you managed to get something to eat?"

Kakashi shook his head and replied.

"Not by much Mei-san since we did not have a lot of time to eat after meeting our contact outside of the Land of water. But we don't want to impose since you and your clan have other matters to deal with due to the current situation pertaining to those with Kekkai Genkai."

"Perhaps Kakashi-san, but right now we're all allies in this mission and I would like it that you and your team are at your best for the dangers that is no doubt going to come along with the mission that you all and I will be undertaking. Come, I'll see if we have enough food in our supplies for you, my people have managed to get some supplies a few weeks before hand."

And sure enough, there were some supplies that were brought in when they entered one of the larger chambers in the cave complex. That room was also well lit and allowed them to see as much as they could manage. The smell of warm food was welcomed and they dug in as the Kunoichi and head of her clan began to fill them in on other details of the current state of the Land of Water ever since the kidnappings happened.

She explained the disappearances were few at first possibly random, but it was not long before the pattern emerged, and that was due to the disappearing numbers of those with Kekkai Genkai who had not been found by the purge, even some of her own clan had been taken which added further weight to the fact these kidnappings were not random events at all. Apparently it had been going on for weeks, at least as far as she and the others in her clan had been able to see. The group took in all the details and when Mei was done, Naruto was deep in thought about what could be the reason for such an attack.

He thought that whoever was doing this could be under Orochimaru's payroll, but that was not something that would make sense just yet. That snake summoning bastard had his eyes set on the Sharingan after all. It did make sense he would study other Kekkai Genkai for an advantage, but the Sharingan was the man's obsession. Naruto was also considering the possibility of Death Fang being involved, and from what he knew of the vile sword and it's masters, as well as it's makers, it would no doubt be seeking out allies or those it deemed useful enough as weapons of war. Life was not sacred to that thing so it would make sense to the blonde Shinobi that the sword would indeed seek out some new allies to make it's stay a lot more dangerous.

Kakashi likewise was very intent in absorbing the details and he could easily see why this situation would be of concern to anyone who was not from the Land of Water. The Kekkai Genkai users mentioned thus far were not too powerful, but if combined into an army, they could become a threat. Still it was too early for him to tell who would be responsible and why.

The same went for Zabuza as well, though his primary concern was how Haku was taking this, no one knew the fate of the rest of the Yuki Clan, and he was not sure if Haku was the only one of his clan to be still alive. There was no telling that else they would find in this attack that could be of help but there was no doubt that they would find out soon enough.

However, it was not long before a ninja came to Mei and spoke to the woman, and the Kunoichi turned to face her clansman with a serious look.

"Are you sure of this?"

"Yes Mei-sama, the strangers do not wear any form of forehead protector, but they move like ninja, skilled ones to be sure. They might be the ones who no doubt are responsible for the kidnappings."

"What are they doing now?"

"They seem to be searching the place, but the way they do it is with great intent. You don't suppose…"

"They found out about us? That is a possibility that we have to expect, how far are they from the compound?"

"At least several hours, Kyutetsu, and Massani were the ones who spotted them on their regular patrols and came back here to tell me of it."

"I see, we cannot remain here then, tell the others to prepare to evacuate all the people here in the compound, we'll need to head off to our other compounds, namely the one we swore not to use unless the situation becomes very dire."

The man nodded and quickly moved out to do what she had ordered him to do. In doing so, Mei turned to the Konoha team and spoke to them seriously.

"It seems that we're going to have to get ready for battle, I do not know if we will be found by the ones Hanza spoke of, but I will not take any chances. The people who are here with my clan happen to be the few surviving Kekkai Genkai users who have not yet been taken and I will not let them die or be taken by them."

Neji then spoke.

"That is a wise plan, but I also believe that we might be able to capture one of them and figure out just who is leading them. It is a risk to be sure, but if we can capture a member of this force, we might have a chance to find out the ring leader and stop this before it becomes too difficult to ignore."

The others nodded and soon they moved out, they needed to buy enough time for Mei's people to get the refugees of the purges and the kidnappings to get out. They knew that they had to whatever it was that they could do in order to break the back of the attack and possibly gain some intel on who was doing the kidnapping and possibly the killings as well. Mei was no slouch and was insistent on fighting alongside the Konoha ninja and they were not going to tell her otherwise. Naruto decided to send out his Falcon and quickly summoned the ethereal bird and gave the orders in the Dagern native language.

"Ensure that you escort the refugees and Mei Terumi's allies to their new compound and make sure to report back to me if they have been pursued."

The creature nodded and soon took off into the air as Naruto was quick to join the others in what was going to be their latest battle with the forces before them. They had no intel on what type of ninja mercenaries they were going t fight, but that did not mean that they were going to take their attackers lightly. Sakura was their medical support and so was Naruto since he had Holy Talon and his training in Life Magic to heal injuries if needed. Neji would be an excellent scout with his Byakugan as well as his close combat skills, Haku could also help with Kekkai Genkai and could use his own medical training for healing and restraining the enemy they could capture, Kin could serve to distract them and use her Sound based Illusion Jutsu to keep the enemy off balance while the rest of them hit hard and fast.

The team soon left the compound and headed out to face their attackers, but both broke into two teams in order to cover both sides to make sure that they did not get hit from behind. It was a risky move and it would divide their strength, but it was to be expected since they had to make sure that they refugees escaped unharmed. Plus they did have means to communicate with one another and if any of them encountered the enemy, the others would arrive to fight them off.

They did not have to wait for long as the enemy ninja descended on them, the first team to encounter them were the team of Kakashi, Mei, Naruto, and Sakura and it was obvious there was a lot of ninja coming right at them and they had to be ready to fight hard and fast. Several of the ninja were quickly dispatched in close combat by Kakashi and were unconscious but only for a moment or two before they got up again and came as the ninja who managed to attack them once more. Sakura moved back a bit and then used her training in chakra enhancement to send several of the attacking ninja away like comets through the trees, and she was thankful for the new strength she got as well as the durability training that Tsunade felt she needed in order to help herself and the others.

Mei was not far behind as she used her Fire chakra to defeat two ninja attacking her, her mastery of one of her chakra types was there as both ninja were quickly killed and she countered a close combat attacking Kunoichi coming right at her with a pair of Kama and also blocked the attacks of another ninja coming in with a spear. Naruto was quickly able to reach her along with Sakura as they both fought alongside Mei as more ninja came pouring in towards them.

The three ninja fought off more of them but then the ones that had been wounded continued to attack, as if ignoring the wounds that had been inflicted on them somehow

Several mirrors of ice suddenly appeared and out came a massive barrage of Senbon as Haku made his appearance and soon the arrival of Neji, Kin, and Zabuza make the whole situation change, Menma was still there at the rear providing support with his ocarina and boosting the chakra of the whole team in battle. And as more of the ninja came forward to fight them all, it was going to get even more difficult for the Konoha forces and their client.

Neji engaged a pair of Shinobi armed with kodachi swords and managed to best them with his Byakugan and the Gentle Fist style, while Haku quickly used his Ice Mirrors to reposition himself and defend Zabuza from the rear as the older Jonin was engaging at least two more ninja with one armed with an iron staff, and Haku was fighting off another pair of ninja who were armed with tiger claws. Sakura used her own kunai to block several slashing attacks from another ninja armed with a much larger kunai that resembled the kind used by Kiri ninja, showing that her foe was a Kiri ninja mercenary.

Naruto managed to cut down another incoming ninja by using Holy Talon to block the incoming strike from the man's two single edged swords and he quickly leaped over him and planted both feet into the man's face. That knocked him flat on the ground and Naruto quickly took one swing with his sword to slice off both blades and render the man's weapons useless. He however leaped back when another mercenary ninja came at him with a long spear and he managed to block the next stab at his face, and this was where Kin came in and used her Sound illusions on Naruto's attacker, causing him to shake and try to fight off the former Sound Kunoichi's sound based Genjutsu, allowing her quickly come in for the kill and lauch a double kick combination to the chest to send the man flying back while using her own kunai to slice off the blade head of his weapon, rendering the spear into a wooden pole.

Naruto smiled at Kin and she moved back smiling at him as she was soon fighting her own foes. Mei was not far behind as well as the Kunoichi fought with two Kunoichi, one armed with a katana and the other with a pair of Kama. The Kekkai Genkai user quickly used her Taijustu skills to send the Kama user flying back and smashing into some trees, showing her strength, and that was soon. An she quickly evaded several slashes made at her by the other Kunoichi before she quickly moved back and unleashed a wave of mud from her mouth using her Earth Chakra.

There was a very large bunch of these mercenaries and most appeared to be Chuunin and Genin level ninja. That much w3as beginning to dawn on the team so that left them to question when were the group's heavy hitters coming in to fight them. They did not have to wait for very long as a large band of ninja came and son engaged them. This time the new arrivals were at Jonin level and that meant to the team and their client that this fight was about to get interesting for all of them.

…

Naruto gritted his teeth as he used Holy Talon's flat edge to block the massive horse cutting sword wielded by one other mercenary ninja who apparently wanted to take off his head. As soon as he blocked it, he quickly moved Holy Talon aside to let the man be carried down by his own momentum as he quickly brought Holy Talon's edge to level and slashed at the ninja who soon lost his head…literally. He however saw that the man's vest was actually filled with explosive tags which were already alight and he swore.

"Oh kami!"

"SUITON! MIZU SHURIKEN!"

A massive shuriken made from water came out and smashed into the decapitated ninja and send the body away from Naruto as the blonde quickly recovered and rolled out of the way. The explosive tags were water resistant and soon exploded, but the Jutsu had been enough to force the body away from Naruto so he was not caught in the blast. Naruto turned to see Mei smiling at him and he smiled back as Mei turned to fight another band of ninja mercenaries coming at her.

Naruto quickly turned to face another pair coming at him, one armed with a standard katana while the other apparently carried a naginata with the intent on skewering him.

Kakashi was able to block the attacks of his own foe with his kunai as he quickly flipped over his foe, leaned down to avoid a strike and then stabbed him with the kunai and he quickly channeled his Lightning Chakra into his katana, the same one given to him by Naruto as he cut through the weapon of another ninja coming at him, this time it was a Kunoichi mercenary armed with a pair of kama with the intent on cutting him. His sword however cut through her weapons as he side stepped her attacks and then moved the stab both her and her partner. The woman however used a Replacement Jutsu to avoid being skewered by Kakashi but her partner, still bleeding from Kakashi's attack was not so lucky as Kakashi's lightning chakra enhanced sword stabbed him right in the heart through the log.

The Jonin was not worried as he quickly readied himself for an attack. And he got is as the female mercenary came at him again, Kakashi then stabbed her in the arm to cripple him, but suddenly noted something was not right. The woman did not even scream in pain or show expressions. It was as if she was dulled to it, even when the attack had severed her muscle tendons.

Haku used his Ice Jutsu to move in and out of the battle while firing his Senbon, he hoped to capture one or more of the mercenaries to see if they could extract any information from them. They had managed to avoid some of his strikes, but one was not as lucky as Haku's weapons managed to hit her in the areas that would stun and cripple her. He could see that his attacks had worked on the mercenary Shinobi as he then spoke to his short range radio to the others in his team.

"It's Haku, I have managed to capture one of the mercenaries, I am going to try and get him out of the area to make sure he will not be lost to us."

Zabuza nodded and he pressed his hand to the device on his neck and spoke as he quickly kicked aside his own foe to get some breathing room..

"Good work Haku, but be careful, if what I saw with Naruto's battle is true, they might have suicide vests on. And there is a chance that they might commit suicide by other means if we are not careful."

"Understood Zabuza-sama, Neji-san, how many more of them to you see?"

.Neji in his own battle turned and with his active Byakugan scanned the area a bit and replied as he managed to defeat his own attacker. But he had been forced to use lethal attacks on the one since he seemed not to care about the previous attacks. And the person did not seem to even react to the attacks, which made the Hyuuga wary of this battle.

"I do not see any more reinforcements yet, these must be their more powerful fighters though I can bet that there are still others left at their base. But I have noted something odd in our foes. They seem to have some form of seal on them I do not recognize, and the chakra in the seal does not look right. It also seems to make them more resistant to pain, far beyond what most would have."

Naruto then spoke next.

"Can you describe it Neji?"

The Hyuuga genius looked at the seal he saw on one of the ninja coming towards him and he replied.

"I see some sort of a circle with three fang like symbols in reverse order in the middle and some sort of burning eye in between them."

Naruto pictured the seal and then directed his attention to Holy Talon and asked the sword just what the seal was.

(("That sounds like the Berserker seal."))

(Berserker seal?)

(("Yes, it's a form of curse seal similar to the one used on your former ally, but in this case, the seal when active makes the user immune to pain and allow them fight longer, ignoring even grievous wounds. But it only numbs it and also makes them highly unstable and thus if the seal increases it's hold on them, they turn on their own allies. That is a Dagern seal and not native here, yet this version seems to be using chakra master Naruto, be cautious, the only way one can make a seal like that is Death Fang."))

(Has such a seal been used before?)

(("Yes, there is an order of corrupted humans, elves and several other races in Dagern under the thrall of the Chaos Dragons who use that seal exclusively to make themselves Berserkers in battle. More than once my previous Masters fought people like them and they revel in pain and death. But this is made using chakra so whoever made this seal must be a native of your world and taught by Death Fang, The only way to stop those with the seals is to kill them with fatal strikes, anything else will not do"))

Naruto gritted his teeth and quickly informed the others of the news. The team and Mei were surprised by this but quickly began to switch to lethal strikes, not a problem for the others but for Haku, he moved back and was pleased that despite the seal numbing pain, it did not reverse the effects of his attacks on them.

The battle soon ended and the whole area was a mess and the group gathered together to assess one another. Mei seemed fine and so did the others, and Haku was with them with the hostage he had managed to keep alive and restrained. The man was not speaking but Sakura checked him out and gave her analysis.

"He's still alive and breathing, but his chakra pathway's not too good either."

Neji nodded as he deactivated his Byakugan.

"I agree with Sakura-san, the man's chakra pathway seemed…altered somehow, it's pathways are the same but they appear to have been torn up in different areas. I have never seen that before in my life."

Naruto recalled his training with Holy Talon on magic and then used that to focus his Dragon Fire into his free left hand. The green Fire was seen and Naruto touched the man's body, looking for the seal. He soon found the seal and focused again. The team watched as the seal suddenly burned out of the man's body with a sickly looking black laced with green and the man groaned afterwards.

Naruto then spoke to the others.

"There…that should remove the seal from him, and maybe we can get some answers, Death fang is behind this, but it seems the thing's gotten some native help."

Kakashi raised his eyebrow as he covered up his Sharingan.

"You mean it's found a master?"

Naruto shook his head and replied.

"No, if it did Kakashi-sensei, it's master or mistress and I would have sought each other out and fought as well. Plus it would have sent it's own minions alongside these guys to kill me, not ninjas alone. It must have done something similar to when it released Solana at Konoha, only this time a different minion. Or a more powerful version of Solana and that is definitely a serious possibility."

The mention of the Succubus Maiden made Sakura cringe and feel anger as she recalled her kidnapping by that demonic woman. And recalling what she had seen when the demoness had tried to actually rape Naruto while he was unable to fight her made her twice as angry as well. She vowed that if another being like that was on the loose, then she was not going to let herself be caught a second time. Mei was confused by that and the same could be said for the other members of the team with the marked exception of Kakashi, Sakura, and Kin. They already knew of Solana even though Kakashi had not been on the mission to rescue Sakura and Kin.

Mei was the one who spoke first.

"What or who exactly is this Succubus Maiden you spoke of?"

Naruto shook his head and replied.

"That's a long story, what I can say Mei-san is that they are dangerous, deadly, and definitely the kind you want to avoid if you want to keep your sanity and life intact. But that can wait, we've got this one so we should extract the information, but first we need to check him. Neji, can you scan him for a explosive tag vest?"

Neji nodded and scanned the man and gave his report to the team as soon as he did very intense scan of the man they had captured.".

"He does have a vest on him but it appears to be a dual system, if they are killed, some sort of seal activates the vest, and it can also be manually activated. Removing the vest may prove to be a serious problem if we do this wrong."

Zabuza nodded and turned to Haku.

"Haku, can you find a way to neutralize that seal and keep it thinking that the man is still alive?"

"I can try that Zabuza-sama, it will require me to do it with aid though."

It did not take long for both Sakura and Neji to help with the process of removing the vest, Haku managed to help figure out the man's chakra type with Sakura's help. They managed to use Sakura's medical training to help keep the seal contained. It was not easy but Tsunade's training for Sakura was helping and she was able to fool the seal long enough for Haku and Neji to finally remove the seal. Neji's Byakugan allowed Haku to use his Hunter Nin training to locate the exact spots of the man's chakra circulatory system was connected to the seal. Haku then cut those short and Sakura kept the seal 'convinced' that the man was alive.

This allowed Kakashi and Zabuza to remove the explosive tag vest carefully and as soon as they were successful the Jonin got the man away from the area as well as the others, That left only Sakura and Naruto as he and she were ready to move, once the rest of the team were away, Naruto readied his Dragon Fire and used the Spell from the Body Branch, he then nodded to Sakura and then Sakura quickly cut the connection and that meant that the vest was now going to blow up., Naruto quickly summoned his Dragon Fire and unleashed the spell.

"BODY OF WIND!"

The spell quickly activated and soon the pair was covered in a gust of wind and soon they were on the other side with the others. That had surprised the others a bit more but not Kakashi as he knew that Naruto had been training hard to master more of his spells. And it seemed that he had managed to master this particular spell the right way and as soon as the pair were there, the vest detonated and soon the team took their captive back to the now abandoned compound. This was their best chance to get the answers they needed.

Sakura was quick to check the man again to make sure that they did not miss anything that could kill him. Neji himself also helped with the matter and so far they had found nothing that could be seen as a risk in him to them. Once they were done with their work, they decided to make their move and heal him. It was not long before the man finally regained his wits and spoke out.

"W-What…what happened? Who the heck are you people?"

Kakashi was the one to speak first to the man.

"We're the ones who happen to be asking those questions here, now who hired you?"

"I am not telling you Konoha dog anything!"

Kakashi sighed and replied.

"I figured you would say that, but I think that I can persuade you to talk."

It took some time for team of Konoha ninja to finally get the man to start talking, and it had been with the work of both Kakashi and Zabuza. Apparently despite his earlier claims of not telling them anything, the idea of him being subjected to the ministrations of Kakashi and Zabuza who he seemed to know of was enough to get him to talk. That and the fact that when he realized that the had been saved by the suicide vest that had been placed helped speed up the process of getting more information from the man.

They learned that he and his band of renegade ninja were indeed hired for the mission but as soon as they got there, they had been somehow restrained. Then his entire team was being interviewed by the pair of people. But he admitted that there was something wrong about them, something he could not see at first, but he certainly felt it. The female figure then began to place seals on him and his fellow mercenaries and soon everything went blank.

All he knew was that he saw his companions being given suicide vests and at first he had thought it was an illusion until he saw one of his own get killed before meeting the Konoha team. He did not know how he recalled it but somehow, in the back of his mind he saw it. That was all he remembered though he did mention that there was a cave complex in an island where he and his fellow mercenaries took their captives. He had no idea what was there, but he did not want to know what it was either, he told them that there were some more of his people there but that was it.

Mei was listening intensely and she began to feel a deep well of anger towards who was responsible for such a thing towards people. She took out a map and made the captive mercenary ninja look at it and when he pointed out the location, she spoke to the others who were with her.

"We need to find out just what is going on, and who is responsible for all of this. If we can strike him or her down before more people get captured and tortured, and all the better."

Naruto had to agree and turned when he heard a cry and soon his deployed Falcon came back and began to communicate with him. He was intent on what the mystically summoned creature was telling him and he smiled once he was able to understand what it was telling him. He turned to Mei and gave the Kunoichi some very good news which was certainly more than welcome considering the situations that they had been in already.

"You're people made it safely to the secondary compound without incident and the new hideout is clear of any possibly ambush."

Mei smiled at that and Kakashi spoke briefly with Zabuza and Haku, and when it was over Zabuza spoke next.

"The location of the island is known to us so we should get a move on, if we can find any clue as to who is responsible for these attacks, then we can silence them. It's not going to be an easy location though, the caves in that area have not been used and there is no telling if there are traps in that area. We need to be ready for anything once we get there."

Kakashi then looked to Naruto and spoke to him.

"Naruto, if you recognize the seal then does that mean?"

Naruto nodded to confirm what he too suspected, Kakashi did not like that one bit and that was obvious to just about everyone as the Jonin spoke again with the blonde Chuunin.

"All right, if you encounter the threat, you will have to help the rest deal with them, all right?"

"I know Kakashi-sensei, I am ready for what is to come."

As for the mercenary, they locked him up in one of the compound's holding rooms and left him with some food and water. If he escaped, then that was his business, but escape was not going to be too much of an option since the Kunoichi sealed him into the prison with only a few holes to breath through. And Mei then used her Lava release to lock him in tight. Once they were done with that, and patched up any injuries they had gotten, they were now on their way to end the mission they were on.

…

Later…

The team moved in towards the island in question and Naruto as well as Haku and Neji were ahead. Haku used his Ice Mirror ability to move ahead while being supported by Neji with the Byakugan. Naruto then moved with his summoned Falcon overhead and the three made sure that none of them and the team were caught off guard. Once Haku checked out the nearby area, he would then move on making another Ice Mirror and move ahead while remaining in Neji and Naruto's sight range.

Haku soon stopped on the island in question and soon reported to the others as best he could.

"I am on the island, and there seems to be some guards here, possibly part of the same ninja band out friend was part of."

"Possibly?"

"I cannot come closer to verify for sure, any further and I might get attention from the guards."

The others nodded and soon managed to arrive at Haku's location and as soon as they were all there, Naruto and the others looked at what Haku was seeing. There were indeed a fairly large number of guards in the area so they knew that fighting was going to happen. But both Mei and Zabuza decided to even up the odds in their favor. They were both Kiri Ninja show both knew of the Hidden Mist Technique, though Mei took it further with her Boil Release.

The two made the move and soon a thick mist came into the field and that was the opening the team needed. They struck hard and fast to eliminate the guards who were there and soon they would move into the cave system. The first pair of guards were quickly taken out by both Haku and Neji, with the next pair taken down by Kin and Sakura. Kakashi and Zabuza then took out four of the guards quickly with both sword and Taijutsu, while Menma used his own Sound Jutsu to lure several more of the guards into an ambush with both Mei and Naruto finishing them off quickly and effectively. The other guards were not alerted by the arrival of the mist and so the team were quick to finish them off.

These guards apparently did not have the same explosive tag vests as before, but they did have the Berserker Seal on them so the team had to use lethal force to make sure that they did not comer back. It was grisly work and Naruto was quick to act by removing the seals and was now getting more familiar with them and how he was going to be able to take those seals off. Neji quickly scanned the area and reported in.

"I do not see any other chakra signatures outside the area, that means the guards are no longer around and there are no reinforcements. But…"

"But what Neji-san?"

"Kakashi-sensei…I don't see anyone in the complex."

That did not bode well in the minds of the group but they forged ahead to find the entrance into the enemy compound. It took a bit of trial and error but Kin eventually found the latch that would open the hidden door. As soon as the door opened, a foul stench hit the noses of the team and was enough force them to cover up their mouths and noses. Even Kakashi and Zabuza were not enjoying the stench at all. It was brief, but it was obvious enough to them that something bad was going on. They all managed to counter the feeling of nausea and moved into the place with Kakashi quickly taking out a pair of lanterns that he had kept in a storage scroll for emergencies.

…

As soon as they got into the complex, they could sense that something horrible had indeed been done here. There was a feeling of dread in this place, and Naruto did not like that feeling at all, and the same could be said for the others. The feel of the place was not helped by the still present pungent smell of death and despair that was all over it either. The team moved quickly through the place and Naruto decided to decrease the time they spent in this death maze with his Kage Bunshin.

A large number of them moved through the place and fed the information back to the original Naruto and he guided the others that way. They avoided dead ends and also possible traps all over the compound, and Naruto was aided in turn by Neji who used his Byakugan to scan the area before them for anything else. Sakura soon spoke as the feeling of the place and the smell made her skin crawl.

"What the heck happened here? This entire place feels totally wrong."

Menma nodded as he too felt the unnatural aura of the place.

"I have to agree with Sakura-san, I have never been in this place before, and even now I feel like I am going to hurl in here. The smell is hardly helping us either"

Mei herself looked around and she could not help but be disgusted by the feel and smell. She was no delicate rose and was a battle hardened Kunoichi so the smell of death was not unknown to her, yet this place did not sit the least bit well with her at all. She looked around a bit more and soon joined Naruto as she spoke to him.

"Have your Kage Bunshin found anything Naruto-kun?"

The blonde shook his head and answered her.

"Nothing yet Mei-san, but they did find rooms that definitely are the origins of the smell."

"There are?"

"No, that's what worries me, there are no bodies, but the rooms there all are a mess…they look more like what you find in a slaughter house. And there seemed to be some devices there as well, the kind you normally find in a hospital…only more sinister looking."

That image was something that filled the rest of the team with dread with only the high ranking Jonin being more used to that. Still at least that explained the stench, but the lack of bodies also needed to be explained. There should have been some trace of the bodies and the equipment Naruto's Kage Bunshin had seen also made this whole situation a lot more perilous. It was not long before they themselves stumbled into a room and true to what Naruto's Kage Bunshin reported, the sight was nasty.

Sakura however managed to hold herself in and look over the equipment and the room, there was a lot of blood there, but not too much as well. The blood was also centered mostly on the metallic table while some had been spilled over. She looked at the table and then to the nearby devices and spoke.

"This is no ordinary table, this was designed to extract the blood out of people."

The pink haired Kunoichi then looked at the rest of the equipment and tools, all spattered with blood and looked at Naruto.

"Are all the rooms your Kage Bunshin saw like this Naruto-kun?"

At Naruto's nod, Sakura now realized what was going on and it disgusted her.

"The ones heading these kidnappings, they aren't just kidnapping those with Kekkai Genkai, they are actually harvesting it from them, they are taking every cell that houses the Kekkai Genkai. Blood and possibly organs as well, this would explain the smell we all encountered when we came here."

The full ramifications of this send chills down everyone's spine, especially those with Kekkai Genkai, Mei was horrified and outraged at this treatment, Neji was disgusted as well and furious at the callous nature of the people behind these kidnappings, and Haku was also angry, not an easy thing to happen when one considered his personality. Even more so when one considered the fact that it was not usually in his nature but now Haku wanted to find the ones responsible and stop them.

Kakashi and Zabuza managed to move the team ahead and soon they entered a massive cave chamber deeper in the complex and it was here that the stench began to decrease due to the large amounts of tunnels. And this particular place seemed to be well lit, too well lit to be just a simple chamber as the group moved deeper into the chamber. There on a nearby ledge was a figure that they approached carefully. Holy Talon however was quick to speak to Naruto at this point as he had his partner before him.

(("Master Naruto! I recognize that man!"))

Naruto glared and quickly focused his senses and soon he recognized the figure as well. But before he could say who it was, the man spoke for himself.

"Well now, nice to see that I finally meet the ones who have come to ruin my plans yet again, I should have expected that and I should have expected that one of them was you Naruto Uzumaki."

The figure revealed himself once more and Naruto spoke seriously as the face was revealed.

…

"Choumaza…"

Naruto gritted his teeth as he recalled the maniac that converted people into living weapons and the sight of the man again filled with him loathing. The others who were there did not recognize Choumaza, with the exception of Sakura and Kakashi and could tell that Naruto did not like this. The man sneered at the Dragon Champion and Chuunin of Konoha and replied at the way Naruto spoke his name.

"Greetings Naruto Uzumaki…it has been a while has it not?"

"So you are still alive…but different now, you have the smell of Chaos about you."

The man seemed not to care at all and laughed in response.

"Exactly, I have indeed changed, your precious sword's counter part informed me of your new found power's origins. I must say I am impressed that you can be able to use such power like that. My new master also tells me of your…secret as well."

Naruto kept calm but Kakashi narrowed his eye at that, he knew the secret Choumaza was implying and he had a feeling that if this came out. It was going to be bad news for everyone. No doubt Naruto already knew what was Choumaza driving at but at least Naruto knew already yet kept his head calm and focused on the battle.

Choumaza smiled even more and spoke.

"I should have known you would show up sooner or later…but wait, where is your partner Sasuke? He should be here with you right now, I would have so wanted to add his Sharingan to my collection, and my new army. Ah well, no sense worrying about what cannot be obtained, I already got more than my fair share of genetic material"

Mei spoke seriously as she readied herself for a possible attack.

"An army, what are you talking about? And why have you defiled these people in such an inhumane manner you bastard?"

"An army that I have made for my new master, also for my personal enjoyment as well as for bringing the fall of those who have crossed me in one way or another. Besides, considering the hatred the people of Kiri and the Land of water have for you Kekkai Genkai users, I doubt anyone apart from you would care."

"And now I have yet another set to add to my army. Mei Terumi of the Terumi Clan, the only known Kunoichi of the Land of Water thus far to master both Lava and Boil Release, Neji Hyuuga, the genius of the Hyuuga Branch family and user of the Byakugan, and Haku Yuki, last of the Yuki Clan, the master users of Ice. I am impressed that you survived the purges; I had thought that you and your mother were the last of the Clan Haku-chan and that you had died. It seems that I was proven wrong."

Haku could not help but feel deep anger at the actions done by this man but kept his cool, how the man knew of his past he did not know, nor did he care as he replied.

"That was a long time ago, I have no reason to dredge up the past."

Choumaza laughed at that and replied.

"You might not, but I certainly do, let me show you the power given to me by my new master and my partner for this…little excursion."

Another figure appeared and it was definitely feminine and then removed her cloak, showing that she was indeed a woman. But she was hardly the human kind as her horns could show. Naruto glared even more as he finally recognized the being, and so did Sakura and Kin. The woman then spoke with a very calm, but seductive air. This was indeed a Succubus Maiden, but unlike Solana, her hair was shorter and was in some form of braids and was deep blonde and her eyes were grey.

"Greetings Dragon Champion, so I finally met the one who managed to banish my sister Solana, I am impressed, she was one of the strongest among us, to be beaten by a relatively young Champion tells me that you are full of potential. I intend to rectify that failure of my sister soon enough, if you are willing to indulge me."

"And you are?"

"Oh, a man with manners, that is very rare indeed in this day, even more so for this world we are in. I am Kaelain, and I am here to see if you have grown well enough to be a threat to my and Choumaza's master. But now I digress, you're arrival here is most useful since we now have a chance to test those people who we have already used up. Pity, some of them had such potential but they expired a bit too early."

The woman and Choumaza then moved their hands forward and a veil of purple energy and soon massive crystals came from the ground, crystals with figures in them. The crystals suddenly shattered and the figures came out. All of them were dressed in ninja armor and clothing, male and female figures. The ninja realized that they were outnumbered and both Choumaza and Kaelain were amused as their forces appeared. And the sadistic reborn man spoke in a very mocking tone towards the Konoha ninja and Mei Terumi

"Truth be told, we already extracted MORE than ample genetic material from the subjects, and now they are merely husks of their former selves. Some personality remains of course and so does memory so they no doubt are still human for all intents and purposes. Some of whom might seem familiar to you…especially you Haku."

And one DID look familiar to Haku, he could not help but gasp in absolute shock, and horror at the sight before him. After all, the figure before him had a face he would recognize right off the bat without fail.

His mother!

The woman looked at Haku and spoke in the very same voice as he remembered when he was young, but this time, there was tone of death in it, a flat tone devoid of warmth and life.

"Haku….you are alive."

"Mother…mother…what…what have they…done to you?"

Haku turned and glared at both Choumaza and Kaelain, utter fury permeating his entire face as he shouted.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY MOTHER? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO HER?"

Choumaza mocked the enraged ninja.

"Why I brought her back from the dead of course. But I will say it was not easy, we have to extract a fairly large amount of energy to bring her back to a living condition. And then we have to make sure we extracted only the healthiest genetic material that was left. She was such a mess when we managed to locate her corpse after all. Your dear father did quite a number of her when he and the others found out about her being a Kekkai Genkai user. Of course…you already knew that, don't you Haku-chan? Don't worry, once you are taken, your more than healthy genetic material will be extracted and you can be with her forever as my own personal weapon. After all, you Kekkai Genkai users are mere weapons for others, isn't that right?"

Zabuza was shocked at this and so were the rest of the people, Naruto was utterly disgusted by what he was looking at right now, the mere thought of someone defiling the body of another person's mother, then one who brought that person to life was abhorrent to him. And he was quick to react alongside Haku as both he and Haku acted as one.

Haku fired his Senbon at Choumaza and Naruto channeled his Dragon Fire's Life Magic into the weapons. The results were there as Choumaza shouted in pain and fury while Kaelain also moved to the front of the resurrected forces as the man spoke.

"I will never forget that…but for now, I will let my subjects deal with you, once your are dead, your bodies will make excellent additions to my army. ATTACK!"

Kakashi and Zabuza quickly readied themselves along with Mei, Kin, Sakura, Neji, and Menma for the onslaught while Haku and Naruto were also at the ready for battle. Haku looked squarely at the reanimated form of her mother with anger and grief. The sight of her like this filled him with rage and anger, both at the fact that they had willingly defiled his mother's corpse when she did not deserve to be used like this, and now he had to fight her. Naruto looked at him and replied seriously.

"We will free her Haku-san, I promise you that, we will free her from their control."

Haku nodded as the entire Konoha team got ready for what was going to be the fight of their lives.

The Kyuubi was looking forward to that as it got ready to unleash it's chakra in battle once more, and the same went for Holy Talon.

…

To be continued…

…

Author's Notes:

There we go…this chapter is done and I hope that this is going to be all right for you readers since it's been some time since the last update I had made before. Anyway, we are getting one more chapter closer to the final event which will really make things between Naruto and Sasuke get really heated and dangerous.

As for this chapter, I hope that it still meets the standards that I have set for it and my other works, if it does, then I am happy. If not feel free to tell me where I went wrong and how I can best fix the problems. And on this chapter, we can see that there is indeed an old feud, between Naruto and Choumaza, after all, Naruto despised Choumaza for his willingness to use others as living weapons in life, but now as a minion of Death Fang, it is ever worse now.

…

If this situation sounds familiar to you, this is based on the second Blade Movie, where the vampires plan to harvest Blade of his Daywalker abilities. This was the reason for the kidnappings of those Kekkai Genkai users in the Land of Water and it looks like no Kekkai Genkai user is safe, living or not. Just what does Choumaza and naturally Death Fang have in mind for the genetic material extracted from these unfortunate souls is still up for debate. But you can already guess right off the bat that it is not going to be the least bit pretty.

As for the Kekkai Genkai mentioned, there will be some familiar ones and also some new ones that I will be researching on. Make no mistake though, while the numbers are not that many, these Kekkai Genkai will be labeled as dangerous indeed so you can bet that the coming battle between the good guys and the bad guys us going to be nasty.

…

Brining back Haku's mother was something I had not originally planned on doing, but I decided to do so in order to make Haku's return to the land of his birth a lot more serious. And his reaction is utterly natural, I mean if someone defiled your parents' bodies to use for their own ends and make them live a mockery of life before you, you would certainly feel enraged. Haku naturally is going to want to avenge his mother's current state and I will allow both him and her to have a proper reunion and possible farewell when this is over.

Most would suggest that I bring Haku's mother to life and I might consider that as a viable option though I don't know for sure just how I will accomplish that particular challenge yet. But if I can, then I will try to do so though I feel that Haku now has a new leash of life already and I think his mother would approve of the fact that he is alive and found friends who are there for him. And possibly a love interest as well which is just what any mother would want for their son since they would be happy to know that their beloved child has found someone they want to spend their lives with.

How exactly did Hana and Haku become close to one another will be explored later in the series and will be a lot more serious in the sequel of this story when we get there so please try and be patient about it.

…

As for Zabuza, I have my own plans for the former Mist Seven Swordsman and it might involve a familiar Kunoichi of Konoha who is not with Naruto at this time. I will leave the guessing of said Kunoichi up to you readers. Their relationship will also be hinted here at the next chapter and it will be present on the sequel as well. What I can say about who this woman is, is that she is someone who had lost a loved one already and in time works with Zabuza until they develop a bond with one another.

This is that so please wait and see how this will play out.

…

On the next chapter we will have the conclusion of the fight and also the beginning of the steps Mei will be taking to become the Mizukage. The resurrected Kekkai Genkai users might attack Kiri in retaliation for their suffering and under the command of Choumaza and Kaelain so you can bet that Mei and the others would have to stop that. This is a bit risky to me, but it is going to be worth it in the long run as far as I can guess and will be quite a surprise for those who have long since disliked or hated those who had Kekkai Genkai.

As for Mei and Naruto, they will become friends in the long run and she would be more than happy to consider the Konoha Shinobi and Dragon Champion as an ally. Whether that translates to a more intimate relation in the future is still up for debate. Believe me I am very tempted to do that but not right away since I still have to consider the options. If I do that, you can bet that it will only happen if and when Mei becomes Mizukage and the relationship between Konoha and Kiri will be safe and balanced. This can help build an alliance between Kiri and Konoha which can really surprise people in the ninja world, but I happen to like that.

…

Please send me your reviews, comments, and suggestions,. Like before flames will be promptly tossed aside.

See you!


	49. Old Feuds Part 3

Naruto the Twin Swords

Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Naruto so do not bother me about it.

Chapter 33

Part 3

Old Feuds…

( ): Thoughts

((" ")): Holy Talon's Voices

(( )): Kyuubi's voice

…

Back in the hidden Fortress…

"TIDAL SHURIKEN!"

Naruto unleashed a massive water shuriken that smashed deeply into the charging ranks of the reanimated Kekkai Genkai users. Several were forced back until one of them attacked with a Kekkai Genkai, namely a combination that resembled Mei'a own Lava Release. The results were massive spheres of super heated rock that glowed and once they were evaded, they exploded out like massive bombs. The detonation of the spheres on the ground and in the air released extreme heat and lava as well, serving as a double attack at the very same time.

Haku was quick to use his own Kekkai Genkai as he summoned a massive amount of ice to create walls of ice to block the incoming lava bombs. The resulting collisions created large amounts of steam to flow all over the place. This was enough to make the battle field a lot more serious, Menma was willing to support the others from the rear while Kin backed him up as he played his music to enhance the chakra of the others.

Naruto was quick to block another attack from a revived Kekkai Genkai user who unleashed several large blasts of Iron from the palms of his hands, showing that his Kekkai Genkai allowed him to control the Iron in his body to make weapons. Naruto cut the iron spears that were fired at his direction. Kakashi was also quick to find himself under attack by Haku's mother who used the same techniques that her son did as well.

Kakashi had to be ready as he was soon being surrounded by the mirrors and had to move fast in order to block the incoming Senbon that she had on hand. But before it could get even more serious, another Ice Mirror appeared beside him and he was soon taken by Haku himself, apparently the young man used his Kekkai Genkai to get Kakashi out of danger and face his mother himself. Soon it was the last of the Yuki Clan facing the resurrected form of his mother.

The Jonin hoped that Haku would be able to weather the storm before him, and it had nothing to do with battle. The sight of his mother being reborn and used as a test sample must be killing Haku, he would have felt the same had his father Sakumo, Obito, Minato, or Rin been brought back from the dead and used like this. He however had no time to react as another attack came his way and he had to be on guard.

Even more so when he and Zabuza were suddenly surrounded by the resurrected members of a certain battle loving clan who had been wiped out by the ninja of the Land of Water years before. Both Jonin got behind one another as Kakashi charged his own sword with his Lightning Chakra and Zabuza readied his own sword .

Zabuza swore as he looked at the reanimated figures.

"Of all the things I thought I would face here, the resurrected Kaguya Clan was not one of them!"

"I can see that, but we have no choice, we have to destroy them. This reminds me of the same Jutsu Orochimaru had used back when he and his ninja, along with the unsuspecting Suna forces attacked Konoha."

"Yeah, I heard of the attack but this definitely is not that kind of Jutsu, let's hope we can kill them before they get used in battle. Otherwise we will never see the end of it."

"Could not agree more!"

Both Jonin charged in as they were now attacking the resurrected Kaguya Clan warriors while Sakura was facing off against another resurrected ninja who was more than willing to unleash a Kekkai Genkai. This time this was a user of the Boil Release, forcing her to avoid a massive blast of acidic mist aimed at her. Mei was also facing off with another band of the Kaguya Clan who were eager to test themselves against the Kunoichi. The red haired Kunoichi had very little love for the Kaguya Clan and quickly unleashed a torrent of lava at them as they drew out their weapons to try and skewer her. She evaded the attacks and quickly showed her own level of physical strength by grabbing the outstretched hand of one of her attackers and tossed the offending ninja into the walls with such force that he left a serious impression in the rock. Sakura was not far behind as she also smashed a heel kick into the head of her own attacker to send the reanimated being down into the floor.

Neji was not far behind as he quickly blocked and counter attacked against his own attackers as these were also Kekkai Genkai users who might have been part of Mei's own clan as they were using Lava Release Jutsu on him. So far he had managed to avoid being tagged hard by the super heated rock but he was not going to let that happen to him. The problem he was facing at this moment was the fact that since his enemies were already dead, the use of the Gentle Fist was not too helpful since while he could damage them, he could not cripple them outright.

(Their bodies are already dead and while I can block their chakra, they can't be stopped in the same way as I did my normal foes.)

The Hyuuga quickly dodged another blast of Lava and closed in to attack with the Gentle Fist, only this time he amplified the amount of chakra he placed in the attack, changing the way he fought with the Gentle Fist to even up the odds. And this was possible because of Menma's ability to enhance chakra with his music based Jutsu.

Kin was also having a hard time as she focused on keep the attackers art bay away from Menma who was still using his ocarina to amplify the chakra of the others. She used her Senbon to amplify the chakra she sent into them to a sharp precise point to cause severe damage and used the Senbon to cut and slash her attackers in the same way Naruto used his Wind Chakra to cut with Jutsu. She had been able to use this trick in her time with Zabuza and coupled with her use of her still present Illusion Bell Needles which were amplified by Menma to even the odds. But she had to be careful since the forces before her were already dead and thus could not be stopped with injuries that killed normal foes. Menma was also in the same situation though he was able to keep his distance and have his safety due to Kin and also Sakura who managed to fight off her attackers and help Kin in protecting him.

As all of this was going on, Naruto himself had matters of his own to deal with as Kaelain was attacking him at full speed.

…

"Mother! Snap out of it!"

Haku shouted to her mother as he quickly used his Ice Release to avoid several of her own attacks as she fired out spears of ice at him. He reappeared and blocked her attack as she came at him with a blade made of solid ice. She looked at him wordlessly for a moment and replied after he blocked with his own Ice sword.

"I…cannot…I am already dead."

"Mother! Please don't do this!"

Haku knew that this was difficult and in another time, he would have given up wasting his powers to fighting a corpse. But this was different, before him was his mother and she had somehow been brought back to the land of the living. He had no idea how such a thing could be possible, but now was not the time for him to try and figure out this matter. He had to summon a second sword of ice to block the same second blade summoned by his mother. They crossed blades again and again while using the Ice Mirror technique to move back and try to attack one another. Haku quickly fired several senbon at his mother to try and slow her attacks down though he knew that it might not work the way he hoped.

As she was already dead, attacks that normally worked on the living would not work on her but he had no other choice, and he had an idea as he focused his Kekkai Genkai, having coated the senbon with his chakra and blood earlier. This was a difficult trick but it would work and the results were there as the senbon were suddenly releasing ice that quickly covered his mother's limbs, literally freezing her in place. Haku could only hope that this would buy him the time he needed until there was a way to stop his mother's rampage as well as also stopping the rest of the reanimated Kekkai Genkai users cold. But they were dealing with something that only Naruto could understand and deal with, so he only hoped that Naruto would be able to help them before things went completely out of hand.

…

Kaelain roared out as she quickly did a high speed flip and spin her body like a top and then smashed her fist towards Naruto, Naruto quickly rolled away as the attack caused a large crater to appear. He had no time to react however in surprise as he quickly blocked a massive blast of black fire aimed at him by the Succubus Maiden. The attack was similar to the same Jutsu Itachi and Sasuke used, only her fire was midnight black and was smaller but denser. Naruto gritted his teeth as he used Holy Talon to block that attack and he moved aside as Kaelain attacked with her fingernails extended like blades.

Solana did not use that move on him before but he suspected that all Succubae Maidens had different styles of fighting and this was just one of them, though it seemed more physical. He had no time to ponder it as he dodged several more swipes and managed to cut her nails. Kaelain screamed in fury at her nails being cut, but that did not last long as he nails merely grew back again.

(Think Lady Deathstrike from the X-men franchise. Or the Kelly Hu version of her in the movies, I did like the claws after all though Kaelain's are not made from Adamantium,.)

"You think that cutting my nails will work young Champion? Think again, I cam looking forward to running them on your exposed flesh before I start drawing lines on your bleeding body."

The Succubus Maiden said that with a very seductive smirk on her face as she moved in and attacked Naruto. The blonde gritted his teeth and blocked her attacks, and flipped back quickly and used both feet to attack Kaelain in mid flip. But the Succubus Maiden blocked that attack and quickly moved aside, and unleashed her wings to attack Naruto in mid flight, forcing the blonde to quickly change tactics as he blocked some of her attacks, but the summoned Succubus Maiden was able to still hit him. The sounds of tearing cloth was heard and Naruto saw several gashes on his Chuunin vest and knew that if he had no armor on, he would have been wounded. he landed on his feet and blocked a diving strike by the demonic female as she smiled at him, in a seductive but blood lusting fashion.

"Not bad, usually most men would be turned to a delightful mess with that attack, Holy Talon has taught you well."

Naruto grunted and quickly leaned back, this propelled Kaelian forward as Naruto used her own momentum in flight to send her sailing over him. He then quickly rolled back to his feet and tossed out some shuriken at the woman with bat wings. Kaelain blocked those with her wings, as they seemed to harden and become like shields of a sort. She unleashed another stream of black fire at Naruto as he quickly got away and then used Kage Bunshin to surprise Kaelain.

"Ooh...interesting technique young Champion, that has a LOT of potential you know."

The demonic woman was enjoying the fight as she quickly began to counter the attacks of the Kage Bunshin along with the real Naruto himself. Naruto managed to keep himself focused on the fight. And Kaelain was more than willing and ready to push him to breaking point. The Succubus Maiden quickly unleashed several blasts of black fire and red lightning at Naruto, forcing him to defend himself and soon a massive black fireball was fired at him by Kaelain as part of a spell.

"BLACK SPHERE!"

Naruto quickly used his training and summoned a spirit from the reservoir in Holy Talon and learned a new technique. He summoned his Dragon Fire and the sword glowed silver and he slashed at the massive sphere of black flames.

"SPELL CUTTER!"

The technique was more than able to do what it was meant to do and cut the sphere and the black flames hit the ground and burned the stone floor. Naruto quickly unleashed his own spell at Kaelain.

"LIGHTNING STORM!"

The blonde unleashed several bolts of lightning at the female demon and she smirked as she summoned her wings and used them as shields. She groaned a bit in pain but she was not going to take that blow without retaliation. She quickly used her wings and charged right at Naruto, with the obvious intent of slicing off his head with a high speed strike. Naruto managed to block the attack, but the force of the charge the demon used forced him back and he landed hard on the ground. The blonde ninja coughed out in surprise, but quickly rolled to the left as Kaelian unleashed her nails like spears, and stabbed the exact place he had been on moments before. Naruto did not have to get up however as Kaelian quickly unleashed black fireballs at him once again and that forced him to quickly move to avoid being incinerated.

The blonde managed to get to his feet and he turned his eyes briefly to look at the others and saw that all of them were being hard pressed by fighting the reanimated Kekkai Genkai users. Fighting the undead was not something that happened every day and these were not the usual type of undead as he felt something about them. Naruto turned back his attention to the Succubus Maiden before him and decided to attack this time. The young Dragon Champion unleashed a massive barrage of smaller but faster fireballs which was forcing her to move away. And as she dived towards him, he quickly flipped over her and as she turned around to attack him, Naruto made his move.

"TAKE THIS!"

Instead of using a spell or a Jutsu, Naruto quickly fired several kunai at the demonic woman and these were carrying high explosive tags. The woman blocked them but got a shock when they detonated around her. The blast damaged her as she shrieked in pain and that allowed Naruto to move in for a strike. As soon as he landed, he quickly used the same technique with Holy Talon when he fought Neji and Orochimaru a long time ago. The move was enough to force Kaelain to move to the ground and avoid being cut in half by the sword. But she was quick to move forward and attack Naruto.

"Now I have you!"

"NO YOU DON'T!"

The shouts came from none other than both Kin and Sakura as both Kunoichi managed to get some distance and attacked the demon before she could attack Naruto. The pink haired Medic Nin used her strength to toss a massive boulder at Kaelian while Kin unleashed her special Senbon at Kaelian. The combined attack forced the Succubus Maiden to move away and she snarled at both Sakura and Kin and it was clear that she disliked having her battle disrupted as she made a spell at the two women.

"Stay out of this! RAGING BLAST!"

The massive gout of sickly green fire came at both Sakura and Kin who were forced to back away, along with Menma who was able to also avoid the attack, but the results of the attack were there as several of the reanimated Kekkai Genkai users who had been nearby were incinerated by the blast itself. Naruto was however quick to recover and soon he was able to launch his own attacks as he took out one of his collapsible wing spears and use it alongside Holy Talon to attack his foe. the combined strikes of the weapons forced Kaelain to redirect her attentions on the blonde and not the others.

They soon blocked each other's strikes bu Naruto soon managed to flip over the woman and before she could slash at him he sliced her fingernails to get him an opening and stabbed with the spear. The blow cut into her shoulder and Kaelain screeched in pain as she moved back, but not before unleashing a quick spell at Naruto.

"WIND SPHERE!"

The wind spell was able to hit the blonde, but not entirely as he was able to block it with his spear, however, the blast had forced him to cas aside his weapon and he was now back to using Holy Talon. But then Kaelain quickly ordered two of the reanimated kekkai genkai to attack Naruto. One had somehow an ability to manipulate magnetic fields as he somehow unleashed waves of Shuriken at Naruto which he had dodged but had to do so again as the weapons came at him once more, similar to the technique he used with Holy Talon. The other seemed to be able to turn himself into water and attack Naruto by moving quickly into a puddle to disrupt the attacks he made and attack him with solid water attacks.

The blonde was forced to move fast and he knew that the main target would use this chance to heal herself. Choumaza seemed content to observe and he had no idea if he was the one controlling the reanimated bodies or was it Kaelain. He spoke then to Holy Talon as he managed to free himself from the attacks of the one who could make his whole body into water and managed to cut in half one of the shuriken thrown at him.

...

(Holy Talon! Can you sense if either Choumaza or Kaelain are controlling the dead Kekkai Genkai users?)

(("Yes and it seems that Kaelain is the one who is currently in full control of the reanimated bodies, if we can strike her down, then the spell that holds them together fades away."))

(((So get it done brat, these guys are becoming a pain in the backside!)))

...

Naruto directed his focus on the two coming at him along with a reinvigorated and healed Kaelian. He focused on the one who had the ability to turn his entire body into water first. The blonde knew that physical attacks would be useless but chakra attacks of sufficient strength might be enough to do the damage. Only problem there was that he could not use more powerful Jutsu without endangering the others who were still in the fight. he then had an idea as he quickly avoided several more attacks and began to summon his Dragon Fire. he had to do it quickly though as the three attackers came at him hard and fast. he then summoned some Kage Bunshin once more to do two things, the majority were to by him time, and the other was to help him with something.

Kaelain was enjoying the fight as she allowed her followers to engage the ones who were there before them as she fought with two of the Kage Bunshin, enjoying the rush of battle as her dark blood flowed in her veins and filled her with power. The two were proving to be a test of her skill even though they were merely clones. And her followers were also getting a bit of a work out. But she had no doubt that Naruto had something up his sleeve.

And she was right as the real Naruto and the Kage Bunshin who was with him suddenly charged at the one who could form into water with a Rasengan. But this one was now purely blue in color, but glacial white as well. The Kage Bunshin who were engaging the target quickly were dispelled to allow naruto use the smoke of their dispelling to cover his attack. And the second his attack collided with the target in question. The attack was actually a fusion of his Rasengan with a Dragon Fire spell, namely one using the Elemental magic, which was designed to freeze targets.

"GLACIER RASENGAN!"

The results were instantaneous as the water user was hit hard in the chest but was unable to move as the magical spell fused with the Rasengan froze him in place. Naruto's training in magic, while not yet very high in terms of overall power was enough to ensure that his spell would pack an extremely powerful hit. And the results were explosive as the reanimated ninja was frozen into nothing but a block of rock hard ice. but with Naruto still using his Rasengan, the statue of his foe did not last long.

BOOM!

The fully frozen figure exploded into nothing more shards of ice and Naruto was not stopping just yet as he took his other wing Spear and expanded it to allow him to attack the second foe while his kage Bunshin kept Kaelain away from the battle itself. he charged right at the other reanimated Kekkai Genkai user who unleashed his shuriken at Naruto but he was able to avoid them before they were able to hit him. he then moved back in a flip as they came back and blocked the returning shuriken with his spear, he tossed them aside and quickly attacked before they could return and he quickly used a Kage Bunshin to toss him up to flip over the reanimated fighter as it caught the shuriken to turn around. Only for Naruto to strike as he had shortened his spear before he landed to get close to his foe. Once he did so, he quickly expanded the weapon, impaling the foe just as he also summoned a massive pillar of stone from the Earth using Earth Branch Dragon Fire magic. The spear was also infused with his Wind chakra to allow it to cut even through the stone and he then left the figure there to be impaled on the stone.

This was enough to stop his foe cold as kaelian finally slew the kage Bunshin who had managed to keep her frm the fight. But she was pleased as she was ready and eager to finish off Naruto.

That left only Kaelain and Naruto to face one another and soon they attacked at the same time.

...

Naruto quickly moved out of the way of Kaelian's various attacks and then ducked just as Kaelain's fingernails slashed at where his neck would have been, denying her the chance to decapitate him in her attack. She tried to move away, but Naruto was having none of it as he quickly leaped forward and revealed that in the moment he ducked, he summoned his Rasengan. The Succubus Maiden did not have enough time to react as Naruto slammed the attack into her stomach. he also included some of his Dragon Fire into the attack along with his chakra for maximum damage. And the results of the attack were very hard to dispute as Kaelian coughed out dark purple blood from her mouth as she screamed in pain.

"AAAAAGGGGGG!"

Naruto quickly followed up the attack with a serious headbutt into the face of the female demon just as she was flung a good distance from him. But he was not letting up as he attacked, however the demoness had more than enough wits about her to recover and see him come at her at full strength. That forced Kaelian to move as best she could from any counter attack. Naruto predicted that and took out some of his kunai with explosive tags and tossed them at her. She managed to block them despite her badly injured state but the attacks she blocked only helped Naruto as he forced her back into their blast range. he leaped back as she tried to cut him and he activated the tags. The explosions consumed Kaelian who was forced to use her wings as shields to protect herself, but that also wounded her greatly.

"GGGGGAAAAAAHHHHH!"

Naruto did not hesitate as he charged in just as she opened her wings and tried to slash at him, only for him to duck and then stab forward with Holy Talon, using the angle of his evasion move to hide the sword. That attack was straight and true as the holy weapon skewered Kaelain in the chest, the sword piercing her just below her rib cage. The shock of the attack had hit the woman hard as she felt her blood flow out of her mouth and down to the ground as she looked to see the sword there. She had no time to react as Naruto quickly yanked out Holy Talon and swiftly slashed out to cut her in the stomach once and a second slash to strike her right at the neck.

She held her throat in pain but smiled weakly at the blonde ninja.

"You...fought well...mmmmm...better than I thought...looks like I failed my sister..."

Any other words she was going to say ended as her dark blood flowed from all three wounds and her head soon fell off her shoulders and landed on the ground, followed by her body moments later. In that moment her entire body burst into violet black flames and soon she was reduced to ash. But he knew that it was not over, for as long as Death Fang remained intact and still at full power, she would be reborn. And she was able to manifest herself in spirit form briefly to move forward and caress his cheek, unmindful of the disgusted expression on his face.

"You have won, but I will return, and maybe I will not be alone this time. My sister and I might come back and pay you a visit. You can handle one of us, but two?"

Kaelain's form faded away and Naruto relaxed himself as he knew that her death was the thing that could end this, if Holy Talon was right on the money.

...

That death was soon followed by the bodies of the slain Kekkai Genkai users to suddenly freeze and soon drop dead to the ground, showing that Holy Talon was right. With Kaelian dead, the spell that kept the bodies and their trapped souls moving was undone and now they were dead once more. That was a great sign of relief for the team, but that was marred by the fact that Choumaza had managed to escape the whole battle. Haku managed to unfreeze his mother's corpse and held her close to him. It would have looked rather macabre to others, but the chance to finally be close to his mother was something he could not turn away from.

Naruto walked over to Haku and placed Holy Talon on his mother, the sword glowed briefly for a moment or two and was convinced that the spell that bound the soul and body together and allowed Kaelian to control them to be over. He looked at Haku and was not pleased to see the emotions on his face, seeing his mother being forced back to life and used as a weapon was hard on Haku and he wanted to help him recover. Holy Talon however had a solution as it spoke to him through the special link between the two of them.

(("Master, there is a way that we can allow Haku to speak to his mother's soul."))

(What do you mean?)

(("There is a spell known as the Spirit Circle, it's used by Mages of the Silver Star to speak to spirits without forcibly bringing them to the world as the fllowers of Chorvax are known to do. This should help ease the pain Haku is feeling."))

(How does it work?)

Holy Talon filled him in and he nodded as he spoke to Haku privately, the young man who still held his mother's body and shed tears at being forced to not only fight her, but to see her being treated like this, turned to Naruto in surprise. he listened intently to what Naruto was telling him and for a moment a spark of hope filled his eyes. He looked at his mother and thought about what Naruto had in mind and nodded in agreement, he had known that Naruto was a man of his word and while he could not fully bring people back to life, the chance that his blonde friend could allow him to speak to his mother without the use of whatever perverse and evil magic that turned her into this.

"All right Naruto-san, i trust you."

Naruto nodded in relief and soon they all went to work to destroy the bodies to prevent them from ever being used, only the body of Haku's mother was spared this fate under Naruto's request. It was hard work and their previous battles had drained them, but they got it done and soon they were heading back to the hidden Terumi compound. All of them had injuries and therefore Sakura was going to be busy once more. They soon heard that the members of Mei's clan had been hit by what remained of the mercenaries but they had fought them off. Mei was relieved but that meant that there were injuries that had to be tended, and Sakura was ready for that.

…

In the Terumi's new base of operations…

Sakura was very busy with her use of healing Jutsu as she began to work on healing the injured members of their team and the members of the Terumi Clan and some of their charges. The battle had been hard for all of them and at least the work of the servants of Death Fang had been stopped. She looked up to see more of the people coming in and she was pleased at least that she had been given the training to handle the workload before her. The training Naruto also gave her on using her Dragon Fire reserves to heal the injuries better, she knew that despite her wish that Naruto was with her to help with the healing, he was busy with another matter that was rather important.

And that was to allow Haku to speak to his beloved mother one last time. SO for now, she would have to work with Kin, Menma, and Neji helping her out.

And Sakura was right as in another part of the clan base, Naruto was working hard to create a special magical symbol. It was something that he learned in his time of training in the magical aspect of the Dragon Champions. In the middle was the body of Haku's mother and next to him was Haku who was also being watched by Zabuza and Kakashi.

Neji, Menma, Mei Terumi, and Kin were busy on patrol and as such, they still kept in touch with one another, for now it was between Naruto, Haku, his mother, and the two Jonin. Once Naruto was done with making the symbol, he began to summon his Dragon Fire in himself and Holy Talon and soon the symbol glowed in a gentle silver light with golden specks appearing there. Soon a strange blue mist came from the body of Haku's mother and soon took the form of Haku's mother, only she looked, whole, healthy, and her smile was full of warmth and life.

"Haku-chan, I am happy to see you again."

Haku looked at Naruto and the blonde nodded at his partner and he moved forward, he tried to reach out with his hands, fearing that the very second he touched the figure before him, she would fade away. But as he finally touched his mother's hands, he felt…her warmth, her skin, her flesh, she was alive and when he looked at her smile, she was smiling warmly and there were tears running down her cheeks. He could not help himself anymore and hugged his mother.

She gasped a bit but smiled as she hugged her son back, warm tears flowed down her own face as she held her son. Haku did not hesitate to hold his mother tightly in his arms and prayed to Kami that even if this was temporary, this would last forever.

"Mother…I am so happy, I missed you, I missed you so much."

"And I missed you, my dear child, how much you have grown, I am happy that I am here for a time to hold you again, my beloved snow rabbit."

This was a nickname Haku got when he carried a beautiful white rabbit in his youth and his mother called him that at one time…before the tragic day he discovered his powers.

(No! I will not remember that day! Not now…I want to remember this moment no matter how brief it is.)

They soon parted from one another and Haku spoke to her once again.

"I am so sorry for what you went through…had I known."

"Hush, you did not know so you have no blame in what happened to me. And you and your friends freed me after all, and I am happy that you are alive and safe. I was there in the land of the dead for a while now, but I am pleased to see that you have grown into a fine young man."

"Mother…"

The two spoke to one another for a time as Naruto continued to maintain the energy that allowed Haku to speak to his mother and to allow her to be in the world of the living. There was a set time limit to how long he could maintain the link and when that time limit was reached, Haku's mother would be sent back to the underworld no matter how much power he put into it. But it seemed to be enough for the two as Haku told his mother about what happened to her ever since the day he had escaped the group that included his father.

After a while, the woman kissed her son and spoke to him.

"I am happy to know that you are safe, and you have a home, I might not have a lot of love towards Konoha, but I am happy that they welcomed you here. And there you are safe which is all that I can ask as a mother. Grow strong and have a happy life for not just me my little Snow Rabbit, but for yourself as well. Farewell."

Haku smiled as his mother's soul began to fade away and the symbol before him was soon fading away and when it did, he wiped the tears from his eyes. His mother's body had been healed and restored to proper health, had it not been for the fact that she was recognized as dead, she would have looked as if she was only sleeping. It was a favor he asked of Naruto who agreed as he restored his mother's body back to full form and without a single mark on her form.

It was not long before the two were visited by the others who had been healed by Sakura and they were happy to know that the mission was by all rights over. Mei herself was very happy that not only was her clan safe, but what they had done had helped protect the people of the Land of Water who were innocent and wanted to live their lives in peace. The redhead Kunoichi was pleased also by the fact that the ones who had been doing these kidnappings had finally been stopped, though that was tempered by the fact that the bastards already got what they had wanted.

This was a concern for not just the Kunoichi though, but Kakashi, Zabuza, Haku, and Naruto as well, even more so for the blonde Chuunin and Dragon Champion as he had no idea just what Death Fang planned with the samples that Choumaza and Kaelain had been able to get for it. But if there was one thing that he knew with absolute certainty, it was not the leas bit good for anyone. They all soon placed those thoughts aside and began to bury the bodies of the now dead Kekkai Genkai users. Naruto personally anointed the bodies with specially made seals to prevent them from ever being used by the evil sword and it's minions. Even the battle loving Kaguya Clan were also given that gift since having them being reanimated was the last thing anyone wanted.

…

Later…

Naruto summoned his Dragon Fire once more and then unleashed a large white stream of fire and it surrounded the form of Haku's mother. Only this did not incinerate her body, but the flame began to take the form of imperishable diamond. The crystal quickly engulfed the woman's fully restored and mended body quickly and soon she was encased in a diamond coffin. Haku could not help but shed tears as the crystal preserved his mother the way he remembered her so long ago, but her sad look was replaced with a radiant smile and that made Haku happy.

Once it was over, he looked at Naruto who smiled at him and spoke to him.

"You don't have to worry Haku, your mother is going to be safe in this diamond coffin, it's enchanted and it will not disappear. I will make sure that no one is going to defile her body ever again, and she will be buried in a place that no one will find her."

Haku smiled and wiped the tears in his eyes and replied.

"Thank you Naruto-san."

Naruto then summoned Kael and asked him to take the coffin to a safe place in the Land of Fire to be properly hidden away. And when that was over, he assured Haku that he would be able to take him to where his mother would be buried and kept safe. It was also here that Naruto learned that Haku had been seeing someone in Konoha. That naturally surprised and amused Naruto and he asked if the woman in question was something they all knew. Haku blushed a bit and replied that she was a good person and truth be told, was something he befriended only three months ago. And he also mentioned that they were also becoming a bit more than friends. the blonde was even more curious but decided not to press the issue as they moved to the others. As they walked back, Mei walked over to them and spoke with pride and happiness.

"I have to thank you all immensely for what you all have done, it will be a while before things settle down, but at least we managed to drive off the ones responsible for this…madness and senseless loss of life. I do hope that what we did will not be forgotten and there will come a time that how people here in the Land of Water view those with Kekkai Genkai will change."

Kakashi nodded as Zabuza spoke as well.

"That's going to be a hard battle Mei or more of a hard to reach dream, you should know that."

Naruto however decided to speak.

"But it's a dream worth reaching for, maybe you can be the one who can change them Mei-san."

Mei looked at the blonde Chuunin and smiled at him for his rather unique spirit and she could not help but feel that he was a very special person.

"You are a very good man Naruto-kun, tell me something, what is your dream?"

Naruto smiled even more and without losing a beat he spoke of his dream.

"My dream is to be Hokage some day and help protect the people I care for in this world, and also make the idea of peace and prosperity a reality."

After hearing the dream of the blonde Chuunin before her, Mei Terumi could not help but smile at him as she found his desire to be interesting. More jaded ninja would have considered this young man's dreams to be just that, dreams. But she felt that this young man could actually make those dreams become real. There was something about him that perked her interest and she liked that, he was rather good looking and yet was very warm, compassionate, and had an energy about him that was very welcoming. That was alsoi including the fact that he resembled someone who she had seen before as a younger child. Long ago, she had been on a mission with her clan prior to the start of the Kekkai Genkai purges and there had met none other than the Fourth Hokage, or rather, Konoha's Yellow Flash Minato Namikaze. She like all people in the ninja world heard of the man and she was impressed by what she saw.

There was also the fact that the man in question was very handsome so even when they were ninja on two different sides she could not help but admire the man. That was a long time ago and she had to accept the fact that she had actually developed something of a crush on the man himself at that age and was not happy to learn that he was rumored to be married, She was saddened by his death though by then the purges were underway and she had other matters that demanded her attention.

Somehow, the boy reminded her of him and after seeing him in action, the Terumi clan heiress could not help but see that he had a LOT of potential and so much promise. She could only hope that fate would be kind to the young man and allow him to reach that dream. Also a more...primal female side of her wanted to see just what he would be like when he was older. Who knows, she might very well want to develop a working alliance with him in the future, and perhaps more as well. But she decided that perhaps she could make her dream a bit different yet just as meaningful.

"That is your dream Naruto-kun?"

"Yep!"

"Well then, I have decided to make a few changes to my dream, to change the way that Kekkai Genkai is seen in our land as Mizukage."

That got the attention of everyone and Naruto most of all as he had not expected that of all things but Naruto took that in stride and spoke to Mei.

"Great to hear that Mei-san, I think you will make an amazing Mizukage someday."

The woman smiled at the way Naruto said it and replied to that.

"That is good praise coming from you, I hope to see you again and see if you have become the Hokage you wish to be. Perhaps when that happens, I too will be Mizukage, and we can speak as equals or perhaps more."

Mei winked and smiled at Naruto who had the sense to blush a bit, showing that he was a lot more mature now and was quick to grasp the internal meaning behind the beautiful Kunoichi's words and actions. This was not lost in the slightest by Sakura and Kin and they merely sighed and shook their heads, but at least they were not going to blow their tops. Kakashi merely sighed a bit at that and smiled with his eye at Naruto, Zabuza merely sighed a bit and rubbed his head with his free hand. As for the other male members of the group, they merely sighed a bit and decided to leave the matter be.

Mei also decided to send word to her long time friend and send word for the payment to be sent to Konoha. With all of that sorted out, she bid farewell to the group as they headed back to Konoha. Naruto was still trying to get used to what happened and admitted that meeting Mei again would be interesting for the both of them. Though he was still not sure if she was indeed serious with what she had said to him. But that did not mean that his more perverted male side found the idea of meeting her again the least appealing.

…

However…not everything is going to be simple.

…

Konoha…

Sasuke was still deep in his personal pit in anger and right now he was in his personal prison cell and under heavy guard. He had been given his meal for the night and despite his anger at being locked away like a common criminal, he kept his silence and decided to be patient. He will have his chance and Naruto would pay dearly for this. But he knew that he had to wield more power something to give him the edge he truly needed. As he looked at the wall, he felt his anger grow deeper and more serious and it was a job to keep him from doing something foolish. Even in the grip of his anger, he knew that venting out and wasting his energy would gain him nothing at all right now. As he ate the food, he looked at the wall and after staring at the unyielding stone, got off the bed and he began to pace back and forth and wondered just what was his next move.

After what happened between him and Naruto, and when he recovered enough, he was locked away in a special wing of the Konoha Prison and the idea of being trapped here until he was brought to trial infuriated him further. He however stopped when he felt the Cursed Seal burn a little bit more. But unlike before when he could not stand the pain this seal brought on him, he took in the pain, welcoming it as it served to keep him focused on his desires. That was power and the chance to slay Itachi, but not he had another desire, to make Naruto suffer and lose everything for all time. But he could not do that now as he was under guard and right now, all he could do was wait. However it seemed that things were about to change as an ANBU walked in.

Sasuke faced the man and was annoyed to see that the man remained silent.

"What the hell do you want? Here to tell me something from the Hokage?"

The man began to laugh and removed his mask, to reveal none other than Kabuto Yakushi.

"Well now Sasuke-kun, seems that fortune has finally turned her back on you hasn't it?"

Sasuke glared at the spy of Orochimaru and spoke once more.

"What do you want from me?"

"Why to see how you were doing Sasuke-kun. Hard to imagine that you are now like this, being a prisoner and treated as nothing more than a common criminal. I thought you were better than this Sasuke-kun."

"You came all the way here to tell me that? Get out!"

Sasuke tried to lash out at Kabuto, but the highly skilled ninja spy of Orochcimaru quickly disarmed him and soon slammed Sasuke into the wall and spoke seriously.

"You had better watch your temper Sasuke-kun, I came here to give you an offer, I have been able to see how things have been for you and I have to admit that you seem to be seriously lagging behind compared to Naruto-kun. He has grown a lot stronger hasn't he? And it galls you that it has happened. I am here to offer you a chance to grow stronger."

"Become a student of Orochimaru?"

"Yes, you have been using the Cursed Seal already, I can tell from the way you have been acting lately. The seal grants you power, but truth be told, you are nothing compared to the ones who have borne the seal longer than you. They have mastered the Seal better than you have and have even managed to unlock it's other functions. And they are strong since out of the others who bore the seal, only the five of them have survived the process."

Sasuke was silent at this and he began to think about what Kabuto was telling him. The idea of mastering the Cursed Seal was too good to pass up and with it, he might very well get one step closer to accomplishing his goal of killing Itachi.

Kabuto then decided to spice up the offer a bit more as he spoke.

"Also, I believe you would like to know that the second phase of the Cursed Seal would grant you great power if you have the desire and will to master it and endure the pain that it will entail. Plus, I have no doubt that Orochimaru will be more than happy to help you improve and not care for what you will do. Unlike the people here in Konoha who seemed to have lost their respect for you. And besides, I am well aware of the people who have looked down on you for being the last survivor of the Uchiha. The last one named Aoi, you never managed to slay him, only Naruto-kun did."

Sasuke was enraged by the memory of it and glared darkly at Kabuto who replied.

"Glaring at me will not help you Sasuke-kun. if you truly want to grow stronger, without restraint, without any bonds tying you down, then go to Orochimaru and receive more power. Power enough to bring you ever closer to killing Itachi once and for all, or do you plan to let yourself rot here for the rest of your life?"

"No..."

"No? You mean you will not join Orochimaru-sama to gain more mastery of the Cursed Seal?"

"I will not stay here, fine, I will go with you to Orochimaru, but not before I do something here in Konoha?"

"Oh, and what would that be?"

Sasuke finally grinned a bit and replied.

"To take revenge on someone, and to take something that will be useful to me."

…

To be continued…

…

Author's Notes:

Well, this chapter is now over and I will be working on the next chapter, a chapter that I feel is going to test my very limits. That chapter is going to be the opening salvo for the arc that will have Sasuke defect from Konoha but not before doing something dark to the people Naruto loves and cares for. You can bet that when we get to that point we are going to see just how the battle between Naruto and Sasuke will differ from what happened in the canon anime and manga.

For those who think that I am going to do a rape scene, I want to assure you that I will not do that at all. I however will be doing something that is dark and will still make a negative situation. The people who Naruto loves will recover in time, but Naruto's already stained relationship with Sasuke is going to be even darker. He still will keep his word to Sasuke, but he will no longer hesitate to stop Sasuke dead if he goes even deeper into darkness.

Itachi's request to Naruto is still on and what I have seen thus far in the manga may still apply so it's still up in the air on how this story is going to end.

And yes, this and the coming handful of chapters shall be the end of Naruto Dragon Champion itself. A sequel will be created in due time and I will take what happened in the anime and manga into consideration for the rest of the sequel. What I can share with you about the soon to come sequel is in two parts.

The first is that Naruto will already be physically a mature man due to the changes done to him and his time with Jiraiya and Holy Talon will mold him into a very capable ninja and Dragon Champion. Along with that, he will become a very capable yet still human leader in his own right as he will be given the rank of Jonin. One more step to his dream and also doing the right thing to protect Konoha despite the darkness in itself.

And the second…well, if you have been keeping track of his…escapades with the ladies in his life, you can bet that he will see the results of those moments. I don't need to explain that part to all of you do I? All I can say is that Konoha is going to be having one HELL of a wedding ceremony and the results will be fun!

I might even dedicate an entire arc of chapters on how Naruto handles being a father and also his moving to a much larger and more spacious place of residence in the soon to come future for himself and the rather larger family he might soon be having. As for the other females from the movies and the arcs Naruto has been in, I MIGHT try that and see just what might happen. These moments are going to really test me to the limits.

But hey, better that than going simple right?

See you soon!


	50. Betrayal and Fury

Naruto : The Twin Swords

Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Naruto, so let's not get into a courtroom all right?

Chapter 34

Betrayal and Fury

( ): Thoughts

((" ")): Holy Talon's voice

(( )): Kyuubi's voice

…

In Konoha…

Naruto was tired and headed to the Hokage's Tower as he needed to deliver his own report alongside Kakashi, Sakura and the others had gone off to rest while Zabuza himself would be with them and then head off to the place he called home. Haku was also going to take a break and also meet up with the one he was very close friends with.

Naruto had no idea just who this friend was though he knew that said friend was female, but he trusted Haku enough and did not decide to pry since it was also not his business of Haku was seeing a woman in the village. Besides seeing that Haku was very happy and seemed to be on a very good relationship with said friend made Naruto happy as Haku was making friends in his new home, something that he did not have the luxury of when he was still wandering with Zabuza and working with that wretched bastard Gato.

He was still very curious on what was the exact nature of the relationship between Haku and the mystery woman but he decided not to ask those questions, as long as Haku was happy, he was going to let it slide. Not to mention the fact that it mirrored his very own romantic situation with the ladies he was already in a very unique situation with. As he and the others got to the tower, he looked about to see that things in Konoha looked to be rather peaceful and he had every desire to see it that way for as long as he was alive. All the lessons that he had gained since taking his training seriously were very helpful in keeping him focused on the many tasks before him. There was also the matter of making sure that he kept himself up to date with what was Death Fang up to.

The incident in the Land of Water was a serious cause for concern as he had no idea what was it that the evil sword would be doing with those samples of Kekkai Genkai. Holy Talon explained that Death Fang's actions might be geared into creating either new forces from the samples his minions had gained, or find ways to incorporate these abilities into minions that were present. The Holy Sword however explained that it might be possible for Death Fang to imprint corrupted and temporary but effective these abilities into a Dragon Champion to use in battle. It was not easy by any standard but it was well within the realm of the evil sword's abilities. And any means to spread it's evil desires was more than welcomed by Death Fang.

The thought of that being possible was not the least bit pleasant to the blonde as the Kekkai Genkai that he had seen thus far were dangerous to an extent and the idea of the sword doing all three possible scenarios with said Kekkai Genkai was less than good. He however then asked if Holy Talon could do the same as Death Fang, and he was informed by his partner that it was able to do the same thing, but it was discouraged since Naruto's already present abilities will be enough and it also pointed out that by developing spells and techniques of his own in battle, then Naruto could counter these kinds of attacks.

Those thoughts were placed out of his mind for now as he and the group that remained from the team they led into the Land of Water soon made it to the Hokage Tower to deliver their reports to the blonde Sannin.

...

Sakura's home...

Sakura yawned a bit as she finally got the chance to relax after taking a much needed shower and also get her things organized. It had been a good chance to unwind after the mission that they had taken part in and also make sense of what to do next. She was still disturbed somewhat by the battle and the things she had seen, but decided not to worry about that for now as she felt that it would have to be dealt with later. As she sat down on her bed, she looked out the window and looked at the clouds above even if it was already going to be night time and smiled a bit. Right now her training with Tsunade Senju was proceeding quite well and her medical jutsu skills were very much welcome, along with the training she had gotten to increase her fighting abilities. All she could hope for was that this would help her team but at the thought of her team, she began to feel uneasy and worried.

Ever since the incident between Naruto and Sasuke, she began to feel that there was going to be a serious change in the air. She still hoped that Sasuke would change and not go deeper. But she had to be realistic as well, Sasuke's darkening nature told her that it was not going to be long before he would do something that would bring him deeper into darkness. She wished that it would not be the case, yet she knew that if it came to that, she would be ready.

...

Kin was also heading to Naruto's home to relax there since technically she would go there every now and then. She was also happy to have the mission over and done with so she could enjoy herself and relax. The mission had been a real test of her skills and she was happy to have made it back to the village alive and safe. She was happy to now be a resident in this village since the place was a lot better than what things were back in Sound. The former Sound Genin was pleased to have made it through the whole mess she would have been dragged in so long ago had it not been for Naruto saving her life.

Once she got there, she decided to get some sleep before doing some chores since she had no doubt that Naruto was going to be a bit late in coming home.

...

In the Hokage Tower...

Tsunade read the report handed to her by Kakashi and after reading it detail by detail, she directed her attention to Naruto himself.

"Naruto, what exactly do you think is the plan Death Fang has for the Kekkai Genkai that was taken by Choumaza?"

"It might be used by that sword to give boost to either it's minions or to the user, Holy Talon states that it is within Death Fang's abilities. Honestly Tsunade-sama, I have no clue on what would be the results, only that it will be risky."

The blonde Hokage said nothing about it as she began to think about the implications of the whole thing and decided that with things as they were now, she would have to step up security and also make sure that the ninja forces of Konoha were ready. She was not going to be a slave driver to her people, but better to sweat a bit now than lose a lot of blood later.

"I see, well then, this report will be filed in and we have received payment hours before you arrived to show that our client was pleased with the outcome. At this time, you have no other missions yet so take a break."

The ninja nodded and soon left, but then Tsunade spoke to Naruto.

"Naruto, stay for a while, I have something to discuss with you."

Naruto nodded and the others did not mind, soon he was alone with Tsunade as Shizune was busy doing her rounds in the hospital. He looked at Tsunade and spoke to her, curiosity evident in both his facial expressions and voice.

"What do you want to talk to me about Tsunade-chan?"

"I want you to follow me to the library in the Hokage Tower."

Later...

Tsunade smiled warmly at Naruto as they were currently in the library in the Tower, the blonde was there to take a look at the same scroll that he had actually stolen a few months back before he became a Genin. This was something that normally would have been asking for trouble, even more so since this was the reason Naruto got into serious trouble in the first place. But since he had done so much already and he had learned a critical Jutsu that led to his growth as a ninja, this was all right in her book. As they got the scroll, Tsunade remembered the times her grandfather would allow her to read the scrolls that were filled with the Jutsu that he had known for some time. She might not have learned them and used them in her own time as a Kunoichi, but she decided to grow on her own terms.

Now she wanted Naruto to learn what he might be able to use, most would have considered her mad to allow him to get even within a hundred feet of said scroll, bu she trusted Naruto enough to do it.

And her trust in him was not lost to the blonde as he spoke to her.

"Are you sure about this Tsunade-chan? I mean, this was what got me in hot water before I became a Genin."

"True, I talked to Iruka about it actually, but if you were to think about it, you gained a valuable Jutsu there in that same scroll and you also managed to learn the truth about yourself and learn to be stronger. Most would think I am foolish to do this action, showing you the scroll once more, but I have faith in you Naruto-kun. You have grown very strong, and perhaps you might be able to learn something that can help you accomplish your dream of Hokage and possibly learn how to counter other Jutsu."

"What do you mean?"

Tsunade sighed and replied.

"Orochimaru long before he left years ago, actually broke into this place and began to read this scroll. It was here that he learned the Impure World Resurrection Jutsu. The same Jutsu he used to bring back my grand father and my grand uncle, the First Hokage, and Second Hokage. It was something that I was disgusted to know when I came back to Konoha, to know that what my grand father learned is being used to cause misery and pain. But I think that if you can learn something that can help you, then I will allow it."

Naruto smiled and was pleased at the level of trust Tsunade gave him and nodded.

"Thank you Tsunade-chan!"

The two of them decided to work together on this and select a Jutsu or more that Naruto could be able to use in battle. And at least this time around, Naruto had official permission to read from the scroll. That meant he was no longer going to worry about doing something that would have a long line of ninjas chasing after him and getting himself in trouble. All he could hope for was that the Jutsu that he chose and trained in when he had the chance would help him change the outcome of a battle that he would one day find himself in. And who knows, he might be able to use the Jutsu in battle against Death Fang and the future master or mistress if found. As long as he still had time on his hands, he was going to make the most of it.

...

Sasuke was deeply brooding as he was still in his cell, running through the ideas in his head, it had been at least a week since he had been visited by Kabuto and he was more than ready to give his decision on whether he would willingly go to Orochimaru ot not. The former Konoha ninja was by far the only one he could go to for the power needed to do what he wanted. And also he planned to gain revenge on Naruto, but as much as he did not want to admit it, he knew that attacking Naruto head on was not a wise idea at the moment. He would have to strike in a way that would finally give him a chance to even the odds and make the blonde idiot suffer and bleed for all the things that have happened.

And he already had an idea about how he was going to pull it off. All he needed to do was to wait for the ones that Kabuto had promised. Before he left, the spy for Orochimaru told him that the ones he had spoken of were going to make their move soon to free him. And when that happened, they were on a set time table since Konoha had regained most of it's old strength if not it's numbers. He had no doubt that when the time came for him to strike at Naruto, he was going to make sure that the strike was going to stab the blonde Chuunin right in the heart.

But for now, he had to wait for the chance to get out of the prison, and get help from the team of Sound Genin that had the same Cursed Seal as he did. He was still not sure of what Kabuto said about the Cursed Seal was true, but for the chance to finally have the power needed to kill Itachi, he was ready to take that chance. And to prove to everyone, himself, and Naruto most of all that he was still the strongest ninja in the world. Kabuto told him that when the time was right, he would send in the Sound Four and they would help him escape and do what he wanted from them before he left with them to Orochimaru. The thought of striking back at his former team mate gave the dark haired traitor ninja the energy to make a very sinister smile.

And soon he was going to make his move...

...

Three days later...

Naruto was now off to take another mission, this time it was to escort a convoy carrying supplies to one of the other towns near the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning. While the Land of Lightning and the Land of Fire were on cool terms, Naruto was well aware that Konoha and Kumo had a spotty history with one another so he hoped that it was not going to cause trouble for him to be around. He decided to wear only his leather armor with his vest while carrying Holy Talon along with his Reflex Bow along with his regular gear. So far the mission had not demanded a lot of his time and he was happy for that as he had begun to think back on the Jutsu he managed to find that he could use in the Forbidden Scroll at least. Tsunade had been there the whole day and they took a break in her residence in the Hokage Tower where he also helped ease her tension with a massage. They COULD have done more than that but they were in the Tower and that was a bit too risky, though Tsunade entertained that idea well into their break and made him nearly agree to the whole thing.

He had found some promising Jutsu and decided to keep them to himself until he had the time, help, and resources to train in them. Tsunade approved of the choices and then allowed him to get some training from her on how to improve chakra control. he had managed to at least to create smaller versions of the Rasengan by himself, a testament of her training, but he still needed a Kage Bunshin to make the more advanced and larger sizes. He also needed the Kage Bunshin to allow him to infuse Dragon Fire into his attacks when spells were involved, even more so for the more powerful ones.

He had also begun to train in increasing the potency of the Rasengan with Jiraiya when the perverted Sannin would come back to the village and hand reports to Tsunade and the rest of the Council. So far the new version of the Rasengan he and Jiraiay developed was working nicely, though he had yet to use it in battle. He figured it would be saved up to allow him the chance to surprise his foes with it. Not to mention he wanted to experiment with the idea of fusing Dragon Fire into the new version of the Rasengan. Kakashi also expressed to him that he could also fuse the Rasengan with his own Wind chakra to augment that already deadly power. The only reason he had not gotten to that stage was due to the fact that Kakashi was on another mission and therefore he was not there to teach him yet. the Jonin also mentioned that when he had the chance he would call on someone he knew from the ANBU who could help.

Naruto asked if it was Uzuki and the white haired Jonin shook his head at that. He pointed out that while Uzuki was highly skilled and someone he respected during his time in the ANBU, he knew that her abilities were not needed in this kind of situation. he knew of someone who could be able to help him due to his unique status though. But for now, it would have to wait since he still had to pitch the idea to Tsunade and see how she would take it. He also mentioned that since Uzuki was assigned to defense detail she could not be asked to maintain any training schedule unless someone else in the ANBU spotted for her.

Naruto decided to place those thoughts aside for now as he had to finish his escort job.

...

Back in prison...

Sasuke was patiently waiting now, not much else he could do but wait in the first place and while he was eager to finally leave this hellhole, he knew that revealing his intent was asking for trouble. There were still golems in the area that react to attack so he would have to play it smart. Kabuto, having been a resident of Konoha knew a lot of its's secrets, secrets that few ninja with the exception of the Hokage and some higher ranking Jonin knew about. One such secret was hidden passageways that were not fully sealed off and were near the prison. This was going to be his escape route. All he needed to do now was wait for his new found allies to help him. And he knew that it was not going to be long before he got his allies to help him gain his revenge on Naruto and also for Konoha. Due to the fact that he was a high profile prisoner and very dangerous due to his Kekkai Genkai and powers, he was isolated from the prisoners who could be influenced by him.

And he was guarded by ANBU forces and therefore he had to be patient. though he was still worried about how the Sound team would be able to get into the area he was in. But he did not have to wait long as the ANBU were suddenly being stuck in place on the ground by webs that were like spider webs, yet in a much larger form. The ANBU that were not secured quickly moved to engage the attackers and there the attackers were revealed to be the ones who came to free Sasuke. The dark haired Uchiha was quickly restrained by the ANBU who were near him and soon sent back to his cell.

"Warn the Hokage! We have a break in! The target is Sasuke Uchiha!"

Sasuke did not resist as he decided to let his 'rescue party' do their work. The shouts and commands was all over the place and soon the sounds of battle were all over the place. He remained calm in his cell and it was not long before the sounds were gone and then the sounds of his cell door being removed from it's hinges was heard. Soon the door was torn out and tossed aside as Sasuke turned to see someone. He was looking at a massive male ninja who was wearing the same style of clothing Orochimaru did when he first met the renegade Sannin and he was assured that they were indeed members of Sound. The man looked Sasuke over and Sasuke could see that there were marks on the ninja's face as he spoke.

"You're Sasuke Uchiha eh?"

"Yes I am, what's it to you?!"

The man sneered a bit but did not attack Sasuke as he turned and spoke to someone.

"Kabuto-sama, you were not kidding that this one had an attitude."

The Uchiha turned and sure enough, Kabuto appeared, dressed as Konoha ANBU, apparently he had been able to sneak into the place and allow his strike team to move in undetected as Kabuto had done a LOT of work before this happened. Kabuto smiled at that and spoke to Sasuke seriously.

"I expected that from you Sasuke-kun, after all, your defiance is what makes you who you are. But now that we have made this move, I suggest that you do what you promised to do here before we leave. I have bought you a time frame of at least several hours. The ANBU who they had tried to contact have been placed to sleep and I will remain here to deal with the bodies of the slain ANBU. Now go and do what you want. Tayuya-chan, come here for a moment."

The person called Tayuya moved forward her own face and her arms armed with the Cursed Seal Tattoos and she was armed with a flute as well as wearing a strange helmet on her head. The woman looked at Kabuto and while she gave him a slight glare, no doubt in relation to the use of her name with the chan suffix. But that glare vanished just as the Cursed Seal tattoos also faded from the woman and her massive companion.

"What is it Kabuto?"

"I will be busy taking care of the bodies here and cleaning up the mess you all made. Did you really have to be so excessive Tayuya-chan?"

"Screw you! They were ANBU and we don't have time to play around so we had to improvise. So what exactly did you call me over for?"

"I want you to take the team and help Sasuke-kun with a personal matter of his. Once that is done, you are to escort him back to base and allow him to undergo the final step to gaining full mastery of the Cursed Seal."

Tayuya smirked a bit at that and replied.

"Why the heck can't pretty boy here do it himself?"

Sasuke glared at her and she merely looked at him in annoyance as Kabuto spoke.

"Now now Tayuya-chan, this is a direct order from Orochimaru-sama. Let Sasuke-kun do what he wants first before we take him to our territory and allow him to learn not only how to use the Cursed Seal, but improve his powers. You don't want to disobey Orochimaru-sama's orders do you?"

The veiled threat there was enough to convince the woman to relax and she replied in a huff.

"Fine, but we're on a strict time table Kabuto-san, if he takes too long, I'll knock him unconscious and take him with us whether he likes it or not."

Sasuke growled at that but decided not to worry about that, he had other things in mind.

…

On the way back to Konoha...

Naruto was happy to finally have the escort mission over and done with and he was going to be very happy to finally make it home. He was also looking forward to resting in his home and getting some much needed shut eye. He was in the need for it since the last few days had really pushed to his limits. the mission was not too hard though he had to fight off a number of bandits as well as some rogue ninja. There were even some less than reputable merchants to who tried to con his carges of their wares. He set them straight and was well compensated for his work and already the message was being relayed back to Konoha. Once he got back home and got his sleep

But he had no idea that he was about to get dragged into something that was going to test him to the very limit. The only thing that gave him warning as he neared Konoha was the sudden feeling of dread in his gut.

…

(I am SO going to hate myself for writing this…I did not look forward to this at all but I know that it had to be done. So here we are, and I hope that I do not get reamed by anyone over this.)

…

Back in Konoha…

Sakura was currently working on some papers for Tsunade and also her work on medical matters and when she was able to finish the papers in question, she decided to head off to check out how Naruto's home was doing. She had planned to pay the place a visit and hope that her blonde team mate had been able to take the time to get his home in order. She shook her head at that and got her supplies ready, he was off on another mission and would soon be home. She bade goodbye to her family and soon moved to where Naruto's home was. Along the way she spotted Ino and Hinata who were chatting with one another and heading in the same direction as she was. She smirked a bit and soon joined them and they smiled at her in greeting.

"So how are you doing Ino-san? Hinata-san?"

"Pretty good."

"Same here Sakura-san."

Sakura nodded and they all walked to Naruto's place, they were well aware that he was currently on a mission so he would not be back and they decided to see just how his place was doing. Kin was currently on assignment with Zabuza and her team so she was out of the house. That meant that the three of them could come in and make a surprise for Naruto when he would come back. But as they came closer, they were suddenly greeted by the sounds of an explosion...right where Naruto's house was located. The three Kunoichi managed to block their eyes from the incoming dust and managed to keep themselves stable from the blast wave that followed. They looked at the direction of the house of their loved one and were utterly shocked as smoke began to rise from the place.

They all looked at one another and di not waste time as they dropped what they had and headed there, it would not be long before reinforcements came, but since they were on site, they had to find out what was going on. They all wondered just what had happened there as they all knew that no one was in Naruto's place and everyone was busy doing their own things. Kurenai and Anko were on a joint assignment and would be back later from the mission while Shizune was busy working on the latest documents with Tsunade. The others were also busy as the elves and their dragon comrade was busy elsewhere since Tsunade had asked them help with some matters at the borders. All of them agreed to help and were out of the village and there was no word on when they were going to be coming back.

"What is going on?"

"I have no idea, but whatever it is, we have to stop it!"

All three were in agreement there and hoped that the attack would be seen by others and backup would be on their way.

...

As soon as they got to Naruto's house, they were in for a sight. A section of the outer walls had been torn down and smashed and the same went for the inside walls. The house had the roof damaged and there were signs of fire damage there. The really shocking thing was that the shed where Naruto had stored some of his creations had been broken into. All three of them moved to see what was going on but before they could, they heard a voice that stopped them cold.

"Well now...looks like I have been found out, but Naruto's little collection of friends and loved ones no less."

Thy turned and were surprised to see Sasuke Uchiha there with four unknown figures, but the way they were dressed was more than enough to tell them who they were. One was a woman with red hair and wearing a helmet with an odd design and she was carrying the usual gear but also had a flute with her. The other was a man with at least six extra arms on him, almost like a spider, the other was a massive young man with orange hair in a strange style and he was looking quietly at the three Konoha Kunoichi. And the last was a pale skinned youth with a sickly yet evil look on his face who was smiling at them. The clothing style might be different, but it matched what the ninja of the Hidden Sound village wore quite well.

Sakura was shocked by the sight and shouted at the assembled group of Sound Ninja and the sight of Sasuke willingly working with them. She was hardly alone either as Ino and Hinata were also shocked by what they were seeing. The pink haired Kunoichi knew that after what he had done earlier, Sasuke was no longer stable…but this was truly a sign of how far he had fallen and she shouted to him.

"What are you doing? Why are you working with them Sasuke? Answer me!"

The dark haired Uchiha sneered at his former team mate and replied.

"Why should you care Sakura? I am merely going to take something that our…former ally made, He was so proud of it so I felt that it's better off in my hands, now get out of my way."

Sakura however shouted back as she readied herself for what was to come, and it was obvious that both Ino and Hinata were ready for this as well. The pink haired Kunoichi was utterly angered by this turn of events, as not only was Sasuke stealing a potentially dangerous weapon, but he was now allying himself willingly with Orochimaru's minions, as the man was indeed the ruler of Sound.

"NEVER! Don't do that Sasuke-kun, this is madness and you know it!"

Sasuke growled and replied back.

"Madness is it?"

Before the three could react, the Uchiha launched several kunai at them, forcing the three Kunoichi to move back and avoid the weapons that were thrown at them by the former Konoha ninja. They were soon beset by the other members that were with Sasuke and soon it turned into a serious fight. Ino was not used to such battles at this range, but she was not going to make herself fall prey to these people. The same mindset was with both Hinata and Sakura as they got ready to fight with the Sound Four. And it was not long before the three Kunoichi were deep in the fight.

Hinata managed to parry the attacks of the massive member of the Sound Four and quickly focused her Byakugan to give her an edge, Ino herself used her improving Taijutsu to give her some support in the coming battle. Ino was now facing off with the one with eight arms while Sakura was beset by the female member of the group and the pale skinned one. She had no idea about their abilities, but if they did break Sasuke out of prison despite the location of his prison area being heavily fortified and guarded by ANBU, then they were not to be taken lightly. Sasuke was hardly idle as he began to unleash his Fire Jutsu to destroy portions of Naruto's home as he shouted in anger.

"Is it madness for me to want to have the power needed to finally slay Itachi?"

"Is it madness to want the chance to finally have the power that should be mine to finally avenge my family?"

"Is it madness to feel that I have been held back and my brother walks the world unpunished?"

Sasuke turned around as the area was burning and he decided to end it as he faced Sakura who was still locked in combat with the members of the Sound Five. He then made his own move to attack Sakura alongside the eight armed fighter as he shouted fiercely at Sakura who was trying her best to fight him and his ally.

"IS IT MADNESS FOR ME TO PROVE THAT I AM NOT WEAK!"

Sakura was now assured that Sasuke was too far gone and holding back her training in chakra enhancing strength to stop him cold and she proved it when she lashed out with a powerful fist to the ground. Sasuke had seen signs of Sakura's training, but even he was not prepared to see the level of Sakura's strength as the blow sent him and his allies from Sound back and she charged at them to strike hard and fast at them. Sasuke blocked her attacks as best he could and his allies also managed to evade Sakura's strength, but it was also here that the lone female moved back and began to play her music.

It was here that Sakura, Ino, and Hinata were hit hard and not able to fight effectively, and the Sound ninja moved in and attacked the still reeling Kunoichi from the music based attacks of the only female member of the team. Sakura knew that the attack was in truth a Genjutsu and the only chance they had was for them to break free. She was the only one among the three Kunoichi who had learned how to dispel Genjutsu, sadly it was not going to be easy since Sasuke was the one who knew it as he quickly attacked her to prevent her to dispel the attack. She fought him off and grabbed a nearby bar of steel from the ruins near the house and while it did not last long before the sword that Sasuke took, it bought her enough time to force Sasuke back and she quickly dispelled the genjutsu and to make sure that it culd not be used, she attacked the only female member of the Sound Five.

Tayuya growled at the pick haired Kunoichi coming at her and tried to use some shuriken, but Sakura had been given training to toughen her body up and she was able to use her own kunai to block the attacks. And as soon as she was close enough, she struck and knocked out Tayuya with a hard punch that sent the woman to the ground. But the damage had been done as Ino and Hinata were badly injured and they had no choice but to back away and get some room and they were able to do so since the other members of the Sound Five had moved away since the two Kunoichi, prior to theme being weakened by Tayuya's Genjutsu had managed to hold their own.

However, their attempt was not without high risk. The others pursued the injured Kunoichi and as they entered the ruined area of Naruto's home, Sakura turned to try and buy her friends' time. Only for Sasuke to attack her with a large blow to her chest, she reeled in pain at the attack but recovered and fired an attack at Sasuke, but the dark haired uchiha was not going to be denied as he decided to finally sever his ties to Konoha and send a message to his blonde rival and enemy. He managed to avoid the blow and another from Sakura, and when he got the opening he needed, he did not hesitate.

SLASH!

...

Sakura shouted in shock and she was soon in pain as the sword cut deeply into her stomach. The blow had been unexpected but she was not going to give up as she finally managed to land a kick on Sasuke to force him back. Her wounded and exhausted state left her vulnerable as Sasuke grinned darkly at this. He turned his attention to Ino and Hinata. It was clear to the pink haired Kunoichi that Sasuke had finally committed the crime that could never be forgiven or forgotten in Konoha, doing it willingly and she had to act before he did something to her friends. And act she did as Sakura managed to use her kunai and quickly use them to wound Sasuke briefly in the face. The enraged Uchiha turned to her and quickly kicked her wound, making her shout in pain.

"SAKURA-SAN!"

Both Ino and Hinata were shocked at this and were even more angered when Sasuke quickly got on Sakura and violently kissed her despite her desire to resist. Sakura did resist and that served to amuse and enrage the former Uchiha as he got off Sakura as he spoke while looking at the pink haired Kunoichi's face.

"So, you love Naruto now? So you don't love me anymore? That's not a damn problem to me, he can have you, but not before I mar you a bit more!"

He began to violently kiss Sakura and Sakura fought on as best she could despite the pain she was feeling, and she quickly managed to her free her arm and struck Sasuke, forcing him off of her. Sakura turned and managed to get her body to heal and tried to help them, only for Sasuke to strike her from behind. Sakura cried out in pain as she fell down with her left thigh bleeding from the slash, she was still alive and Sasuke moved over to her and turned her over to her back as he rubbed his side. No doubt Sasuke was feeling pain as Sakura did not hesitate this time to use her training from Tsunade to hurt him. But with her blood loss and exhaustion, it was not enough. Sasuke moved away just as both Ino and Hinata managed to get to Sakura and fight him off.

"Damn you Sasuke, you really have lost it!"

Ino was outraged at how far Sasuke had fallen as she threw some shuriken at her and so did Hinata. Both of them were still exhausted form their respective battles but they were not going to give up without a fight. Sasuke however cut their weapons and quickly attacked both Ino and Hinata, injuring the both of them even more and he soon turned his attention to Hinata. He was well aware of the long time love that Hinata had for Naruto and while in the past he did not mind it and actually found it amusing, that was not the case now today. He grinned in an utterly feral at her and then avoided her attacks, hitting her on the stomach and then stabbing her in the chest. Hinata thakfully managed to avoid a fatal strike, but was still wounded badly as she gasped in pain as Sasuke spoke to her.

"You were always looking at Naruto shyly Hinata, and while you finally were able to be with him, I am going to make sure that the last thing you will see is his face twisted in horror!"

"NEVER!"

Despite the pain in her body, the Hyuuga heiress fought back and pulled herself away from the sword and struck several blows on the arrogant Uchiha, injuring his arm and forcing him away from her and the others. Sasuke growled at Hinata's defiance and quickly managed to fight back, using his stolen sword's flat edge to block Hinata's Gentle Fist and he moved in to attack once more. Hinata could only scream in pain as she was soon cut on the left side of her stomach but not before focusing all her chakra and creating a massive Lion shaped aura of chakra on her hand to smash into Sasuke. That blow sent him flying back as Hinata collapsed in pain from the new wound.

"HINATA!"

Ino was angered greatly at this and quickly attacked Sasuke, hoping to buy her friends some space even though she knew that her actions were high risk since she was now alone. She could not use her clan's signature Jutsu like this since she had no one to help her. So she had to rely on her other skills as best she could. he other Sound ninja stayed back since it was clear to them that this was going to be Sasuke's mess to deal with. Ino knew that as well as she faced off with her former crush and now proven enemy. She did have feelings for Sasuke, genuine ones, but after this and being intimate with Naruto many times and seeing the true side of the blonde ninja, those feelings were gone. The sight of Sakura and Hinata wounded by Sasuke, and seeing that he had done it willingly with clear killer intent was very disgusting to the blonde Kunoichi and she knew that she was next. Sasuke snorted and spoke to Ino in a cold and malicious tone.

"You also like Naruto huh? Just like Sakura and Hinata?"

"Yes I do, he changed for the better, but you changed for the worse...doing this and now harming Sakura and Hinata? Why? Why have you done this?"

The dark haired Uchiha did not reply as he charged at Ino and she was lucky enough to move away to avoid a blow to the back of her head and she managed to use her Bunshin technique to leap over Sasuke as he slashed at her and she landed a blow to his back. Sasuke moved awa as Ino moved back to get some distance between her and the now rogue ninja. But Sasuke expected that and he turned to fire a smoke bomb at Ino. The blonde managed to avoid most of the smoke, but that was the opening the Uchiha needed as he attacked Ino from behind.

Ino screamed in pain as the sword cut into her back as she turned to face Sasuke and land a punch to his face, only for him to stab her on the stomach, just about her ribs on the right side. Sasuke then cruelly yanked the blade away and kicked Ino to the ground. She was soon next to the others as Sasuke looked at them with a dark and evil look. He then moved to Sakura and slapped her hard on the face, once more violently kissing her while she was still trying to heal herself. he then did the same to Hinata and she resisted him as well despite her wounded state, he even spat some of his own blood and the Hyuuga heiress's face as an insult. And soon did the same to Ino, who managed to slap him away.

He glared at them all and spoke.

"You can all love that blonde idiot to hell for all I care. He was and always will be a dead last to me."

The three women however were not cowed at all and despite them being wounded the spat at Sasuke's face and Sakura spoke first.

"No, you're the dead last now."

Hinata spoke next with courage in her eyes despite her wounded state.

"N-N-naruto-kun was never weak...unlike you!"

And Ino spoke next with anger in her eyes.

"He was nothing like you, and we're...thankful he never was. You gave your soul to evil...he did not!"

Sasuke sneered that them and he was soon joined by the Sound Four, no doubt with the intent to harm the still wounded Kunoichi trio, and one of them was eager for payback.

But before they could be harmed further by the now rogue Uchiha and his group, they had to pull back, but not before Sasuke made sure to flick the blood on his sword all over the now ruined living room of Naruto's new home and on all three Kunoichi. He smirked darkly at his handiwork and then left with the others. There was a place for them to go to and allow him to finally be able to take command of the Cursed Seal. He would let Naruto deal with the mess later and was eager to see just how their battle would be once there was no one left to interfere and he could finally end the blonde's life to gain the power he needed. And there was good reason for it, as he had been able to read something in the ruins of the former Uchiha Clan compound.

…

In his home…

Naruto was horrified when he and the other ninja came to where his house was. The sight of his ruined home filled him with shock and anger as he had been told that something had happened in the prison and Sasuke had escaped. He prayed that whatever happened it was not too late for him and the others. But when he smelled the flames, he was filled with fear, even more so when the faint smell of blood...female blood filled the air as he moved deeper past the ruined area of his home.

Naruto was utterly enraged by what he had just seen, Ino was there, holding the right side of her stomach just above the ribs as her blood was flowing out from the wound as she tried to heal herself as best she could and she was also bleeding from a deep cut at her back. Hinata was clutching the right side of her chest near the shoulder and trying to heal the left side of her stomach, and Sakura was doing the same to her left thigh, and the right side of her stomach. All three of them were trying to heal and his living room was covered in splashes of their blood and the smae blood was on them as well. The blonde wasted no time and took out Holy Talon and used the Dragon Fire to try and heal the three women, he knew that he had to remain calm…but how can one remain calm after seeing three beloved people in his or her life were wounded and bleeding before him or her?

"SAKURA-CHAN! HINATA-CHAN! INO-CHAN! HOLD ON!"

Naruto managed to begin the healing process but the cuts were deep and strong and it was taking a good deal of Life Branch Magic to heal them. The only way someone could do this much damage was with a powerful sword with a killer edge, and seeing the ruined store house; he knew just what the sword in question was. The wounds were not just to the flesh but also the organs and blood vessel. These were no faked cuts, these were done with killer intent.

As he healed them as best he could, he lifted them and placed them on the couch and spoke to them as quickly as he could.

"Who did this to you? Please tell me who did this to you?-!"

Ino looked at Naruto and so did Sakura and Hinata, and while they were healing, the blonde could see that they were all in pain. Sakura was the very first to speak.

"It was…Sasuke…"

Naruto's heat stopped at this, his brain could not process just what Sakura had just said and it took a moment for him to finally get his voice back.

"What…how…?"

"H-He…he broke into…the s-store house…h-he…was not alone…"

"What?"

Ino spoke next…

"H-he had…help…Sound Ninja were with him, four of them."

Hinata then spoke next.

"W-We tried to stop them Naruto-kun…but they…they had the same seal. The same seal as Sasuke did and they were…strong, too strong to be normal ninja. They nearly…had us and Sasuke…was the one who attacked us before they…left."

It was at this moment that reinforcements arrived…in the shape of Shizune, Tsunade, Yugao, Kurenai, Neji, Hiashi, Anko, Zabuza and Haku along with a band of ANBU. The assembled group rushed into the living room and they all were aghast at the sight of the three wounded Kunoichi. Tsunade was the first to recover and quickly ordered that all three Kunoichi be taken for medical treatment. Hiashi and Neji along with two ANBU were quick to get Hinata on a stretcher, while Kurenai and Anko took Ino on a stretcher, while Tsunade and Zabuza helped by some ANBU took Sakura with them on a stricter as well.

Yugao quickly ordered the whole of Konoha sealed up and was soon joined by the Head oof the ANBVU who dispatched some of his men to locate the Sound Ninja and the renegade Sasuke Uchiha.

All the while, Naruto was shocked at what he had learned, seeing the blood in the living room, knowing that it was the blood of three women he loved very much, and knowing that his former team mate had willingly wounded them with the stolen sword he made filled him with absolute fury as he shouted out at the possible direction Sasuke had left.

"DAMN YOU SASUKE!"

…

In the Konoha General Hospital…

Tsunade sighed as she got out of the emergency room an faced the collected group there who had come the very second they heard the news of the vicious attack that happened in Naruto's home and the fact that it had been done by Sasuke. Sakura's parents were there along with Ino's parents and Hiashi along with Hanabi, Neji and Kurenai. They were all outraged by this but none of them were more so enraged by the events of this night than Naruto who had been standing there the whole time.

The Hokage could tell that Naruto was bristling with rage and she could not blame him for his feelings and she also was enraged by the actions done by Sasuke on his fellow villagers. This and willingly working with Orochimaru's followers filled her with anger as well, but she managed to rein in her temper. She had to do so in order to keep people focused on the matter at hand, they could not afford to be distracted.

She then spoke to them.

"The wounds were pretty deep, and also severe. Sakura's liver was cut deeply and so was her small intestines, her femoral artery also was cut deeply and a portion of her nerves were badly severed. Hinata's right lung had been punctured and her ribs have been grazed and there is a chance that a cyst might form, her liver also took a cut and it damaged and resulting in some internal bleeding. Ino is also wounded near the stomach and it has been cut badly by the weapon that wounded their medical training and use of ,medical Jutsu had helped to stabilize them and Naruto-kun's Life Branch Magic also managed to help increase their healing. And they are currently recovering as we speak…it may take some time though."

Tsunade looked at the assembled parents and all of them seemed relieved, even the normally calm and stoic Hiashi seemed happy that his first born daughter had made it. That was a far cry from what he used to be when it concerned Hinata, but it was also clear to Tsunade that all of them were utterly furious at what had happened. The only one she could tell who was more furious than the parents of the wounded Kunoichi was Naruto himself.

(It's amazing that he's managed to keep it together.)

The blonde was dead silent and was at war now with his emotions and thoughts. He had hoped that when he was given time to cool off and get his head back in order, Sasuke would be a lot more reasonable. But now he felt different, he had never felt so much anger in him before, and this was not mindless and baseless anger, it was raw anger that had a focus and a target. He wanted to track down Sasuke, track him down and beat him to near unconsciousness, and even…to death if it came to that. It was taking all of his hard earned training in mind and spirit to not go out and track down Sasuke himself and get himself in even worse trouble.

His thoughts were balanced by the fact that he knew of Sasuke's inner demons, he recalled the history Sasuke had, along with the encounter with Itachi, and what the results were, he was there as well. The blonde also recalled his promise to Sasuke not to interfere with his desire to avenge his family as well as his warning that he was not going to let him go down the dark path. He also knew of the things Itachi told him months before, about how there was more to the Uchiha Clan massacre than what he and the others in Konoha knew of. But this was something he could not and would not let go of.

He looked at Tsunade and he spoke only a few words.

"Do we go after him Tsunade-sama?"

Tsunade did not have to say too much and knew that this was personal, she too was in the need for answers and she was more than willing to get them. Attacking your own team was deplorable to her, but to willingly attack with killer intent was even more disgusting. Sasuke Uchiha had attacked Naruto already and that galled her a great deal, but this new attack with killer intent on three Kunoichi, with one being her apprentice filled her with greater amounts of anger. She however managed to keep calm and focused on what was their next move, it would do them little good for her to lose her head.

"Yes, I will get things ready Naruto, I need you and a team ready to track down and intercept the Sound Ninja who are with Sasuke Uchiha."

"Orders?"

"Capture him alive to stand trial for this atrocity. If he refuses to comply, then bring him back here by any means needed even if it means beating him to near death, as for the Sound Ninja, capture them alive if possible, if not…I leave that up to you. I'll get a team ready once I am sure that Sakura, Hinata, and Ino are all right."

Naruto nodded and left, already thinking on what he needed to do for this mission ahead of him. And what he was going to do once he located Sasuke and captured him. Holy Talon was well aware of his master's state of mind, and could not blame him at all for the desire for answers and justice for those harmed. It however knew that allowing his darker emotions to cloud his thoughts would make him vulnerable.

(("Master Naruto, don't let your anger overwhelm you, it is all right to feel anger, but not to the point it becomes all you know."))

(I know…but I cannot help but feel angry, real angry.)

(("I know, and in truth anger is part of your human nature as it is in all life, but that is tempered by your other emotions. The emotions I speak of already known to you Master. The ones who throw away those said emotions all for the sake of power and embrace all dark emotions are the ones who must be stopped. The followers of Chorvax have done so and have become dark mirrors of what it means to be living beings. To throw away your humanity for power is the greatest crime one can make for in the end you will never be satisfied and become nothing more than a ravenous beast. Beasts themselves feed to survive and care for their young for their reasons and their survival, but even they know the limits of their actions for to feed ravenously and kill without reasons such as defending their land and their young is wasteful. For them to throw those aside as well invites only unending destruction and limitless hunger. Sasuke has given himself to such thoughts now Master, but as you yourself feel, you can still save him. You still see him as a friend, and remember your promise to him to not stop him to avenge his family. In some ways, this is the same anger he felt for his brother Itachi when he saw Itachi kill their clan. His anger and hatred stem from the deaths of his family and clan by the hand of his own brother though we both know that there was more to the tragedy than even he knows. Now that anger has blinded him and it is all he knows, the same events that happened to him are now happening to you. There is one difference between you and him however."))

(What is that?)

(("You already know the pain of loneliness and isolation, and because of this, you treasure the bonds you have made and will do everything in your heart to protect them. He on the other hand has sworn off those bonds and will cut any he will form. This is because instead of looking beyond merely his past and his anger to make a future once all is done, he has allowed his anger to be his future and it will drive him deeper into the darkness until it is all he knows."))

(I understand, yet I cannot help but feel that I should make him pay for what he has done.)

(("And you shall, but do not become like him, you fight and kill as any warrior would, but unlike him, who is willing to kill those who are not even his enemies, you are different. You easily could have become an enemy of Konoha considering all you have endured even before you met me. But you found people who you care about and call family, they in turn have given you something to live and fight for, you yourself said it in front of the Council after all. And you know that at times you have to kill your enemies when they prove too dangerous, but you kill only them and no one else. But that is all I can say, remember to never forget that you are are yourself and you forge your own way."))

Naruto nodded and it was here that the Kyuubi next spoke

((While I really don't care much for what you do brat, make no mistake about this, you will have to fight and I am more than willing to help you with that. The Uchiha have always been a real pain in the neck for anyone, they lie, even more so than the rest of you humans.))

(Why do you carry so much hatred for humans and the Uchiha?)

((Because no matter what words they use, and no matter the intentions they say they have…humans lie all the time brat. You of all people should know that, and as to why I hate the Uchiha, that is MY business, I just decided to speak because I was getting bored out of my demonic skull listening to this discussion. Now if we get into a fight with that Uchiha brat, then that is when I will get really into the whole thing. I hate your kind brat, but I work with you only to stay alive, but I would rather work with you than an Uchiha!))

(Why?)

((I said it before, and I will say it again, do not ask me that because I will not answer it! I will think about it, but remember that just because I am willing to work with you does not mean we are on the same side. This is merely an alliance of convenience, nothing more. But what that sword of yours did say is true to some extent, even if I think it's not all true either. Humans can lie and deceive and they crave power…that brat you call a friend is a good example.))

((That brother of his…bah, I personally feel he did this village of yours a favor even if I don't know what it is. All I can say is that it's fitting a family of liars and power hungry bastards like the Uchiha were betrayed and killed by one of their own. They for all their supposed superiority deserve it.))

(("You say it as if you know more than you let on about the Uchiha, Itachi spoke that there was more to the massacre than what others knew."))

((There always is, and that is all I am willing to say, now let me sleep.))

Naruto sighed and decided to head out and get himself ready. His house was a wreck but it could be rebuilt. A house was just a roof with walls after all, and could be rebuilt when there was enough time and effort, but for now, he had a mission to do, and it was going to be personal.

...

In the hospital...

Naruto came back to the hospital and he was able to speak to Tsunade and ask her if it was all right that he saw Ino, Sakura, and Hinata to see if they were fine. The blonde Hokage nodded and informed him that they had been able to recover well and were going to be all right though they were all going to be out of action for a while. She also stated that while she knew he would be careful with the way they were, she still wanted him not to be too energetic and talk to them before moving out on the mission.

The young man nodded and soon he was allowed in, and he saw all of them. All three Kunoichi were on IV drips and were wearing hospital gowns and were conscious and all three were in bed. His heart ached to see them like this and he headed for Sakura who was able to wake up and smile at him as he touched her hand.

"Naruto-kun..."

Sakura's voice was weak from her traumatic experience and it was enough to make the blonde Chuunin all the more eager to hunt down Sasuke and not only do his mission, but beat the crap out of him for attacking Sakura. He smiled and gently held her hand as he spoke to her.

"Sakura-chan, how are you feeling?"

"Better I guess, Tsunade-sensei said I was lucky that the attack did not break the bone or cut it in half so I should be able to recover and not..."

She began to tear up and he held her hand as gently as he could to assure the pinkette that she was going to be fine as she recovered and spoke.

"Tsunade-sensei said that I would not be crippled by that attack due to my healing Jutsu and the fact that she had been toughening me up in training,. Thought thought of it...I was so scared Naruto-kun, what Sasuke and those ninja had done. It was horrible."

The utterly pained and vulnerable look Sakura had angered Naruto but he tempered it with the fact that she was safe and alive. He was going to make sure that she would not lose faith and hope as he spoke to her.

"I won't let this slide Sakura-chan, I have faith you will pull through and no one I know can heal anyone better than Tsunade-chan and Shizune-chan. I will also help you all when I can with my magic, I will not lose any of you, you are all very precious people to me and I will make sure that anyone who hurts you pays for it. I'll make sure Sasuke-teme answers for this as well. So you rest up now and I'll do my best to make him come back to answer for his crimes."

Sakura smiled and despite her still recovering state, she moved up and Naruto caught her and he was soon kissed on the lips by Sakura and who hugged him as tightly as her weakened state could allow her to do so. Naruto in turn hugged her back gently and soon moved to let her rest. She felt tired but happy that the man she loved had come to visit her and the others and now she needed her sleep. Naruto then kissed her on the forehead, making her smile at the loving gesture as Naruto moved to Hinata who was also waking up.

He was happy to see that she was safe and sat down to hold her hand, she looked at him and she blushed a bit, knowing that he was here beside her right now. She could see the emotions on her beloved's face and she spoke gently to him despite the weakness of her current state.

"Naruto-kun...I am...happy to see you here."

"Same here Hinata-chan, how are you?"

"I...I am fine, it still hurts, but at least I can breathe better now."

Naruto was happy and gently held Hinata's hand and could not help but look at the area where her stab wound had been and he could see that even with the healing there was a slight tinge of red on the bandaged area just below her gown. The idea of anyone harming someone as kind and gentle hearted as Hinata filled him with absolute loathing. That feeling was even more intense as he knew who had stabbed Hinata and vowed to beat Sasuke to a pulp for daring to harm Hinata as well as Sakura and Ino.

"Hinata-chan..."

"I'm sorry...I'm sorry for not..."

"No, don't say that you are sorry, you are not at fault here Hinata-chan, if anyone here should be sorry, it was me. It was me for not making it in time to prevent this from ever happening to you, Sakura-chan, and Ino-chan. But I swear to you that I will not let this slide. Anyone who hurts my precious people, especially the people I love with all my being will get what's coming to them. I will make sure that Sasuke-teme gets what is coming to him and I will make sure to help you recover. For now, rest and heal. okay Hinata-chan."

"H-Hai!"

Naruto then gently hugged Hinata and she hugged him back as much as her healing body would allow her. He then gently laid her back on the bed and moved to check on Ino. The blonde haired Kunoichi might have been less injured by the others at least in terms of sword wounds, but that did not mean that she was all right. He sat down and stroked her face gently and making her open her eyes. She looked to see Naruto and smiled warmly as she could to the man who she loved now with every fiber of her being.

"Hey Naruto-kun."

"Ino-chan, how are you?"

"All right, but hospital gowns are never my thing."

Both blondes smiled somewhat at that and Ino became serious a few moments later as she recalled what had happened to her. She could not help but feel angry and betrayed at the actions of Sasuke and could not help but feel disgusted at how far her former crush had fallen. She looked at Naruto and spoke gently to him.

"I'm sorry, I was not strong enough to stop him...he destroyed all you built. He wounded Hinata, Sakura, and me, and even with all I...I had learned I could not stop him. I was a disgrace as a Kunoichi."

"No...don't say that."

Naruto did not want to see Ino like this, this was a far cry from the bossy and confident Ino he had grown up with and he did not like it one bit.

"you are no disgrace, you fought with all you had, you, Sakura-chan, and Hinata-chan di your best even when you were not prepared for what happened. You fought as best you could. And you are all alive and recovering. You should rest now Ino-chan and get stronger when you recover. I swear to you that I will not let what happened to you all go unpunished. You are a precious person to me, and whoever hurt you is going to pay, that I promise you, Hinata-chan, and Sakura-chan. I am going after Sasuke and I am going to make sure he answers for what he did. You're current mission is to rest now okay Ino-chan?"

Ino nodded and smiled as she gently kissed Naruto's hand on her face and then him as she rested. Naruto kissed her, Sakura, and Hinata and bid them farewell for now.

He had an enemy to catch!

…

Later…

An assembled team of ninja were there in front of the gates, and in the lead were Naruto and Shikamaru, both would serve as team leaders since both were Chuunin, and for them, this mission was more than part of their job, it was personal. Shikamaru considered Ino as a good friend despite her attitude and actions, and he respected her a great deal so to know that Ino was nearly killed by Sasuke Uchiha was something Shikamaru found to be very offensive. He wanted to get answers from the former Konoha ninja just why he not only willingly betrayed Konoha, but even willingly tried to kill his team mate and several others.

Naruto had his own reasons, he was going to get answers from Sasuke once and for all, and he would do what he had to beat out an apology from him and then toss him into the deepest, darkest prison Konoha and let him stay there. That was also increased by his desire to really hurt Sasuke, he could forgive some of Sasuke's actions, but attacking and severely wounding Hinata, Sakura, and Ino with one of his own swords and not caring one bit that he had done so, was pushing the line! But his discussion with Holy Talon tempered his anger, and his discussion with the Kyuubi made him all the more curious about what happened in the past, especially between the Kyuubi and the Uchiha Clan, he was aware to some extent that one person of the Uchiha Clan, one Uchiha Madara had once somehow controlled the Kyuubi and used it in the Battle of the Valley of the End.

He could easily see just how that would serve to incite hatred in the Kyuubi, he however suspected there was more to the whole story, but he was going to keep it in mind.

The description of Sasuke's accomplices in the attack on his home was pretty odd to him, but he was not going to let the oddness of the whole situation stop him from doing his job. The rest of the team were also ready, and that team included Rock Lee, Neji Hyuuga, Kiba Inuzuka and Akamaru, and Chouji. There would be no Jonin support as the other Jonin including Asuma, Gai, Kurenai, and Kakashi were elsewhere due to the some missions of their own, usually the A rank type.

The ANBU had already deployed a team to try and intercept Sasuke and the Sound Ninja earlier, but they had not reported in yet so now they were being deployed. It was unheard of for Genin and two Chuunin to be deployed with no Jonin backup, but this was no ordinary situation and everyone knew it. They also carried their own desires for this mission as well.

Neji was there to avenge the wounding of Hinata by Sasuke and the injuries she endured, not because it was merely his duty, but because he wanted to. He had finally begun to mend fences with his family and the thought of anyone harming them filled him with the desire to avenge them. It was even more serious to him since it was Sasuke who did it to Hinata as he had disliked the situation that transpired between Naruto and Sasuke having heard of it from some of the villagers and Tenten as well.

The same was in both Kiba, and Akamaru, Hinata was like a little sister to Kiba and the idea of Sasuke doing that to Hinata filled the Inuzuka youth with anger and the desire for justice for Hinata. Akamaru also cared for Hinata as she was very kind to him, played with him when Kiba was busy, and also was someone he personally considered as one of his family. The idea of anyone willingly spilling her blood filled the canine familiar with rage and he was literally forthing in the mouth mentally to get his chance to attack Sasuke and his posse.

Rock Lee was with them and his reasons were obvious, he might no longer have romantic feelings for Sakura, but she was still a very important person to him and was someone he cared deeply about. The thought of her being harmed along with the other Kunoichi did not sit well in any point to the Genin so when this mission was called on, he was more than ready to take part in it.

Chouji was also with them as the Akamichi heir was also less than pleased at the news that Ino had been badly hurt by Sasuke. There were few things that could incite the more serious and at times terrifying side of the youth. The easiest was to call him fat, but the one that REALLY galled him now was when people he cared about were hurt. Ino might tease him or pick on him for his plumpness, but she was a good friend and no matter how bossy she was, they had worked together too long and had been close friends for him to dislike her and let anyone who hurt his friends get away with it.

Shikamaru looked at Naruto and could see that the blonde was keeping himself cool and that both impressed and worried the Nara youth. The first was that by all rights, Naruto in the past would have demanded they got going right off the bat, this calmness at least showed that he was going to keep his head together. The second feeling was that he had no idea what Naruto would do. Though in hindsight he was not blaming his blonde co leader one bit. Had they not been ordered to bring Sasuke alive but to kill him, he would not hesitate to bring Sasuke back as a corpse.

He decided to test the water a bit and spoke to Naruto.

"You okay Naruto?"

"Yeah, and I am ready for this."

"I can see that, look, I'm not going to lie, but are you sure you won't lose it?"

"Hm?"

"Don't get me wrong Naruto, nothing would please me more than to beat the shit out of Sasuke for this crime, but we were told to bring him alive to stand trial for it. I just want to know if you are going to follow through."

Naruto sighed and nodded.

"Truth be told, I am VERY close to beating him to near death and running him through for what he did to Ino-chan, Sakura-chan, and Hinata-chan. In fact I WANT to so badly I could almost taste it. But I know that if I let myself fall and become like a monster, then I am no different from my enemies. I will not disobey Tsunade-sama, I will bring him alive back here to stand trial for this so at least he can be judged the right way. I will not break my promise to let him deal with his brother, but what he did is not something I will let go. I will do the mission as what I was asked to do Shikamaru, you can count on it."

Shikamaru nodded as he could see that Naruto was dead set on his plans and replied.

"All right, we'll bring him back and let the rest of the court decide what his fate would be."

Naruto nodded and soon they were on the move to intercept the Sound Four and Sasuke.

...

To be continued...

...

Author's Notes:

Well, here we are with the next chapter and I have to say I was not very pleased that I had to write it the way I did. I hated having to write about this, but I knew that this was going to be a critical part of the story and this would set the tone for the rest of the arc. Obviously Sasuke has really done it and gone off to the dark side and it had to be something that would really enrage Naruto. This is one of the times I wished that I could just move past this one, but like they say, stories are not always fun or nice.

If anyone expected a rape scene yet again, then it did not happen, I don't condone violence like that to women and abhor it greatly. The scenes where Sasuke not only wrecks Naruto's home with his little posse, but also wounds Ino, Sakura, and Hinata after violently harming them comes very close to what I needed. And I hope that it will make the most of the situation. Anyhow, on the next arc, we will have the battles we saw in canon, though their outcome might be made different due to the way things turned out for the characters in this story.

Now for the benefit of the readers, I have decided to send out a number of updated chapters for some of my Halo stories, One of which is Fallout Hope from Beyond the Stars, and also G.I Joe Halo, Vandread Halo the Second Stage, Justice League Spartan Alliance, and also Mass Effect Halo Spartan Dawn. it's all just one chapter worth so don't expect a huge amount to come in right now. Afterwards, I will go back to the Non Halo stories and will update them. Once I am done, I will be working on my Halo stories, including the ones mentioned here. And yes I will post a new chapter for WOW Halo as soon as I can so don't ask me abut that anymore okay?

Now with that out of the way, see you all on the next update!


	51. Broken Alliances Part 1

Naruto the Twin Swords:

Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Naruto so don't bother me okay?

Chapter 35

Part 1

Broken Alliances

( ): Thoughts

((" ")): Holy Talon's voice

(( )): Kyuubi's voice

...

En route to pursue the Oto Ninja group...

Naruto could not help himself as he and the others continued forward to track down Sasuke and the rest of his group, his thoughts were focused on tracking down the former Konoha ninja and the Oto ninja and deal with them. But at times he also thought of not just his promise to Itachi but also to the women who he had to leave behind while they were going to recover. He trusted that Hinata, Ino, and Sakura were going to be all right with Shizune and Tsunade taking are of them along with the medical staff of the hospital in Konoha. But he did feel the need to be there to help them as much as he could.

However he focused on the mission and hoped to get Sasuke and drag him back to stand trial, for now he and the others were moving forward to try and find any trace of them. Thankfully this situation was made easier by the fact that Shino, Kiba and Akamaru, along with Neji were with them. Neji's Byakugan, Shino's Chakra Bugs, and Kiba as well as Akamaru's sense of smell and hearing were perfect to track them down.

Shino soon managed to meet one of his bugs and spoke to the others.

"My bug has located their trail, they still have at least several hours to at least a day or more ahead of us."

The others nodded and soon Kiba joined Naruto as he spoke,.

"How is Hinata doing Naruto?"

Naruto sighed a bit and replied.

"Tsunade-sama said she will be fine and will be back on her feet soon."

"Good to know...grrrr! Damn Sasuke to hell for this! When I get my hands on that rat bastard."

"You'll do no such thing Kiba, not until I'm done beating the crap out of him first."

Kiba grinned at that and nodded.

"Sorry, Hinata's like a little sister to me and a good friend to Akamaru so I am not going to let what he did slide. But I know the orders we got from Tsunade-sama, bring him back to stand trial for this. Akamaru's the same on that train of thought as well, aren't you boy?"

Akamaru barked in agreement and growled at that, the dog's body language already speaking volumes on how it would want to avenge Hinata and the others.

Naruto nodded and spoke next.

"Can you smell them?"

Kiba smelled the air and replied.

"Yeah, they still got a darn good lead on us...hold it...I smell blood."

The ninja team stopped at that as Kiba smelled the air alongside Akamaru and soon Kiba pointed in the direction ahead of them and replied.

"There, it's human blood all right, but it certainly is not Sasuke's blood, and it smells to belong to adults."

Lee then spoke.

"It could be the ANBU team that was sent ahead of us, we'd best go after them, they might have encountered the Oto ninja and Sasuke."

Shikamaru nodded at that.

"Then let's get to it, Neji, use your Byakugan and see if you can find them."

"Understood!"

Naruto leaped alongside Neji and took out his Bow and then both of them moved ahead of the others, Neji scanned ahead with Naruto ready to provide support for the Byakugan user. They soon spotted the bodies of the ANBU and Neji spoke first.

"There, I see the team and some of them are still alive, I also see two other ninja there, both Konoha ninja to boot."

Naruto and the others landed and both he and Neji located the still living ninja. Naruto soon recognized one of the ninja as the same one who had been the proctor of the Chuunin Exams. The ninja with the metallic needle in his mouth, and the other one seemed to have a very wicked scar on his face as well. They were alive but still badly wounded and Naruto quickly went to work in healing them as well as ANBU who were still holding on.

Shikamaru then spoke to the others.

"You guys form a perimeter now! There may not be a sign of a trap but let's not take chances!"

The others nodded with Shikamaru and they soon formed a defensive perimeter as he walked over to Naruto who was bale to heal them though some were still too weak to wake up and speak.

"How are they looking Naruto?"

Naruto continued to heal them and replied to his fellow Chuunin's question.

"Not too good, they look like they got hit hard by whatever it was that the Oto Ninja hit them with. I can say this much, we were lucky that we found them. Any longer and we'd be looking at corpses here."

Soon the ninja who were injured were saved, but sadly one of the ANBU did not make it and it was Neji and Rock Lee who laid him to rest. The one Naruto and Shikamaru spoke to was none other than Genma who smiled in greeting of the two Chuunin as he managed to recover enough of his strength to speak.

"Naruto-san and Shikamaru-san, nice to see you made it."

"What happened Genma-san?"

"W-We were on our way back to Konoha on our own mission when we encountered an ANBU unit from the village. They informed us of what happened there and so we moved with them to try and track down Sasuke. One of the ANBU was a Sensor and managed to track them down...cough...we were winning too when they somehow got these weird tattoos, which we recognized as Curse Seals."

Naruto growled and nodded as well as Shikamaru, this coincided well with Ino, Hinata, and Sakura said about the ones who had come along with Sasuke to attack his home and steal the Dragon Steel Katana that he had made previously.

"They managed to severely injure us and left us for dead, they could...have finished us off, but apparently they were too much in a hurry with Sasuke to finish the job. The traitor was the one who killed our ANBU sensor before he and his new buddies left."

Neji pointed to the ANBU he and Lee put to rest under a shroud and spoke to Genma.

"Is the sensor him?"

Genma looked at his fellow Konoha ninja, he soon nodded and replied.

"Yeah, Swallow was a good man..damn that traitorous brat. Hard to believe that he would be willing to work with Orochimaru and attacked his own village's people. As much as we want to help you guys, we can't be of much help to you at least in catching them, but be careful about them. If they have the Cursed Seals, and they know how to use them, then do not underestimate them. Whatever Orochimaru did to make them like that and what he did to make them able to use those Seals without any side effects means that every one of them is bad news to any one of you."

The others nodded and Kiba moved forward as he smelled the air a bit more along with Akamaru. The pup yelped and barked while tapping one of his paws forward in a direction. Kiba nodded and turned to face the others.

"Akamaru said the trail left behind by that bastard and the Sound Ninja go this way, they haven't gone any further, at least several hours and the scent trail's still fairly strong. I'd say they are currently resting at this point no doubt because of the fight so we should be able to get some time to close the distance."

Lee then replied.

"But we have another matter to deal with, what about the others here who are still wounded? We certainly can't leave them in this state."

It was Shino who stepped forward with a solution.

"I'll remain here and keep watch over them, I also will send some of my bugs to my clan so they can send a medical unit here to heal and transport the others back to Konoha. I don't like the idea of me having to sit this mission out for the chance to make those bastards pay for what they did to Hinata, Sakura, and Ino. But we don't leave others behind if there is still a chance to save them."

Naruto nodded at that and replied.

"Thanks for that Shino, we'll make sure to get them for you."

Neji, Lee, Shikamaru, Kiba, and Akamaru nodded in agreement as well to Shino, to which the Aburame clan member nodded in appreciation.

"Thanks, you guys had better get going. They no doubt will be moving on soon."

They nodded as well and soon they moved out while Shino focused on protecting the still injured ninja as well as the slain. He also sent out some of his bugs to guide any relief force being deployed. Since the Aburame Clan had been in Konoha for generations, every ninja of the village knew the bugs on sight and sound so he had no doubt that they would find him. The bugs would also help in defence and offense so all he could do was help and keep the ninja safe. It grated on his nerves to not be there to help the others, but he was no fool. Once the relief ninja force came in and took the injured and the dead from here, he would guide them to find the others.

There was no doubt that some of them would be injured and thus medical help on the spot was going to be critical so that this mission was going to work out for all of them.

...

The Oto Ninja members and Sasuke were still going forward and while they seemed fine, they had the wounds to show that their battle with the ninja of Konoha had not left them unscathed. Sasuke himself was still injured but he cared little for the injuries that he had on him as he was eager to finally gain the power he desired. The traitor ninja had no doubt that they were soon going to be pursued and he had no doubt Naruto would be part of the mission as well. This was something he would be looking forward to, the chance to finally kill the one who had humiliated him for a while now.

The thoughts of revenge against Naruto for defeating him were deep in Sasuke's mind and he could not help himself but relish the thought of finishing his former ally. But for now he placed that aside as he knew that right now, he had to grow stronger and when he was ready, he would kill Naruto once more for all. He would enjoy it and make sure that he was going to send Naruto's body back minus his sword and his heart.

But as he moved forward, it was not long before the four decided to stop and explain to him just how he could unblock the full potential of the Cursed Seal. Namely on how to not only gain full mastery of it in the first stage so there would be nothing to stop him from using it freely, but also to use the Second Stage of it. The process was risky but the former Konoha ninja did not care in the slightest about the risk. All he cared about was to gain full mastery of this power and soon bring his revenge on Itachi, and soon, those who had held him back.

...

Unknown to Sasuke, the Oto ninja, the Konoha ninja, and even Naruto...someone or rather something else was watching.

(("Well now...this just became interesting, perhaps there ARE some beings in this world with promise. Now let me see just how far this Uchiha will go to gain power."))

...

Naruto and the others moved on and soon Kiba and Akamaru spoke to them.

"Their smell is getting stronger, but the thing that I noticed is that Sasuke's scent has disappeared. Neither Akamaru nor me can't seem to smell him out."

That was more than enough to stop the other members of the Konoha team as they knew that there was no way Sasuke had disappeared just like that. They could have used some sort of transportation Jutsu to send Sasuke to Orochimaru while they were chasing the team. But they were well aware of the fact that these ninja in question were powerful but they did not possess the level of skill and experience to use Space Time Jutsu to allow them to move instantaneously. Shikamaru also knew of these details and decided to take a chance that perhaps Sasuke was still with them, but they must be doing something to mask his smell from Akamaru and Kiba.

"Anything else?"

Kiba and Akamaru both shook their heads, but Naruto was apparently thinking on the same page of thought as Shikamaru was and looked at Neji. The Hyuuga Clan member nodded and used his Byakugan to get a better picture. He was quick to spot the chakra signatures of the four Oto Ninja that they were chasing, but he also spotted something, that through the Byakugan looked very much malevolent and certainly something that he did not feel to be safe to be around for any amount of time. He looked at it once more to be sure that he was not seeing things and reported.

"I am seeing a massive amount of chakra, very foul and concentrated in some sort of container. That container is not normal as well since it seems to be containing the chakra and seems to be allowing the chakra to grow stronger and thicker. I can see some signs that there is someone in there, but who I cannot say for sure."

That surprised the others and Shikamaru knew that this was going to be a major concern for them. Lee then wagered a guess of his own as he took in what he heard from Neji.

"Perhaps that is where Sasuke is being held in. Why in such a container I cannot say either, but I doubt that they had put him there for the fun of it. But the fact that they have stopped must be because of their injuries fighting our fellow Konoha ninja. If we move quickly, then we can win this fight and secure Sasuke and bring him back for trial."

Naruto thought about that and decided to try something.

"Before we do that however, we're going to see how strong they really are. Better we know just how powerful they are before we make a move. Follow my lead guys."

The others nodded in agreement as they let Naruto do his thing as he began to create some new targets to test the four Oto ninja before them.

...

The Sound Four took the time to rest and recuperate from their battles earlier. They were facing Jonin so they had no choice but to use their Cursed Seals. It had given them the power needed to end the Jonin and the ANBU. But they could not stay, they knew that as they had to get Sasuke to their master and without delays. The last thing they wanted was to incur Orochimaru's rage. The pain for the Snake Sannin was growing by the day and they knew that he was not in the least bit pleased in it. Already some of the ninja back in the base had madet he mistake of disturbing Orochimaru and were killed because of it, and right now there was no doubt that if they did not make it in time...even if they were some of his best, they would be next. That thought sent shivers down the spines of the four and they hoped to make it back before it came to that.

However, it was hear that their early warning system kicked in and they were soon greeted by their attackers. It was not long before the two groups smashed into one another. But the Oto Ninja made sure to keep the Konoha ninja from interfering with the container. They knew for a fact that if anything and anyone interrupted the process of increasing the Seal's power and allowing the user to unleash the full power of the Seal, then the ninja inside would die. They saw this themselves and they had endured it themselves which allowed them to unleash the second stage of their respective Seals.

...

Naruto leaped back as several more of the webs came at him and he cut them quickly as the eight armed Sound Ninja was engaging him at long range. Naruto quickly fired several kunai at him and the guy just fired several blobs of webbing to catch the weapons in mid air. The blobs of webbing came at Naruto until Neji came in and used his Byakugan and the Gentle Fist to destroy the webbing, thus the two were now fighting side by side with the foe before them.

He was not the only one as Lee was fighting with the more muscled one of the group, the rather large member of the group, and he was not alone as Chouji directed his attacks on the same foe. This left Kiba and Akamaru to deal with the pale skinned one in the field of battle, and this left Shikamaru to deal with the female member of the group, much to the annoyance of the Nara Clan youth.

"Darn it, why the heck do I have to fight the woman?"

That apparently did not sit well with the woman in question as she glared at him and shouted.

"Don't you dare look down on me you bloody chauvinistic ass!"

That threat came true for Shikamaru as the woman began to attack using several senbon as well as using what appeared to be senbon with explosive tags on the senbon as well. Shikamaru saw the tags quickly and knew that avoiding being hit by these explosive tags was his best chance for survival. He does so and the branch he had been on before was reduced to kindling. He quickly stuck to a nearby tree with Tree Walking and quickly did the hand signs to summon his Shadow to restrain his foe.

Lee and Chouji might not have fought together, but their abilities more than made up for it when they charged at the massive Sound ninja. Chouji launched a number of kunai first and soon used his clan's special ability to launch one hell of a right hook. The ninja dodged him, showing surprising agility despite his size. But it was here that Lee quickly moved in and forced his foe to duck as the green jumpsuit wearing Genin sends a powerful kick to his head. Lee however quickly moved to land a hard left hook in mid air and smashed his fist in the Oto ninja's face. Chouji soon moved in and managed to land a kick into his foe's chest.

However, the young Oto ninja was not fully down and attacked them again. The Konoha ninja moved back to get some fighting room and also to see if they could make a move to take them out. The Oto ninja however made their move to take the Konoha ninja out with Jirobo leading them as he was soon supported by his team mates. Tayuya began to play with her flute and soon unleashed her special weapons and soon several grotesque figures appeared and were able to join Jirobo to take out the ninja while Ukon-Sakon and Kidomaru moved to support their allies. Naruto managed to counter some of the web sphere fired by the eight armed Oto Ninja but was unable to launch a counter-attack as the massive ninja unleashed several spheres of hard earth from his mouth. The blonde ninja moved back and quickly was supported by Neji who was using the Gentle Fist to counter. Kiba and Akamaru were also forced to move back as their fight with Ukon-Sakon was cut short when Kidomaru turned his attention away from Naruto and Neji to support the ninja in question. Kiba was forced to move back along with Akamaru to avoid being caught in the web balls and being unable to move or fight. The same went for Chouji as he was now being attacked by Shikamaru's former foe and her summoned Ogres and facing them all at once was really taxing on the Akamichi member.

They were now on the offensive against Naruto and the others and they were not going to let up either. Neji was forced to use Kaiten to defend himself from a barrage of Kidomaru's chakra enhanced spiderweb spheres as the eight armed ninja came back at him, but as he stopped Jirobo came in and forced Neji to block his attack. But being the strongest of the Sound Four despite not using his Cursed Seal, he was able to force the Hyuuga clan member back and with some injuries. This was soon followed by Tayuya's Ogres attacking Lee while she used her flute to distract the young man after forcing Chouji to help Shikmaru who was attacked by Ukon-Sakon in a dual attack that had the young man on the defensive. Lee groans as the music played on and got hit by the club wielding Ogre and flew back some distance away. Naruto turned and rushed towards Lee, but this allowed the other Ogres to engage the blonde just as Kidomaru turned and fired another arrow at the blonde Chuunin's direction. Naruto blocked the arrow until Jirobo came at him and fired several spheres of Earth, one of which hit Naruto on the back, injuring the blonde.

Both Chouji and Shikamaru were soon hit by the combined attacks of Ukon-Sakon and Jirobo while Neji, Akamaru, and Kiba were hit by Kidomaru who was being aided Tayuya's summoned Ogres and tayuya herself who was using her flute to use Sound based Genjutsu and it was working. Naruto managed to break free however and fired several shuriken towards her, forcing her to stop using her flute and block the thrown weapons. The blonde however was forced back when one of the Ogres came at him. This was actually a powerful trick that the Oto ninja had planned as soon as they were attacked by the Konoha ninja. Once the group were there, Tayuya unleashed a massive barrage of sound based Genjutsu that stopped them cold. Then Kidomaru unleashed a hailstorm of his chakra webs, followed by Jirobo unleashing massive spheres of earth into the stunned and bound Konoha ninja.

The results of the combined attack were devastating and when the smoke cleared...

The Konoha ninja were now on the ground and were not moving...only to explode later in a cloud smoke to reveal that instead of the team of Kiba, Akamaru, Shikamaru, Chouji, Lee, Neji, and Naruto but an entire army of Naruto, who also exploded to reveal nothing at all!

The four Oto Ninja's expressions of triumph disappeared as they realized that they had been fighting Kage Bunshin the whole time. and they barely had a warning as a massive explosion of earth came out in the middle of them. This revealed that the REAL Konoha ninja team had actually sneaked underneath them. Rock Lee, the real Rock Lee was the first to strike as he landed a kick at Jirobo right into the stomach, while the real Neji quickly attacked Ukon-Sakon alongside the real Kiba and Akamaru while the real Naruto tangled once more with the eight armed member of the Oto ninja, and yet again Shikamaru was facing the female ninja. Only this time they now had an idea on how the four fought and had gotten the drop on them as well.

...

Rock Lee quickly used his usual attack style with his foe who was Kidomaru with Neji this time around supporting him in the attack, Uko-Sakon was now being attacked by Kiba and Akamaru again, Jirobo was now being engaged by Naruto and yet again Shikamaru was facing off with Tayuya. This naturally did not sit too well with either of the two with Tayuya being the more vocal one of the pair as she tossed a number of senbon at him to force Shikamaru to avoid his attacks. Shikamaru also used his own clan's Jutsu to create a Shadow Wall to block the other senbon at that exact moment.

"You are not going to have easy time here you pig!"

"Great, so I am now REALLY going to fight a woman. Just what I was hoping to avoid."

That served to infuriate Tayuya as she attacked Shikamaru with senbon and also played her flute to summon her orges once more. It was clear that she was going to make sure that the Nara clan member was going to die slowly for his words and attitude. That was not the least bit lost on Shikamaru as he quickly began to defend himself though it seemed that the woman was not going to rely on her summons for the time being. This was something he hoped to take full advantage of once he got a clean shot at taking her out. The others were also busy with their own foes. Naruto managed to fire several shuriken to distract his foe and landed a fierce side kick to the head of the massive member of the Oto ninja. Jirobo roared in anger at Naruto's attack and tried to land a fierce haymaker on the blonde which Naruto managed to dodge, along with the massive shoulder charge that the teen ninja tried to use on him.

He and the others now had an idea on how to fight the Sound Ninja and defeat them, but they also knew that they had not yet seen the ninja use their Cursed Seals. And Naruto had a feeling that since they were usually on Orochimaru's side, the ninja before them had far greater experience with the Cursed Seals than Sasuke. This was also understood by Shikamaru and the others so they kept themselves ready to fight them in their Cursed Seal form though they knew that they had to be careful since apart from Naruto, none of them had faced ninjas armed with the Curse Seal. And even if some of them had seen Sasuke use his Cursed Seal, they were not to sure what powers the ninjas before them had through their Seals.

This worry proved to be right on the money as Tayuya shouted.

"Let's stop messing around here! Use the seals!"

The others seemed to agree with the red haired Kunoichi and soon the Konoha ninja were treated to the sight of the Cursed Seals appearing on the four Oto ninja. Naruto kept in mind that Sasuke was only recently using the Cursed Seal so these four might be more seasoned than his former team mate and he shouted to the others.

"Get ready! They are using their Seals!"

Neji, Akamaru, Kiba, Rock Lee, and Shikamaru nodded as they knew that this was now more serious. After all, they had left Shino with the other Jonin ranked ninja who were badly injured and one dead from these four. And soon the warning became reality as the four Oto ninja came at the Konoha ninja at full throttle. Naruto was attacked by several more web spheres from Kidomaru but was soon being attacked by the eight armed ninja with close range weapons, all of which happened to be a mix of kunai and hook sickle like versions of his webs. Holy Talon proved more than able to cut the two types of attack, but the guy was not giving up either. Kiba and Akamaru took on Ukon and Sakon though they were more cautious this time around as they too knew that with the seals active, they were going to harder to beat.

Neji and Lee were not working in tandem with one another to battle the largest member of the Oto ninja who was angry at being engaged by the Hyuuga clansman and the Taijutsu specialist who both trained Naruto. The two Konoha ninja needed to be careful now as they could already tell that Jirobo was a lot more powerful than last time. Tayuya was also more than ready to use her Sound genjutsu but Naruto decided to do something about her style of Genjutsu as he channeled his Dragon Fire into a spell, a fairly quick one and imbued it into one of his kunai. As soon as the spell was done, he avoided Kidomaru and fired the kunai.

"SEEKER!"

Tayuya deflected the kunai quickly and returned to using her Genjutsu now that the thrown weapon was out of the way but to her surprise, it did not fly away but followed her. She avoided it and used a tree as a place to hide, but the kunai was still following her. She swore up a heck of a storm at the kunai tracking her as this prevented her from helping her comrades. Naruto soon directed his attention to the others and moved away just as Kidomaru came at him. Tayuya however decided to sacrifice one of her summoned Ogres, she did so by having one of her Ogres to block the kunai and then un-summoned the Ogre in question. Naruto was not happy but had to divert his attention elsewhere as Kidomaru was once more on the attack. The same could be said for Tayuya however as Shikamaru fired several explosive tag wrapped kunai at her to keep her off balance.

Tayuya moved back and shouted to her companions.

"This damned battle is wasting our time! The longer we delay the higher the risk to Orochimaru-sama! We need to end them now!"

Jirobo replied with a grin at that.

"Let me!"

Naruto's senses came to the fore and he shouted to the others who were moving back to get some distance as he was as well.

'LOOK OUT!"

That warning came too late however as he and the others were suddenly surrounded by a dome of pure earth.

...

Naruto glared at the massive soil dome that was now covering them as he tried to get the energy to cut through the stuff. But whatever that muscled guy was using it was draining them of chakra and he could not help but see the effects on Neji, Lee, Kiba, Akamaru, Chouji, and Shikamaru. It was happening to him as well and while he could summon the Kyuubi's chakra, he decided to reserve it for now. He was only going to use it if the situation got to the point that he was going to need it.

He however had a very good idea that the Kyuubi was not going to be happy being caged away again his mind. But right now the last thing he needed was for the demon fox to go berserk unless the situation was that bad. Even with Holy Talon assuring him, the blonde was not going to take chances unless he had no other alternative. He looked at the others and saw that they were also doing that they could to escape, but he was quick to sense that their chakra was being drained by the wall itself.

"Guys! Stop it!"

Shikamaru already got an idea what was happening the very second he tried to use his chakra to summon his shadows to pierce the sphere of earth that surrounded them. His chakra quickly began to fade in a way that he knew was not the least bit normal.

"Naruto's right, this is no simple Jutsu."

The others realized this, even more so when Neji used his Byakugan to see just what was going outside of them. He saw that the chakra that was leaking out of him and the others and being taken into the dome and because of the sheer amount of chakra being taken from all of them, he could not see where their foe was. If they continued to assault this structure, then there was no doubt they would be wasting their energies and possibly lose their lives.

"They're right, that ninja who unleashed the Jutsu is draining us of chakra but with the dome taking our chakra and cloaking the outside world I cannot locate him."

That was bad news and it was clear that all of the other Konoha ninja were also in agreement with the situation that they were in. Unless they found a way to escape, they would be drained of chakra and be vulnerable or dead. Naruto would have used his spells, but there was a chance that his team could be caught in the crossfire. He had advanced well enough in the use of magical power but he was not going to risk his team for a guess. There was also the fact that while he could use the Kyuubi's chakra there was no telling what would happen if the guy tasted the Fox's energy and what the outcome was going to be.

However, he turned to Shikamaru and the Nara clan member nodded as he began to set a plan in motion. It was going to be risky and it was only going to work if they could make the one holding them in the jutsu reveal himself.

...

Outside of the dome, Jirobo turned to Ukon-Sakon, Tayuya and Kidomaru to get them to hurry to Orochimaru.

"You guys hurry up, these guys are mine, I am going to have a lot of fun draining them dry before I kill them."

Tayuya snorted and replied.

"Then hurry up and don't take too long you fat-ass! I am not going back to haul your lardy ass back to home base."

Jirobo snorted and turned back to the dome as the others left, he spoke to himself as soon as he felt that the others were out of hearing range.

"Bossy, loud, obnoxious, foul mouthed woman. What Orochimaru-sama and Kabuto-sama see in her I will never know. Ah well, time for me to have a snack for all my troubles."

That did not mean that his fun was spoiled. Jirobo might look like the proverbiual tub of lard but like most of his companions he was a sadistic one and then decided to get down to the matter at hand.

The large member of the Sound Five turned back to face his foes who were still trapped in the dome of Earth and smirked as he spoke to them.

"So what do you all plan to do now? Any Jutsu you use is not going to work here, I will just drain your chakra slowly until you drop dead. I am going to enjoy feasting on all your chakra!"

It was then that Shikamaru soon spoke to the Oto ninja in question and soon the trap was sprung.

...

Shikamaru's gambit was to pretend that he was selling out the others to save his own hide, Naruto was already aware that Shikamaru had a plan and trusted the Nara Clan member. Holy Talon was quick to scan Shikamaru's mind and since no one but Naruto could sense the link and therefore get the information, he played along. And since no one else knew of it, they reacted the way people normally would, and even Chouji did as well. However, having been friends with Shikamaru for so long, Chouji was quick on the uptake and knew that Shikamaru would only say it if he had a plan in mind on how to get them out of here.

And it seemed as if the gambit worked as the feeling of their chakra being drained was cut, and soon this allowed Naruto to make his own move.

...

"You know what, I am going to kill you all but before the rest of you die, I am going to take out both your worthless leaders, namely the one from the Nara Clan. I cannot believe that new generation of the famed Ino-Shiki-Cho Trio are being led by a pair of cowards who would give up their team mates for their lives. And I though that the sword wielding ninja would be more of a challenge, yet here he is in the dome and soon going to be a dried husk when i am done. I am going to kill them first."

That however was right up the alley of what Naruto and Shikamaru had in mind as Naruto had switched to using one of the Vision Spells in his inventory to locate Jirobo. And sure enough he spotted the enemy and pointed in the direction, thus this gave Shikamaru's old friend Chouji a very good idea where to hit. And right now the heir to the Akamichi Clan did not need to be riled any more than he already was.

BOOM!

Jirobo had no time to react as the dome exploded before him, he cursed the sudden and utterly unexpected attack that happened in front of him. He knew quickly that his Jutsu had been overpowered and his enemies were now free and he was all alone. But he did not care, this was going to be fun for him as he knew he still happened to have his Cursed Seal as a backup as he had retracted the seal earlier to conserve it as well as recharge it with the chakra he had taken from his now freed foes.

...

Chouji quickly made his move and tore through the wall, having eaten the very first of what was his secret weapon. The Three Colored Pills were the secret weapon of the clan but like any secret weapon, it was also dangerous to Chouji and he knew it. Each pill eaten would convert all his calories and stored fat into chakra to increase his power and bring his Clan's powers to higher levels. But each pill was dangerous to his life, and the red pill would kill him. But after the insults hurled at Shikamaru and his team, the kid gloves were off his hands. And he proved it as he was the one to charge right at the Oto ninja while the others looked on to recover their chakra.

...

Chouji quickly used his family Jutsu and slammed a massive fist into the face of the largest member of the Oto ninja. He managed to send the guy flying back and began to get serious even as the large ninja was somehow ale to recover, no doubt he had used the siphoned chakra from them to reinforce his body in some manner. This was not lost to the foe he was facing as he wiped his face with a sneer as he knew full well who Chouji was. After all, as part of Orochimaru's escort force in the previous battle in Konoha, he was informed on just who the ninja of the village were. This naturally included the ninja who came from the clans.

"So you're one of the Akamichi Clan? This is going to be fun. I am Jirobo and I will make sure that I kill you all for having such a weak pair of leaders, but I am going to kill you first. Though I can bet that our ally Sasuke would want to see the blonde one here dead, and after what he did to Orochimaru-sama, that is something I also want to see."

Chouji was all business and replied.

"So you know that I am of the Akamichi Clan? And you dare to insult me, my friend Shikamaru, and belittle my team? Fine, then that means that this fight's between you and me! I am going to kill you for your insults to me, my clan and my friend!"

The others looked at Chouji and it was clear that they could tell that he was dead serious fighting this man. Naruto and Shikamaru nodded and the Nara Clan member spoke to his long time friend.

"You better make it back Chouji, we're going to be needing your help before too long."

Chouji nodded and smiled.

"You got it Shikamaru, go on ahead."

The others soon took off to capture the rest of the Oto Ninja who had now taken Sasuke further into the direction of their land. There was no doubt in the minds of the other ninja that they were going to have a fight on their hands, no doubt from what they had experienced with their brief battles with them no less than several minutes ago. Naruto on the other hand knew that with this guy out of the way, Sasuke would now have less people to protect him. He however decided to get ready for anything since he was still not sure just what the abilities the others had, even more so when they were going to use their Cursed Seals.

Chouji turned to face his foe and soon spoke seriously.

"All right, now let's get this over and done with!"

To which Jirobo smirked and cracked his knuckles and replied.

"Let's do it then!"

...

Shino waited and soon was greeted by the sight of a Konoha Medic unit coming with ANBU escort, but they were not alone either. The new arrivals however he quickly recognized and was pleased to know that they were here. And his bugs confirmed to him that the ninja before him were indeed from Konoha, even more so when he saw that it was none other than Shizune who was leading them.

...

To be continued...

...

Author's Notes:

There, now we get down to the rest of the battle, and while this will follow the path that was seen in the anime and manga, I will be doing my best to add some changes if the changes are deemed to be good for the story overall. I also apologize in advance for the mess that it might look like, having my PC overhauled and not being able to update as much as I had previously scheduled had thrown all my plans up he proverbial creek.

Anyhow, this story is soon coming to a close so don't be surprised that we are going to be coming to the battle between Naruto and Sasuke. But unlike what we saw in canon, there is no reason for Naruto to be kind to Sasuke in this battle. So you can bet that their battle would be a lot more serious and a lot more brutal. Naturally you can bet that Death Fang is going to have a lot of fun seeing how this battle will play out, and if you know what I have done before, then you can bet that the evil sword is going to get involved.

How?

That you will have to see at a later date now won't you?

Also I can tell you that in the sequel to this, there will be the results of Naruto's sexual escapades with the ladies soon enough. Plus I plan to have him do a few side adventure stories before going to the sequel of this story of mine.

Anyway, on to the next chapter and all the way to the end!


End file.
